Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/593112
76 Stone County Hospital in Wiggins, Miss., named Joan Strayham, MSN, CEO. Bruce Tassin, the CEO of Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, will become president of 468-bed Saint Jo- seph Hospital in Lexington, Ky., part of Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives. Tom ompson resigned as president and CEO of Moses Lake, Wash.-based Samari- tan Healthcare. John Votto, DO, will retire Oct. 1, 2016, aer 18 years as president and CEO of New Britain, Conn.-based Hospital for Special Care. Timothy J. Walsh, president and CEO of Oak Bluffs, Mass.-based Martha's Vine- yard Hospital, will retire in April. Burlington-based University of Vermont Medical Center and the University of Vermont Medical Group appointed Rick Vincent vice president of finance and CFO. Placentia (Calif.)-Linda Hospital, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, named Brittany Whitaker CFO. Placentia-Linda Hospital also named Nancy E. Lee, BSN, CNO. Franklin, Tenn.-based Capella Healthcare named Gary Willis executive vice presi- dent and CFO. Claus von Zychlin, CEO of Columbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare type of blood cancer, and will take a three-month medical leave for treatment starting in October. In his absence, Roger Spoelman, CEO of the western Michigan region for the system's parent company, Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, will serve as interim CEO. n Hospital & Health System Transactions Auburn (N.Y.) Community Hospital is looking into the possibility of a partner- ship with a larger hospital. Louisville, Ky.-based Baptist Health acquired home care agencies, expanding its service area to include 39 Kentucky counties and six counties in Southern Illinois. Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Burlington, Mass.- based Lahey Health reached an impasse in their attempt to join forces for the third time in the past four years. Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Health System purchased 145-bed Marina Del Rey (Calif.) Hospital. Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Alli- ance finalized its previously announced purchase of Jasper County Hospital in Rensselaer, Ind. e board of Hawaii Health Systems Corp.'s Maui Region chose to enter negotiations with Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente to manage the three state-owned hospitals in Maui County. A unit of Rockledge, Fla.-based Health First completed its acquisition of Space Coast Cancer Center — which operates three Brevard County locations — despite a pending antitrust lawsuit filed by Titus- ville, Fla.-based Parrish Medical Center claiming Health First is trying to monop- olize the local cancer care market. Franklin, Tenn.-based IASIS Health- care announced e Medical Center of Southeast Texas in Port Arthur, Texas, has completed its acquisition of the assets of Victory Medical Center Beaumont (Texas). Camden, S.C-based KershawHealth, Franklin, Tenn.-based Capella Health- care and Charleston, S.C-based MUSC Health signed a definitive agreement finalizing a partnership. Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health and Watertown (Wis.) Regional Medical Center finalized a previously an- nounced joint venture to share ownership and operation of the hospital. Savannah, Ga.-based Memorial Health agreed to enter into strategic partnership discussions with Winston-Salem, N.C.- based Novant Health. Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare approved an agreement to add Charlevoix (Mich.) Area Hospital as the fih hospital in its network. Georgia's Office of the Attorney General ruled in favor of the partnership between Covington, Ga.-based Newton Medical Center and Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare. Houston-based Nobilis Health executed an agreement to jointly own and operate the former Freedom Pain Hospital in Scottsdale, Ariz. Two Georgia health systems — Northside Hospital and Gwinnett Medical Cen- ter — are exploring a merger to create a combined system that would have nearly 1,400 beds, more than 16,000 employees and nearly 3,500 physicians on staff.