Bartlett board to replace CEO, CFO

Bartlett Regional Hospital will be looking for new senior leadership in 2012.

Chief Executive Officer Shawn Morrow and Chief Financial Officer Garth Hamblin will not continue in their positions when a new management contract takes effect February 1st.

Instead the CEO and CFO will be employed by Bartlett’s Board of Directors. Previously, those positions had been employees of Tennessee-based management company Quorum Health Resources.

Hospital board President Bob Storer says the change is meant to provide more local accountability.

“They would in fact be employees of the hospital and report directly to the board,” said Storer. “And subsequent discussions I think have re-affirmed the need to resolve what has been a basic problem in terms of how we were organized in the past.”

Quorum has managed day-to-day operations at Bartlett for more than two decades. Hamblin has been the head financial officer for nearly 25 years, and Morrow was hired as CEO five years ago. They both have non-compete clauses in their Quorum contracts, which prevent them from seeking employment outside the management company. Storer says the board asked Quorum to waive those clauses, but the company declined to do so.

The board plans to conducts a nation-wide search for a permanent CEO, who will then hire the CFO. In the meantime, Storer says the board will look for someone to fill the top job on interim basis. He says a professional recruiting firm will be hired to assist with the search, which he expects to take up to six months.

“I think broadly we’re looking for, of course experience. We’re looking for somebody that really does a great job with communications,” Storer said. “Part of what we realize is that there are a number of constituencies in Juneau – not just the hospital employees and the medical community, but the citizens of Juneau and the assembly as well.”

Bartlett Regional Hospital is owned by the City and Borough of Juneau. The Bartlett Board of Directors is appointed by the CBJ Assembly.

Operating expenses for the hospital come primarily from patient fees.

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