Las Vegas, N.V., June 24, 2022 – Michele Butts has been appointed as chief executive officer of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Desert Canyon in the greater Las Vegas area. In her position as CEO, Butts oversees all of the day-to-day operations, as well as patient care and quality, at the 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital located at 9175 W Oquendo Road. She assumed the position in April 2022.

“Michele is a strong leader with more than 19 years of experience at Encompass Health and a proven track record for creating meaningful change within the healthcare industry,” said Jerry Gray, President of Encompass Health’s West region. “Michele’s extensive experience in healthcare leadership makes her a perfect fit to lead our hospital in Desert Canyon, and I am confident that her vision for the hospital will elevate the high-quality rehabilitative care and patient experience.”

Butts began her career at Encompass Health Deaconess in Evansville, Indiana, as a physical therapist and was later promoted to various management positions, including clinical manager of physical and speech therapy. In this role, Butts was responsible for supervising a team of clinical staff and developing a multi-disciplinary wound rounds program. After serving 11 years in various therapy leadership roles, she transitioned to Tucson, Arizona to become the director of therapy operations at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson, where she collaborated with therapy staff to improve the overall patient care and quality experience and implemented training and educational programs for therapist development. She also led efforts as a national therapy clinical ladder reviewer and a supply chain therapy equipment selection committee member. Butts then became associate administrator at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Northwest Tucson in 2021. She led performance improvement projects and was responsible for all day-to-day operations at the hospital. She also participated in the Developing Future CEO program at Encompass Health Northwest Tucson and quickly excelled in her training to become CEO of Desert Canyon in 2022.

Butts earned a master’s degree in physical therapy from University of Evansville and a master’s degree in business health care administration from the Wilmington University. She currently serves on the board of directors for Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports (SAAS).

About Encompass Health
As a national leader in integrated healthcare services, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) offers both facility‑based and home‑based patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health agencies and hospice agencies. With a national footprint that includes 150 hospitals, 252 home health locations, and 99 hospice locations in 42 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides high‑quality, cost-effective integrated healthcare. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.