Wanda Ellithorpe

Fletcher Biography

For three decades, Wanda Ellithorpe-Fletcher, BSN, COHN-S, was an innovator and leader in the field of occupational health.  She broke the glass ceiling for nurses and proved that nurses have the leadership skills and business acumen to fill C-suite positions beyond chief nursing officers in the healthcare industry.  In 1989, grounded in 10 years of critical care nursing in multiple hospitals, Wanda co-founded Midwest Occupational Health Associates (“MOHA)” in Decatur, Illinois. 

Wanda’s innovation and leadership led MOHA to become the first clinic in the United States to utilize the cutting-edge STOLAS operating system for occupational health practice management which included electronic records and disability management tracking.  After three years in business, MOHA was serving more than 300 employers in Central Illinois offering pre-employment physicals, periodic employee physicals, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) compliance medical surveillance exams, Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) exams, Commercial Vehicle Motor exams, drug testing, and other services. 

In 1992, Wanda commissioned a marketing survey done by a local university to determine what services the client companies wanted. That research showed firms wanted more on-site services to help contain down time and costs associated with worker absences for health screening.  With this market research, Wanda designed a Winnebago with X-ray facilities, audio testing booths and facilities to test for pulmonary function. This mobile medical unit provided onsite services in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana to help companies decrease the cost and time associated with worker absences for health screening. Through Wanda’s leadership and innovation, MOHA secured the competitively bid statewide random drug and alcohol testing contract for the Illinois Department of Transportation for 17 years. Under Wanda’s leadership, MOHA grew to 40 employees in three locations and she became known as a valuable partner to client companies, a dedicated mentor, and a creative problem solver.

In 2005, Wanda started as the Occupational Health Nurse Manager at Campbell’s Soup in Sacramento, California, where she managed occupational health services for more than 900 employees and contractors and led a team of six medical technicians and two physical therapists.  At the plant, Wanda was able to utilize her nursing skills and regularly held office hours at all hours of the day (and night) to treat patients recovering from injuries.  At Campbell’s Soup, Wanda created programs, such as a wellness and heat stress program, to improve employee health and safety and decrease employer insurance costs. Under her leadership, she reduced injuries by 70 % and saved the plant approximately $1.2 million dollars in workers’ compensation costs.  Before the plant closed in 2013, Wanda’s Campbell’s family organized a “Wanda Day” where the employees brought dishes from their native country to show their appreciation for all she did for them.

In 2013, Wanda became the Practice Manager at NorthBay Medical Center and oversaw its Occupational Health, Employee Health, Orthopedic and Pain Management Services in Fairfield and Vacaville, California.  There, her patient care experience and business acumen enabled to her to simultaneously improve patient care and the organization’s finances.  Under Wanda’s leadership, the Occupational Health business at Northbay flourished.  Wanda led her team to realize triple-digit growth in patient volumes, surgical procedure volume, and ancillary services from Occupational Health.  Additionally, Wanda’s multi-disciplinary focus tailored to the needs of the patients and employers led to embedding a neurosurgeon within the practice.  Wanda also created a wellness program, Movement Is Medicine, which purchased negotiated-rate gym memberships for all interested employees to prevent some diseases, eases the symptoms of others, and even reverse chronic conditions.  With her Employee Health hat, Wanda launched the first ever “Flu Shots to You” rolling flu shot clinics, which brought influenza vaccines to employees at their workstations.  An innovator, Wanda implemented a rapid return to work program helping to keep employees engaged within the workplace. 

Wanda was a role model to all that she worked with, from her superiors to those she managed.  She had a collaborative leadership style and inspired her team to take risks knowing that she would be there to support them even if they stumbled.  She was gregarious and always willing to roll up her sleeves and do whatever needed to be done.  Wanda epitomized a growth mindset and could teach herself anything, both in the workplace and generally in life. She never stopped learning and adopting innovative ideas and technology to improve patient care.

Throughout her career she was a pioneer in furthering her nursing education.  She went back to school to complete her BSN nursing degree at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1989 while running MOHA.  In 1995, she also become one of the first nurses in downstate Illinois to become a certified occupational health nurse (COHN-S) and in 2008 obtained a certification in Applied Ergonomics.

Nursing and mentoring were callings for Wanda.  The sum of all Wanda’s experience allowed her to become a respective hospital administrator who mentored countless colleagues to become the best nurses and organizational leaders they could be.