Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services names new CEO

Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services has turned to Maridel Acosta-Cruz to lead a hospital that sits at the center of care for Gallup, McKinley County and a wide stretch of northwest New Mexico. The appointment, announced May 27, comes at a moment when the 25-bed community hospital is still managing the aftereffects of recent disruptions and trying to hold onto the financial and operational gains it has publicly highlighted in the past year.

RMCHCS says it is a faith-based, not-for-profit system with more than 30 physicians and mid-level providers, two outpatient clinics, home health and hospice, and behavioral health services. The hospital also says it is the only non-Indian health services provider within a 60-mile radius, a fact that makes the CEO job especially consequential for families who rely on the hospital for emergency care, follow-up visits and local jobs.

Acosta-Cruz inherits a hospital that has already been through a managed leadership transition. Wayne H. Gillis was appointed CEO effective Nov. 18, 2024, and a February 2026 report said he would step down effective March 11, 2026, while remaining part-time until a successor started. That overlap suggests the board wanted continuity as the hospital moved from one administration to the next.

The new chief executive also takes charge after RMCHCS publicly emphasized several turnaround milestones under Gillis. In December 2025, the hospital said it had reached 100 days cash on hand and resolved tax filings, signs that the organization had begun to stabilize its finances after years in which liquidity and administrative strain have drawn close attention from the community.

Operationally, the hospital has also had to recover from building problems that affected patient care. RMCHCS said its operating rooms reopened Sept. 26, 2025, after being shut down by flood damage and HVAC failure. The operating room had also been temporarily closed from Sept. 15 through Sept. 21 for remediation work, underscoring how quickly infrastructure problems can spill into access for surgery and other procedures in a rural hospital that serves a broad region.

RMCHCS says its roots date back to the early 1900s, and the current system was formed in 1983 when Rehoboth Christian Hospital joined McKinley General Hospital. The hospital also says it is accredited by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality, which adds pressure for steady staffing, safe operations and measurable performance as Acosta-Cruz begins her tenure. For Gallup and surrounding communities, the question now is whether the new chief executive can keep that progress moving while protecting access to care in a hospital that remains one of the region’s few medical anchors.