Michael R. Bethel MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE

In this capacity, Mr. Bethel leads the day-to-day operations of Nursing, Social Work, Sterile Processing, Education, and the Chaplaincy for the health care system. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Bethel was the Chief Nurse of Primary Care Service and one of the architects of VACCHCS’ very successful realignment of Primary Care into Patient Aligned Care Teams using a medical home model. He has spent more than half of his 30+ year nursing career at VACCHCS. Before joining VA, he served as a public health and public mental health clinician for Fresno County. As the Division Manager for the Adult System of Care at the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, he was responsible for outpatient care to the severely mentally ill population. He was also part of the team to establish Fresno County’s first Mental Health Court when collaborative justice was young.

Mr. Bethel’s roots run deep in the Central Valley. Born in Fresno and a proud graduate of Dinuba High School, he began his nursing journey with an Associate of Science degree in Registered Nursing from the College of the Sequoias. Later, he entered the Statewide Nursing Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Committed to advancing his knowledge, he completed his Master of Science in Nursing and Health Care Systems Management from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a lifelong learner and is board-certified in many nursing and health care specialties, including Health Care Management, Advanced Nurse Executive Practice, Disaster Health Care, Correctional Health Care, Public Health, and Case Management. He holds Fellowships in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is an Excellence in Government Senior Fellow of the Partnership for Public Service.

He has earned a Diploma in Climate Medicine from the Anschutz School of Medicine at the University of Colorado and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Emergency Management and was recently inducted into the Order of the Sword and Shield, the National Honor Society for Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Mr. Bethel maintains professional relationships with the Association of Public Health Nurses, the American Nurses Association, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the American Society of Safety Professionals, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, and the Global Nurses Climate Change Committee. He gets outside whenever he can and serves his community as a local, regional, and national volunteer for Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America), and an international volunteer for the World Organization of the Scout Movement.