Cornue announces resignation as McKee Medical Center CEO
LOVELAND, Colo. (Oct. 15, 2009) – Christopher M. Cornue announced his resignation this week as chief executive officer of McKee Medical Center. His final day will be Friday, Oct. 23.
Banner Health will conduct a search for his replacement immediately.
Cornue assumed his role on Sept. 15, 2008, after a nationwide search. He replaced Rick Sutton who left McKee in May 2008 to assume the CEO position at McKee’s sister hospital, North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.
Cornue said he loves McKee and the Loveland community, but family concerns forced him to make the difficult decision to return to his home in the Chicago area.
“When I arrived at McKee in 2008, my plan was to relocate my family within the year,” Cornue said. “With the declining health of my father-in-law, that has become a very difficult thing to accomplish. When my wife and I spoke about this a few weeks ago, it was obvious that she, and my children, needed me in closer proximity.”
Banner Health Western Region President Jim Ferando accepted Cornue’s resignation and promised to fill his position as soon as possible. In the meantime, Marilyn Schock, associate administrator at North Colorado Medical Center and former associate administrator at McKee, will serve as the interim CEO at McKee.
“There are times when you must make decisions that are in the best interest of your family,” Ferando said. “I respect Chris’ decision to forgo this career opportunity and return to Chicago.”
During Cornue’s tenure, McKee Medical Center received its second “Best of the Best” award from Banner Health, implemented one of the most advanced electronic medical record systems in the United States, and received The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™, an honor reserved for hospitals that receive accreditation from the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. In addition, McKee’s patient satisfaction scores are routinely in the top decile nationally.
Prior to coming to McKee, Cornue served as vice president of Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center, Sinai Health System in Chicago and executive director of Sinai Medical Group.
ABOUT MCKEE MEDICAL CENTER
McKee Medical Center in Loveland, Colo., is a 132-bed nonprofit, acute-care hospital that offers excellence in health care including cancer care, women's services, orthopedics and surgical care. McKee is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system based in Phoenix, Ariz., with 22 hospitals throughout the West.
