Susan Blackburn, chief executive of Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, Wash., is leaving the hospital, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reported April 15.
A message to employees, which was shared with Becker's, did not provide a reason for the departure.
Reza Kaleel, chief executive of Richland, Wash.-based Kadlec, will serve as the chief executive for Renton, Wash.-based Providence's Southeast Washington and Kadlec service areas, according to the memo from Joel Gilbertson, chief executive of the Washington and Montana region of Providence, and Scott O'Brien, COO for the same region. In the interim, Ms. Blackburn's direct reports will report to Mary Crawford, who oversees operations at Providence St. Mary Medical Center, the memo said. Ms. Crawford will report to Mr. Kaleel.
"Southeast Washington and Kadlec already share several key leaders, and today's changes further strengthen and unify leadership of the two service areas," said Mr. Gilbertson and Mr. O'Brien. "In the weeks to come, we will work with our community mission boards, leadership teams, and caregivers to determine the organizational structure that best delivers on our mission and our commitments to the communities of Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities."
Ms. Blackburn joined Providence St. Mary Medical Center in 2000, according to her LinkedIn page. The Union-Bulletin reported that she was promoted to COO after serving as vice president of human resources and support services.
In their message to staff, Mr. Gilbertson and Mr. O'Brien said Mr. Kaleel previously worked at Irving, Texas-based Christus Health and Broomfield, Colo.-based SCL Health.
"His track record of success and deep knowledge of both Catholic health care and the culture of Kadlec make Reza the ideal leader to move our organization forward," they said. "We are grateful he has stepped up to take on this critically important role."
Read the full Union-Bulletin report here.