MED MOVES: Health System Serving Appalachia Gets First Woman CEO

Phillips

19-year veteran tapped for post. Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) has selected Hollie Harris Phillips as the system’s new president and CEO, making her the first woman to hold the job, according to an April 12 announcement. Phillips will take the job in May when president and CEO Joe Grossman retires. Phillips, who has been with ARH for 19 years, is currently vice president for Corporate Strategy and chief strategy officer. She joined the organization as director of planning after serving as manager of executive operations for LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee. ARH is the largest provider of care, the largest employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.

Warren

Shufflebarger

Changing of the guard at Children’s. On Thursday, Mike Warren announced his retirement as president and CEO of Children’s of Alabama, the only freestanding pediatric hospital in the state, effective June 1, 2021. Warren, who has been CEO since January 2008, will be succeeded by Tom Shufflebarger, the current chief operating officer and senior executive vice president. Shufflebarger joined Children’s in 1992, having previously served as the budget director and director of physician recruitment and development for Brookwood Medical Center. He has managed the hospital’s daily operations and policy decisions and directs the operations and development of Children’s Physician Services, including the hospital’s primary care practices, ambulatory care services, and business relationships. Warren is credited with strengthening the relationship between Children’s and the University of Alabama at Birmingham; in 2010, six of the hospital’s programs were ranked for the first time among the nation’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. The June 2020 ranking marked the 11th consecutive year that Children’s was included.

Unity Health Care retirement. President and CEO Vincent Keane recently announced he is retiring after more than three decades with the organization. The Washington, D.C.-based community health network announced that Keane will remain in his role until the end of 2021 while the board of directors launches a national search for a replacement. Unity has grown into one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Centers in the United States during Keane’s tenure, aiding those with low-incomes and the homeless.