Autore named board chair at Mackinac Straits Health System

ST. IGNACE – Trustees for Mackinac Straits Health System have announced Steven Autore of Cedarville as the new board chair. He replaces Christine McPherson, who served in that role since 2018. Patrick Shannon of Sault Ste. Marie and Mackinac Island, has been named vice chair.

Autore has been a board trustee with Mackinac Straits since 2007, and has served as vice chair since 2015. He is also a trustee with the Mackinac Straits Health Foundation. Steve and his family are longtime residents of the Cedarville area. He is the former owner and president of Autore Oil & Propane and has served on a number of local business, civic and church boards.

Shannon is a former board chair and has been a trustee since 2007. He currently serves as the Chief Judge of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Court. Previously, he served as Chippewa County Prosecuting Attorney from 1981 to 1998.

“It is my privilege to work with so many talented board members during my time with Mackinac Straits,” Autore said in a news release. “I am very proud of what our organization has accomplished. Our future is bright, thanks to our dedicated board, along with our committed physicians, clinicians, leaders and employees who work hard to serve our patients and communities.”

“While there will be new challenges ahead, I am confident that Steve and Pat will be effective leaders for our organization,” McPherson, who will remain as a board trustee, said in a news release. “Mackinac Straits is fortunate to have such dedicated members with a wide variety of experience on our board.”

“Serving on a board for a health care system in today’s challenging environment takes more than a desire to fulfill a fiduciary duty,” Karen Cheeseman, MSHS president and CEO, said in a news release. “The way hospitals do business is changing at an alarming rate, and the pressure to manage quality and safety, cost and value, and the patient experience is unprecedented. Over the years, our organization has been fortunate to have trustees that are prepared to meet these challenges which means better service for our communities.”

MSHS serves the Straits of Mackinac region. MSHS includes a 15-bed Critical Access Hospital which houses the St. Ignace Medical Clinic, Tribal Health Clinic, Emergency Room — along with a Fast Care clinic — and a 48-bed long-term care facility, Evergreen Living Center.

The hospital services also include oncology, outpatient surgery, laboratory, physical therapy and radiology. Other locations include Bois Blanc Island Medical Center, Mackinaw City Medical Clinic, Mackinaw City Specialty Clinic, Mackinac Island Medical Center and the Rivertown Medical Clinic in Cheboygan. For more information on these locations and the services available, visit www.mackinacstraitshealth.org. MSHS also includes the Mackinac Straits Health Foundation and is an affiliate partner with the Munson Healthcare System.