Search is on for Cibola hospital CEO

Murray Brown has been named as the interim CEO of the Cibola General Hospital in Grants. Brown, who is almost retired, said he anticipates sticking around for about three months before a replacement is found. [Photo by Brian Leddy/Independent]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — A search is under way for a new CEO for Cibola General Hospital following H. Vincent Ashley’s resignation. He plans to move back east to be closer to his family.

Murray Brown, the interim CEO at the hospital, said the board of directors will meet with representatives of Quorum Health Resources, the health management company that provides the CEO for the hospital, to provide the company with a profile of the type of individual they want.

“Recruitment and deciding on a new CEO usually takes about three to three-and-a-half months,” he said.

Lawrence Sanchez, chair of the hospital’s board of directors, said the search could take as long as six months depending on whether the board can find the right fit.

“Often, many of those applying for a CEO type of position do not have the requirements needed to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, and Quorum screens those out giving the board a field from two to as many as possibly five to interview,” Brown said.

One of the requirements of this position in Grants, Brown said, would certainly be someone who would be comfortable in a rural setting.

“The person we select has to be a good fit. That doesn’t mean that someone who has worked in a larger hospital would not be selected,” Sanchez said.

“The person we want needs to be a professional and know all aspects, all levels of health care, especially in a rural community,” Sanchez said.

The person selected should be “very knowledgeable” about issues in a community setting, he said.

“It’s important for the CEO to understand that we have a lot of committees and boards at the hospital and we are also at the front end of expansion,” he said.

Brown retired from many years at Quorum in March 2006 and told the company he would help with a couple of interim management assignments a year, he said.

“This is my third since retiring,” he said.

Sanchez said not only the board would likely interview candidates for the CEO position, but senior management team members and possible the medical staff would also want interview time as part of the selection process.

Brown estimated that there could be a new CEO on board by the end of the year, but Sanchez said it could take a few months longer into 2008.

Quorum has more than 30 years of providing hospital and health care management to about 200 hospitals in 38 states, according to the company’s Web site.

It is the largest hospital health care management company in terms of number of beds and number of hospitals, the site states.

Quorum provides implementation support, education and training to acute care hospitals including large urban hospitals, nonprofit hospitals, university teaching centers, sole community providers and suburban hospitals, according to the Web site.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.