LUTCHER — St. James Parish Hospital CEO Mary Ellen Pratt was recently named one of the nation’s “Top 50 Rural Hospital CEOs to Know” by Becker’s Hospital Review — the nation’s leading source of cutting edge business and legal information for health care industry leaders.

Pratt was the only CEO in Louisiana to receive the recognition, which is based on rural health care awards, rural health care committee and board involvement, regional and national leadership positions and organizational performance.

According to Becker’s Hospital Review, recipients “have demonstrated dedication to providing high-quality, accessible care to their communities and many of the executives have either received rural healthcare accolades or led their organization to a status worthy of awards and recognition.”

Last year under Pratt’s leadership, St. James Parish Hospital received the iVantage Performance Leadership Award for Excellence in Patient Perspectives in addition to several awards for quality and patient satisfaction.

Pratt is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the National Rural Health Association. She also chairs the American Hospital Association’s Section for Small or Rural Hospitals Governing Council.