Northwest Community Hospital names medical chief with business expertise

Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights has named Dr. Eric Benink, who also has a masters degree in business administration, as its new chief medical officer.

Benink has served as vice president and chief medical officer of OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford since 2006. He has more than 20 years of experience as a physician, specializing in emergency medicine.

“Dr. Benink was the clear choice after many rounds of interviews with finalists and a national search process that considered over 30 candidates,” Bruce Crowther, CEO of Northwest Community, said in a news release. “His experience in developing systems with physicians that materially improve quality will prove especially important to Northwest Community Hospital as a differentiator. We are delighted that he has agreed to join our leadership team.”

Prior to serving as chief medical officer of OSF Saint Anthony, he was the hospital’s medical director of emergency medicine and medical director of the hospital’s lifeline trauma helicopter, the state’s oldest medical evacuation program with nearly 25 years of service. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force during the first Gulf War.

Benink received his BA from Southern Illinois University in 1982, his MD from Rush Medical College in 1987 and his MBA from George Washington University in 2008. He plans to reside in Algonquin with his family.

“I look forward to joining the distinguished team of physicians at NCH,” said Benink, whose appointment was effective Wednesday. “I hope to continue to grow NCH’s reputation as an award-winning hospital and world-class medical provider.”

The 496-bed acute care hospital, with four immediate care locations, a FastCare Clinic in Palatine and a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians, serves more than 350,000 outpatients and nearly 30,000 inpatients annually.