PeaceHealth Oregon names new chief hospital executive
PeaceHealth Oregon network Chief Medical Officer Jim McGovern, MD, has been promoted to Chief Hospital Executive of the PeaceHealth Oregon network.
Dr. McGovern will be responsible for all hospital operations across the Oregon network, which includes PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center and PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center in Florence.
Dr. McGovern has been the interim chief executive for the last eight months while also maintaining his duties as CMO, balancing both roles while providing stability and support across the network. Dr. McGovern has proven to be a strong leader with an unrelenting focus on high-quality care for patients and efficient processes for caregivers.
“Dr. McGovern is an experienced leader who puts our patients and caregivers first. Since first joining PeaceHealth five years ago, Jim has earned the respect of his colleagues across the Oregon network and we are grateful he has accepted this new role.”
– Richard DeCarlo, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, PeaceHealth
Dr. McGovern is most well known in the region from his years serving as PeaceHealth’s incident commander during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, he also helped lead Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend to its first ever CMS 5-star rating, ranking RiverBend in the top-10 percent of hospitals nationwide in safety and quality.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to lead so many dedicated caregivers in the Oregon network,” said Dr. McGovern. “PeaceHealth’s mission to serve is one I deeply respect, and I look forward to continuing our great tradition of outstanding care for the community.”
A former hospitalist and experienced physician leader, Dr. McGovern came to PeaceHealth in 2019 from Wisconsin-based ThedaCare, where he served in several leadership roles including system vice president of medical affairs. As a physician, he was recognized as a US News and World Report Top Doc while working in Baltimore, Md. Dr. McGovern graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed his internal medicine residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Indiana.
Dr. McGovern will continue to serve as interim CMO with Kim Ruscher, MD, while the search for a replacement takes place.
About PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a medical group practice with more than 1,100 providers and nine medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
