Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health's board has quickly tapped a replacement for outgoing Interim CEO Kevin Fusco, according to a Sun Sentinel report. Beverly Capasso, RN, who has served on the health system's board since October 2016, will take over as interim leader of the public health system in May.
Here are six things to know:
1. Ms. Capasso will serve as interim president and CEO for two months to six months, as the board searches for a permanent leader.
2. She has prior experience in hospital executive roles, having served as chief executive of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
3. The board members did not question Ms. Capasso about her previous experience or the approach she would take at Broward, the Sun Sentinel reports. Additionally, it was not made clear if anyone on the board had spoken with prior healthcare industry employers regarding her work.
4. Rocky Rodriguez, board chairman, noted that the board decided to appoint a board member versus a staff member from the health system as leader to avoid vacancies that would occur. "Staff cannibalism is not a good business practice," he said, according to the Sun Sentinel. "It's counterproductive to the workforce. It is destructive in nature, it does not improve morale and may affect other well-functioning units within the system."
5. Ms. Capasso is the third executive to lead Broward Health since January 2016, when then-CEO Nabil El Sanadi, MD, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Since then, Mr. Fusco and Pauline Grant have had stints as interim CEO of Broward Health.
6. Broward Health's attempts to identify a permanent leader have faced challenges. In October 2016, the board interviewed three finalists for the CEO role. Following a report by a law firm that revealed numerous issues at Broward Health, the board suspended its search indefinitely. The health system has also faced legal complications involving the government as well as the Florida Attorney General's Office.