Jason Cleckler, CEO of Delta Health received the American Hospital Association (AHA) 2018 Grassroots Champion award at the recent Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) annual meeting in Vail on July 12, 2018. Each year AHA partners with state hospital associations to recognize the achievements of grassroots leaders who effectively deliver the hospital message to elected officials; help broaden the base of community support for hospitals; and advocate tirelessly on behalf of patients, hospitals, and communities. In 2017 and 2018, he was named in the top 60/50 Rural CEOs in the Nation to Know from Becker’s Review.
Cleckler has actively worked on health care issues on behalf of rural hospitals with legislative representatives both on a state and national level. He is often quoted by local, statewide and national press as a spokesperson for rural hospital health care issues, including Yahoo news, National Public Radio, and various healthcare publications.
He serves on the Colorado Hospital Association Board of Trustees, Western Health Care Alliance and Collaborative Care Organization boards, Western Workforce Development board, San Juan Accountable Care Organization board, Delta County Economic Development Board, and is a member of the Delta Rotary Club.
Cleckler, CEO of Delta Health, has been with this 49-bed district community hospital for a total of ten years and CEO for the past six years managing 650 employees in the hospital and nine outpatient care clinics. Prior to that time, he was Chief Clinical Officer, Emergency Department Director and Trauma Nurse Coordinator at Delta Health.
His healthcare career began in the 1990’s when he first became a Registered Nurse(RN). During his career as an RN, he worked in a variety of capacities including Inpatient Psychiatry, ER/Trauma, ICU, various management roles and as a clinical instructor at the University of Colorado.