Amidst extreme financial woes, Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans has hired a new chief executive.
Dr. Dean French will start in the role on Nov. 30, after five years as the CEO of Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana.
French was selected from a pool of 75 applicants, and was one of three finalists for the job, according to a statement from NMC. He comes with 17 years of experience in hospital administration, in roles including CEO, COO, chief medical officer, and VP of medical affairs and quality at small medical centers in Montana, Arizona, and Alabama. He is a medical doctor. In July, he tested positive for Covid-19.
NMC began its search for a new CEO in February, after former CEO Jill Berry Bowen announced her plan to resign. She was temporarily replaced by Gerald Barbini and Dawn Bugbee as CEO and chief administrative officer, respectively, as the hospital sought a more permanent leader.
French was ultimately chosen for the role, in part because of his experience with rural hospitals.
“He’s led hospitals in small communities and in rural areas, and we think his experience and expertise line up with the needs of our community and our hospital remarkably well,” said Jonathan Billings, a spokesperson for the hospital.
However, it is unclear if French has experience in leading hospitals through financial crises. Billings declined to speak about French’s financial experience Friday, saying that the hospital was still just announcing French’s hiring, and would likely be able to speak more to his financial plan for NMC once he actually began the job.
Northwestern Medical Center has been plagued by financial difficulties over the past several months, made worse by Covid-19.
In April, NMC asked regulators for a 15% rate increase, a request that was quickly denied. To cut costs, the hospital offered severance packages to 47 employees who agreed to take voluntary layoffs. Ultimately, the hospital planned to lay off an additional 40 full-time equivalent staff members, Billings said at the time. NMC also closed its addiction recovery program, which provided medication-assisted treatment to about 400 patients. The Howard Center has since started providing care in St. Albans for those patients.
In September, the Green Mountain Care Board approved a 13% rate increase for the hospital, the highest rate hike the board has granted in recent history.
In a press release, NMC Board Chair Janet McCarthy cited French’s “track record of conservative financial management” as one of his qualifiers for the job.
“He has been a leader in Accountable Care and population health management, while achieving growth at each organization he has led. He has proven to be an engaged, responsive, and highly transparent leader,” McCarthy said in a statement.
French previously worked as a primary care doctor, and in the emergency room. His medical degree is from the University of Washington, and prior to becoming a doctor, he served in the U.S. Army Special Forces.
“When I first learned of the need for a CEO in St. Albans, I was immediately drawn to the opportunity,” French said in a statement. “NMC has a national reputation as a high-quality rural healthcare organization that enjoys tremendous support from the community it serves. The chance to return to the northeast and lead NMC is humbling and I am grateful to have been given the opportunity.”
Reporter Katie Jickling contributed to this story.
