Richard DeCarlo, executive vice president and COO of Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth, will retire Aug. 14 after nearly 10 years with the health system, according to a statement shared with Becker’s.
Mr. DeCarlo is the third senior PeaceHealth leader to exit in recent months, following Jim McGovern, MD, former chief hospital executive for PeaceHealth Oregon, and Kim Ruscher, MD, former chief medical officer. The COO’s departure comes as the health system has navigated questions over its decision to switch emergency department staffing companies at its hospitals in Lane County, Ore., which prompted a no-confidence vote by medical staff at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. When asked by the Lookout Eugene-Springfield whether Mr. DeCarlo’s retirement was planned before this year, PeaceHealth told the newspaper it was “a personal decision.”
PeaceHealth credited Mr. DeCarlo with advancing the system’s focus on quality, patient safety and clinical excellence and providing steady leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are grateful for his commitment to our mission and the communities we serve,” the health system said.
As part of its ongoing transformation, PeaceHealth said it will redistribute Mr. DeCarlo’s responsibilities across the senior leadership team.
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