Patrick Wardell, CEO of Cambridge (Mass.) Health Alliance, is planning to retire in July, according to a Cambridge Day report.
Mr. Wardell became CEO of the three-hospital, safety net system in 2012. During his tenure, the health system entered into an affiliation with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He also helped bolster the alliance's finances, bringing it to a break-even status or better after it spent years in the red.
Mr. Wardell has previous experience serving as president and CEO of Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich., and of St. Joseph's Healthcare System in Paterson, N.J. He has served on the board of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and Michigan Hospital Association.
Mr. Wardell plans to stay on as CHA's leader until July "to lead us through the response to the Laura Levis tragedy, including the implementation of any recommendations by the appointed Board Special Committee," he said in a letter to employees obtained by Cambridge Day.
In 2016, Laura Levis died a week after she collapsed outside CHA's Somerville (Mass.) Hospital. She came to the hospital seeking treatment for a severe asthma attack, and she could not get inside after she found a door to the emergency room locked.
"I believe CHA will be a stronger organization as a result of this process," wrote Mr. Wardell in the letter to staff. "I have great confidence in our staff and providers, senior leadership team and our board of trustees and know that CHA is well-poised for success in the future."