Rebecca (Becky) Schiltz, Vice President of Post-Acute Services, has been honored by The Daily Journal as a Woman in Business. This year marks the fifth year of the Daily Journal’s Lifestyles’ Women in Business list which features a group of women across a variety of industries. This year 10 women were recognized.

Becky’s article reads:

For Rebecca Schiltz, every day is dedicated to care. Whether it’s caring for patients, her team, or her family, the focus is always how to best care for those that she cares most for.

It’s this mindset that’s kept her at Riverside Healthcare for nearly 30 years. Starting in 1994 as a physical therapist, the Minooka native’s first role with Riverside was in an acute care setting on the medical floors. She’d work in this position for eight years, bouncing from setting to setting, before landing in outpatient care.

She then became a senior therapist and was the site lead of the physical therapy department when Riverside Health Fitness Center opened.

“Which was exciting because it was state-of-the-art,” Schiltz said of the Bourbonnais facility.

After a brief pause with Riverside, Schiltz returned as Director of Rehab Services in 2006.

In 2018, she stepped into her current role of Vice President for Post-Acute Services. She oversees Senior Life Communities, Behavioral Medicine, Rehabilitation Services, and Home Health Care.

She does still works with her rehabilitative roots in this position, putting to use her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Marquette University, her Master of Health Science degree in Orthopedic Physical Therapy from the University of Indianapolis, and her Master in Business Administration degree from DePaul University.

Outside of her role with Riverside, she is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the Illinois Physical Therapy Association, and the Kankakee Community College Physical Therapist Assistant Advisory Committee.

So, what does a typical day look like in Post-Acute Services? First, Schiltz checks in with all the areas she oversees, then “you work with whatever pops up.”

“My day kind of shows where the fire is,” she said, noting she’s often asking. Is the team meeting budget goals and expectations? Is it meeting strategic planning goals?

“It’s kind of a constant juggling, explained Schiltz, describing it as focusing on the plate that’s juggling the fastest while trying not to drop anything else.

The biggest and most important plate, though, is the patient. Schiltz said she and her team are always looking at the question of “How can we get this person out of the hospital and into the next stage?”

In the scope of her administrative role, a big portion of her work is looking at how she can help leaders grow to improve the lives of others. Helping staff when they need assistance is a priority.

“Health care right now, staffing shortages are real in environments across the U.S. due to COVID,” she said. “People are reevaluating, so really supporting some of my units that might have staffing issues is important.

She described her role in the current state of health care as “managing through some of the new norms.”

Something that has become a daily focus, she said, is examining “how do you reinvent the care model?”

Whatever the answer may be, it surely includes taking care of both the patients and the staff. Schiltz credited Riverside with being flexible with staff when it comes to them needing time to help their families. This has led to strong employee retention.

Being a working mom of three, she said she often encourages the young women on her team to worry about work-life balance.

“We will figure it out because you’re not going to get those moments back.” she said of working with employees schedules when something comes up.

Living with her family in Bourbonnais, Schiltz enjoys sewing, quilting, and gardening. She’s also on the board of directors for the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra.

She lives near the state park and likes to go biking and walking.

“What I liked about living here is it’s quieter [and I] feel like it’s a slower pace in general,” she said of the area.

Schiltz noted she loves being there for her kids, like when her Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School freshman needs a ride to dance or her Illinois College soccer player needs someone in the fan section cheering him on.

“I love being a working mom.