Michelle Coon
President, Vandalia Health Network and Vice President of Managed Care, Vandalia Health
Written by Kitty Lindsay
Michelle Coon prides herself on wearing multiple hats professionally. As president of Vandalia Health Network and vice president of managed care for Vandalia Health, her responsibilities cover everything from fostering connections between providers and the communities they serve to leading payer contracting and reimbursement strategy.
These dual roles not only work to ensure the delivery of coordinated and financially sustainable health care to care recipients but also provide long-term viability and competitive positioning for the health system. Focusing on population health in the Mountain State is a mission Coon takes seriously.
“ I love this state and have been here my whole life. The people we help are my neighbors. I see them at the store, in our schools and at church,” says Coon.“ I’ m thankful my career has given me a chance to serve them.”
A native West Virginian, Coon began her health care career as a receptionist at a health insurance company and learned firsthand the challenges rural communities face.
“ Expanding access to preventative screenings is vital for early detection, but addressing social drivers of health is just as important,” says Coon.“ A person’ s ZIP code often predicts their health outcomes more accurately than their genetic code. Diabetes, for example, isn’ t always about personal choice. It can stem from limited access to healthy foods, cooking knowledge or transportation to care. Tackling these real-life issues takes a village, but by building strong partnerships, we can make a difference for our neighbors.”
In addition to partnering with West Virginia Health Right, the American Cancer Society and the United
Photo by Dale Witte.
Way to realize her communityfocused vision, Vandalia Health— under Coon’ s leadership— has launched a mobile fleet that brings screening services like mammography and low-dose lung computed tomography scans to rural areas, improving access to care which in turn leads to early identification.
What’ s more, Vandalia Health’ s Food as Medicine initiatives like FARMacy, a diabetes education program, and Healthy Neighborhood, a food assistance program, have produced measurable results in
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