Melissa Onion, BSN, RN, CLC, who has been with McDonough District Hospital for eight years, has been named interim Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at MDH in the wake of the recent termination of former CNO Wayne Laramie.
“Melissa has demonstrated strong leadership at MDH, and we are confident in her ability to guide the nursing team as we begin the process of identifying a permanent Chief Nursing Officer,” said Patrick Osterman, vice president of business strategy at MDH.
Laramie, who joined MDH's administrative team in April 2025, was dismissed by the MDH Board of Directors at their Monday, May 18 meeting, effective May 19. Citing personnel confidentiality, the hospital did not provide a reason for the abrupt termination.
Onion, who has served as director of obstetrics at MDH since 2018, joined MDH as a registered nurse in obstetrics. She was named obstetrical clinical care coordinator in 2021, and the director of obstetrics in 2022. According to a press release from MDH's Public Relations Office, over the past four years, Onion has overseen clinical operations, staffing, quality initiatives and patient care services within the OB department.
'I am honored to step into this interim role during this transitional time for our organization. Our commitment to our patients, staff, and community remains unwavering. My passion for supporting and strengthening rural healthcare continues to drive my leadership,' Onion said. 'MDH has always been more than a workplace to me, it is home.
My family and I rely on this organization and the care it provides, which makes its success close to my heart as we lead and move forward together.'
During her tenure, the obstetrics department has received multiple quality and excellence awards and most recently partnered with the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network to serve as a training site. Last year, MDH Obstetrics saw an almost 20 percent increase in deliveries.
Osterman said as the director, Onion has worked to strengthen staff competency, improve patient outcomes and advance high-quality rural healthcare through collaborative leadership and evidence-based practice. Through her work advancing obstetrical quality measures, she has collaborated with departments across the hospital to implement hospital-wide simulations and training, he noted.
The Rushville native earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, graduating in 2018.
The position announcement for a permanent VP/ CNO has been posted on the hospital's website.
The Chief Nursing Officer at McDonough District Hospital is responsible for planning, budgeting, patient care operations and the overall direction of Acute Care, Intensive Care, Transitional Care, Surgical Services, Emergency Services, Emergency Physicians, Hospitalists, Day Health Services and Obstetrics. The VP develops, implements and evaluates assigned clinical systems.
