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News from Cambridge Health Alliance
January 24, 2012
Cambridge Health Alliance Selects New Chief Executive
Officer
 Cambridge,
MA…The Cambridge Health Alliance Board of Trustees today announced
the selection of Patrick Wardell as the new Chief Executive Officer
for Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA). Mr. Wardell currently serves
as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Hurley Medical Center
in Flint, Michigan. The Board of Trustees reviewed three finalists
following multiple interviews and unanimously chose Mr. Wardell
at this morning's Board meeting. Mr. Wardell's appointment as Cambridge
Health Alliance's new Chief Executive Officer is contingent on contract
negotiations.
Throughout the selection process, Mr. Wardell impressed the Board
with his broad knowledge and understanding of safety net institutions
and population health and, more important, how to position health
systems like CHA amid national and local health care reform to improve,
innovate, and modernize how care is provided to patients.
"This is a critical time for CHA and for health care delivery
systems everywhere," said Board Chair Mary Cassesso. "Given
his more than 15 years of experience as a CEO for safety net institutions,
the Board of Trustees and I believe we have the right person to
steer this institution through such a crucial period and we're very
pleased with the caliber of candidates we attracted during this
very deliberative search process."
Mr. Wardell has spent the last six years as the President and CEO
at Hurley Medical Center, a $360 million, 463-bed teaching hospital
that provides residency programs in internal medicine, pediatrics,
obstetrics and gynecology, and radiology. As President and CEO,
Mr. Wardell reversed a seven-year cumulative loss of $34 million
to a $7 million surplus in two years. He also established the Hurley
Children's Hospital, constructed a $30 million state-of-the-art
emergency trauma center caring for 90,000 patients annually, and
introduced patient family-centered care and Six Sigma principles
to Hurley Medical Center.
Before joining Hurley, Mr. Wardell served in various leadership
roles, including Regional Senior Vice President and Executive Director
for St. Mary's Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital in New York, NY,
President and CEO of the St. Joseph's Healthcare System in Paterson,
New Jersey, and as Group Vice President, Ambulatory and Network
Management Group for the Montefiore Medical Center/The University
Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New
York.
Mr. Wardell received his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Union
College in New York and his Masters in Business Administration from
Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. He has
served on various boards including National Association of Public
Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH), Michigan Hospital Association,
and Whaley Children's Center.
"I'm excited to be joining CHA at a pivotal time and honored
to serve an institution with such a proud and strong safety net
mission and extremely competent staff," said Mr. Wardell. "I
look forward to the challenges and furthering CHA's national reputation
for health care innovation and commitment to its communities."
Mr. Wardell replaces Dennis D. Keefe, who resigned in July 2011
to become CEO of Care New England in Rhode Island. For the last
six months, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Allison Bayer has served as Acting CEO, a role she will continue
during the transition.
"Allison deserves a great deal of thanks for her immense leadership
and stewardship during this transition period," said Cassesso.
"She has advanced the organization in the six months that she
has been Acting CEO, bringing to closure with the support of her
colleagues many issues, including the Massachusetts Medicaid Waiver,
the sale of Network Health to Tufts Health Plan, and the successful
completion of the Joint Commission survey."
It is expected Mr. Wardell will join CHA in early to mid-March.
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