NMC announced today that CEO Dr. Dean French has accepted a position elsewhere and will be leaving the organization.  This August, Dr. French will become the Chief Medical Officer at ScionHealth, a 79-hospital healthcare system spread across 25 states, and based in Louisville, KY.

In a statement to staff and medical staff, NMC Board President Jake Holzscheiter said that although this change was unexpected, the Board of Directors is pleased with the dramatic progress NMC has made in the past year and a half under Dr. French’s leadership.

“Prior to the hiring of Dr. French, NMC went through a very broad and thorough process of defining what NMC should be,” said Holzscheiter. “That led to a strategic focus on improving safety, quality, and financial sustainability. Great work has been done and our direction remains unchanged. We are confident that NMC is in a good position to continue the work on these shared goals that we all believe in,” he said.

The NMC Board of Directors will meet in the coming days to define the process for recruiting a new CEO. The hospital will seek a leader with the strength and experience to help NMC continue to move forward on its strategic path.