Bartlett Regional Hospital’s board of directors has named Joe Wanner, the hospital’s chief financial officer, as its new CEO.
Wanner was one of three finalists. He will begin the new role at the end of this month. He takes over from Ian Worden, who has held the position in the interim since last October.
“I’ve seen what a good CEO can do to an organization and what a bad one can do. So I think I can come in and make a positive impact to the organization,” he said.
Wanner has been the city-owned hospital’s CFO for nearly a year, but he’s moved between Juneau and Oregon for health care jobs since 2011.
His appointment as CEO is just the latest in a string of leadership turnover at the city-owned hospital.
Last August, the hospital’s permanent CEO David Keith retired after a year on the job. His resignation — and that of the previous CFO Sam Muse — came a week after a doctor and board member said staffing and management problems were leading to inadequate care of behavioral health patients.
Wanner said a key priority for him will be continuing the momentum of the hospital’s drive toward financial stability in recent months.
“My vision would be that we need to get right-sized for where we’re at. So we’re going through looking at every program right now. Does it have the adequate staffing? Does it have adequate contracts, resources?” he said. “We’re still digging through all those it is a complex organization, so this isn’t something you could turn around overnight.”
This spring, the hospital’s board shared that it was facing a multimillion-dollar financial crisis that threatened to close its doors within three years without significant cuts.
The board is now in the middle of seeking subsidies or third-party providers for programs that they say are draining money. Otherwise, they will be cut at the end of next month.
Worden will continue to assist as interim CEO through a transition period. The hospital will begin recruiting for a CFO replacement in the coming weeks.
