GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 9, 2026--
Carrie Kincaid, senior vice president of government markets and market development at Priority Health, a nationally recognized nonprofit health plan serving more than 1.4 million members, has been named as a Leading Women Honoree for 2026 by Modern Healthcare.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260309825424/en/
The program honors influential women from all sectors of the health care industry, celebrating women developing policy, leading change and guiding improvements in care delivery.
Kincaid was recognized for a multitude of accomplishments including:
Kincaid built Priority Health’s Market Development division from the ground up. She launched Michigan’s first virtual-first product addressing gender-specific topics, like pregnancy and wellness exams, and a product for young women that focuses on holistic care.
Under her leadership, Priority Health improved health outcomes and reduced disparities across our communities. In addition, Kincaid has mentored dozens of individuals over the span of her career.
“I’m honored to be recognized among so many remarkable women who are shaping the future of health care,” said Kincaid. “This recognition reflects the collective work of the incredible teams at Priority Health who are committed to expanding access, improving outcomes and reducing disparities for the communities we serve. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together — from growing our footprint to advancing innovative solutions that meet people where they are — and I’m excited for what lies ahead as we continue building a more equitable and person-centered health care system.”
Honorees will be recognized June 3 at the Leading Women Conference & Awards ceremony in Chicago. Profiles of the honorees will be published in the March issue of MH Magazine.
About Priority Health
Our members are at the heart of everything we do. With 40 years in business, Priority Health is the second-largest health plan in Michigan and the third-largest provider-sponsored health plan in the nation, offering an extensive portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving 1.4 million members in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin, Priority Health offers a broad network of primary care physicians and continues to be recognized as a leader for quality, customer service, transparency and product innovation. Learn more about affordable, quality health coverage options from Priority Health. Visit the Priority Health newsroom for the latest news.
Carrie Kincaid
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge on Wednesday ordered Camp Mystic to preserve damaged cabins and other parts of the grounds hit by last year’s catastrophic floods that swept away and killed 25 girls and two counselors.
The order follows a lawsuit by the family of 8-year-old Cile Steward, who was swept away in the flood last Fourth of July and whose body still has not been recovered. District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ordered Camp Mystic to halt any construction or alterations after the family argued that any changes at the camp could destroy evidence needed for their lawsuit.
Gamble ruled that Camp Mystic’s owners must not alter or demolish the cabins where campers were housed during the floods, and said they must not use the portion of the camp closest to the Guadalupe River where those cabins were located.
“What we’re trying to do is preserve the evidence that’s there so that we can understand, so that future campers will never be put in a situation like this again," Will Steward, Cile's father, told reporters after the hearing.
The campers and counselors were killed when the fast-rising floodwaters roared through a low-lying area of the summer camp before dawn on the Fourth of July. All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.
The camp, established in 1926, did not evacuate and was hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) within 60 minutes.
“The worst thing you can do is put a bunch of 8-year-olds on a bus and try to drive them out of there. They all would have drowned,” said Mikal Watts, an attorney for Camp Mystic and its family of owners.
In a packed courtroom Wednesday, family members of the deceased girls wore buttons depicting their images as lawyers for Camp Mystic displayed pictures of trees planted in their memory and architectural renderings of plans to rebuild parts of the camp outside a 1,000-year flood zone.
Attorneys for Camp Mystic have expressed sympathy for the girls’ families but maintained there was little they could have done during the catastrophic flooding that quickly overcame the camp. Pictures of the rising floodwaters were shown in court Wednesday.
“Nobody had every seen a prior flood anything like we saw in 2025,” Watts said.
More than 850 campers have already signed up to attend camp this summer, he said. The camp still needs to be approved for a license by state regulators to operate this summer.
Edward Eastland, the son of camp owner Richard Eastland, who died in the flooding, testified Wednesday that his mother, his wife and their children as well as another staff member were at a camp house when “the double doors of the house broke open” from floodwaters. They had to break out a separate window to climb out and evacuate to higher ground. All survived.
The camp had security cameras around the campus, Eastland said, but no one was watching the live feed in the middle of the night as the waters rose. When he tried to pull it up about 3 a.m., he wasn’t able to.
And when pressed about the camp's flood plans, Eastland said he didn't know if there was anything more detailed than a one-paragraph slide shown in the hearing. Will and Cici Steward said they don't believe the camp has adequate safety measures in place to welcome new campers while they still search for their daughter.
“They didn't have a plan, and they don't have a plan moving forward,” Cici Steward said.
The camp’s decision last year to partially open and to construct a memorial on the grounds drew outrage from many of the girls' families who are mourning their loved ones and who said they weren’t consulted on the plans.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked Texas regulators not to renew the license for Camp Mystic while the deaths are being investigated and cited legislative probes that are expected to begin in the spring.
Families of several of the girls who died have sued the camp's operators, arguing that camp officials failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached.
This story was first published on Mar. 4, 2026. It was updated on Mar. 8, 2026 to reflect that the judge‘s order focused on directing Camp Mystic to not demolish or alter areas impacted by the flood and made no explicit ruling in the order over whether the camp can remain open.
—-
Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.
Camp Mystic owner Tweety Eastland, center, attends a hearing about a temporary restraining order regarding the camp, at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool)
Alli Naylor, center left, mother of Wynne Naylor, and Malorie Lytal, center right, mother of Kellanne Lytal, attend a hearing about a temporary restraining order for Camp Mystic, at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool)
Will Steward attends a hearing about a temporary restraining order regarding Camp Mystic, at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool)
Alli Naylor, mother of Wynne Naylor who died at Camp Mystic, reacts as attorneys argue for a temporary restraining order regarding the camp, at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool)
FILE - Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, on July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
