Plano, Texas – October 29, 2026 -- Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) will bring in John Henderson, who has led the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) since 2018, as Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations in January 2027.
Henderson's TORCH record includes $250M in targeted Medicaid rates
Henderson has spent more than eight years advocating for and supporting all 155 rural hospitals in Texas through TORCH. In 2023 he secured $250M in targeted Medicaid rates. During the 2025 Texas legislative session he led advocacy for the rural OB rate enhancement and HB 18.
On TORCH's own finances, he turned an initial loss into seven consecutive years of gains and quadrupled cash and investments.
Federal rural health programs feature in his résumé
Henderson advanced the emergency-rule implementation of the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation in 2020. In 2026 he supported the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
Henderson ran a $55M rural hospital district for 16 years
Before TORCH, Henderson spent 16 years as CEO of Childress Regional Medical Center. The $55M rural public hospital district was recognized nationally as a Top 100 Hospital and a Top 20 Rural Hospital.
His career began in hospital finance. He served nearly three years as Controller at Denton Regional Medical Center, now Medical City Denton.
Henderson holds finance degrees and has chaired two Texas boards
Henderson holds an MBA in Health Organization Management from Texas Tech University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Financial Management from Abilene Christian University. He previously served as Board Chair of both the Texas Hospital Association (THA) and TORCH. He has also served on numerous state health advisory councils and task forces.
CHC leadership ties the hire to operations across its hospital relationships
CHC President and CEO Jim Kendrick said Henderson's operational expertise and legislative and financial advocacy record will support CHC's work on "strengthening rural healthcare delivery."
CHC Chief Operating Officer Justin Doss said he will work closely with Henderson to oversee hospital operations and drive operational excellence across all CHC relationships.