East Morgan County Hospital CEO resigns; interim CEO named

BRUSH, Colo. (Jan. 11, 2010) – Jim Ferando, Western Region president for Banner Health, has announced that Nancy Schmid has resigned as chief executive officer at East Morgan County Hospital effective Friday, Jan. 8, 2010.

Linda Thorpe, chief financial officer at the Brush hospital, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement has been named.

Schmid joined Banner Health as EMCH’s CEO in 2008 after successful stints in other health care organizations.

“I want to thank Nancy for leading East Morgan for the past two years and her devotion to the Brush community,” Ferando said. “A crowning achievement during her tenure was the development and ongoing collaborative leadership model with the physicians group which has really positioned us for success going forward. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

Ferando said it is his intention to fill the CEO role as quickly as possible through Banner Health’s talent mapping process. “We are confident in our ability to identify a candidate who will provide the leadership, energy, enthusiasm and excitement necessary for EMCH and Banner Health to move forward in the highly competitive Morgan County and Northern Colorado market, while continuing to deliver excellent patient care.”

About Banner Health
Phoenix-based Banner Health is one of the largest, not-for-profit health care systems in the country. The system owns or manages 22 acute-care hospitals, long term care centers and an array of other services, including family clinics, home care services, a nursing registry and home medical equipment services in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.