HOSPITAL CORNER

By Shane McGuire

CEO, Columbia County Health System

DAYTON–The Columbia County Health System created a new position, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and announced Stephanie Carpenter, RN, BSN has accepted the job.

While we continue in our focused efforts to meet our mission and vision, we are constantly self-assessing to ensure that we are resourcing the necessary work and projects appropriately.

Roughly a year ago, the hospital’s board of directors and the executive team came to the realization that we needed a Chief Operating Officer (COO). This role had collapsed into the CEO’s duties in 2016, with some projects overflowing onto other positions as additional resources were needed, but we have found this to be unsustainable as the Health System continued to grow and the transformation projects outstripped our available executive team resources.

This past summer, we opened the COO position, collected applications, and interviewed a group of well-qualified candidates. After a long process of deliberations and conversations, we are delighted to announce that Stephanie Carpenter, RN, BSN, has accepted the Chief Operating Officer position. We will be taking the balance of the year to review departmental reporting structures as well as upcoming projects and align them with the best resources.

“Being part of the CCHS Team for the past 12 years, I am honored and excited to accept the position of Chief Operating Officer,” Carpenter said. “I would like to thank the interview team for making their decision and allowing me the opportunity to continue to grow personally and professionally with the Health System’s team.

“The opportunities and projects that lay ahead for CCHS will only continue to improve the quality of care and services to our patients and community,” she said. “I hope with accepting this position, I can bring a more clinical perspective to the operational side of the organization. I look forward to working more closely with Department Managers and the frontline staff to continue to grow our culture and commitment to meet our Mission, Vision, and Values of the Health System and partnering with our customers, staff, and communities to promote the wellbeing of our region.”