Becker's Hospital Review

18 POPULATION HEALTH 18 CEO / STRATEGY Sanford Health CEO is out By Molly Gamble K elby Krabbenho is no longer pres- ident and CEO of Sioux Falls, S.D.- based Sanford Health, the system an- nounced Nov. 24. e development comes aer 24 years of Mr. Krabbenho's leadership in the top position of the 46-hospital system and days aer he wrote an email to 50,000 employees explain- ing his stance on face coverings amid the the COVID-19 resurgence in the U.S. Sanford issued a statement Nov. 24 that the system's board of trustees and Mr. Krabben- ho "mutually agreed to part ways." Bill Gassen was promoted from Sanford Health's chief administrative officer to pres- ident and CEO of the system. Mr. Gassen has been with the organization since 2012. "Kelby's impact on the organization and the communities it serves will be felt for genera- tions to come," Brent Teiken, Sanford's board chair, said in a prepared statement. Mr. Krabbenho drew national attention to Sanford Health in November aer he sent a 1,000-word email detailing his rationale for not wearing a face covering. In his message, sent Nov. 18, Mr. Krabben- ho said he'd recovered from COVID-19 and he would not wear a mask because doing so would only be a "symbolic gesture." He con- sidered himself immune from the virus. e CDC says those who have had COVID-19 should take steps to reduce the risk of spread- ing the virus, including wearing a mask in public places and staying at least 6 feet away from other people. On Nov. 20, Sanford's leadership team ad- dressed Mr. Krabbenho's comments in an email sent to all employees. "We know that words matter, and words have power, and we regret that the message le many frustrated and disappointed," the leaders said regarding Mr. Krabbenho's message. "We want you to know unequiv- ocally that our health system's position has not changed. We will continue to let science guide the work that we do every day to keep our communities healthy and safe. e sci- ence is clear, masks work." Sanford Health also indefinitely suspended discussions about a planned merger with Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare because of Mr. Krabbenho's abrupt exit. e combination would have created a $15 billion, 70-hospital system. Marc Harrison, MD, president and CEO of Intermountain, was set to serve as president and CEO of the new system, while Mr. Krabbenho was set to serve as president emeritus. n CEO, CNO no longer with Prisma Health hospital By Kelly Gooch T he CEO and chief nursing officer of Prisma Health Tu- omey Hospital in Sumter, S.C., are no longer in their positions, Columbia, S.C.-based Prisma Health con- firmed in a statement shared with Becker's Nov. 17. Keith Alexander, Prisma Health's senior vice president of acute care operations, said Michelle Logan-Owens, BSN, RN, is no longer CEO of Tuomey Hospital, and Terrie Carl- ton, MSN, RN, is no longer the hospital's chief nursing offi- cer. The moves were effective Nov. 16. "Prisma Health wishes both these leaders the best in their future endeavors," said Mr. Alexander. Louis Smith Jr., who most recently served as president of acute and post-acute operations for Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System and president of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, was named interim CEO of Tuomey Hospital. Levi Campbell, RN, was tapped as interim CNO of Tuomey Hospital. Mr. Campbell had been serving as executive direc- tor for nursing system operations at the hospital. Mr. Alexander said Mr. Campbell has served at Prisma Health for more than two decades in patient care and nursing management. n Tom Nickels to retire from AHA: 4 notes By Kelly Gooch T om Nickels, executive vice president for government relations and public policy at the American Hospital Associa- tion, will retire in 2021, the association said Dec. 3. Four things to know: 1. Before joining, he ran the American College of Emergency Physicians office in Washington, D.C. 2. Mr. Nickels also previously worked for the American Nurses Association and for retired U.S. Rep. Edward Biester of Pennsylvania. 3. During his 26-year tenure at the AHA, he worked on the Balanced Budget Act, Balanced Budget Refinement Act, Medi- care Modernization Act, the ACA and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. 4. Stacey Hughes, president and founding partner of the Nickles Group, a Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm, was tapped as the association's next executive vice president. n

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