MACOMB, Ill. – The McDonough District Hospital Board of Directors announced that Melissa Onion, RN, BSN, CLC, has been named interim Chief Nursing Officer. An eight-year employee at MDH, Onion currently serves as the Director of Obstetrics.
Onion first worked as a Registered Nurse in Obstetrics then in 2021 was named Obstetrical Clinical Care Coordinator. She was named Director of Obstetrics in 2022.
Over the past four years, Melissa 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,” said Onion. “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 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% increase in deliveries.
Passionate about emergency readiness and advanced staff education, 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.
Onion earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, graduating in 2018. Born and raised in Rushville, she now resides in Industry with her husband Austin and their son Brooks. Her family lives on her husband’s family farm, where their family’s roots run deep within the community.
