Linda Hunt, RN, who retired as president and CEO of Dignity Health’s Southwest Division in 2022, died May 17 at age 76, according to her obituary.
Ms. Hunt spent 51 years in healthcare and joined San Francisco-based Dignity Health in 1998, according to St. Joseph’s Foundation. She led the Southwest Division beginning in 2009, overseeing several hospitals — including St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix — as well as freestanding urgent care and emergency care centers across Arizona and Nevada.
Before that, she served as president and CEO of St. Joseph’s for more than a decade. Under her leadership, the hospital established the Norton Thoracic Institute and the division expanded to include 11 hospitals.
“Linda, who is often described as a leader with a servant’s heart, has led with grace, purpose, and a forceful vision throughout her career,” St. Joseph’s Foundation said. “Her mission-driven devotion to improving the health of all people, especially to those who are vulnerable, while advancing social justice, has enriched the lives of thousands of individuals.”
Before entering nursing, Ms. Hunt worked as a clerk at Walgreens and as a secretary at a construction company. She was a registered nurse and nurse leader before advancing into executive leadership within Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.
“My fulfilling journey in healthcare has been a humbling and rewarding lifework,” Ms. Hunt said in a 2021 news release announcing her retirement. “I am blessed to have lived my calling and I am honored to have spent the past 23 years devoted to improving the health of Arizonans.”
