After seven months of serving as interim President and CEO of St. Charles Health System, Dr. Steve Gordon is taking on the role permanently.
St. Charles announced Gordon’s acceptance of the job on Monday.
“The board has been very appreciative of Steve’s leadership and desired to have him become the permanent CEO,” said Jamie Orlikoff, chairman of the St. Charles Board of Directors. “We are thrilled that he has accepted the position. We look forward to a productive partnership with him for the benefit of the community and our patients.”
This comes after former President and CEO Joe Sluka stepped down after eight years in the job in July 2022.
Orlikoff said that Gordon had ‘no interest’ in the permanent job when he took over the role temporarily.
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Gordon previously served in executive leadership roles for PeaceHealth in Vancouver, Washington, Providence Health and Services in Portland, and Salem Health.
He graduated from Harvard College, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
“I am energized to build on what we’ve learned so far from service line development in many areas of the organization. Plenty of work still lies ahead, but we’re seeing results from focusing first on clinical excellence and a better experience for our patients, caregivers, physicians and providers,” Gordon said. “I have enjoyed getting to know this extraordinary organization in a new and deeper way in recent months. We simply have the best people who are committed to providing patients with exceptional care. I want to continue supporting them in that noble endeavor.”
During Gordon’s time as interim President and CEO at St. Charles, the health system saw a boost in financial performance in the second half of 2022. He says recruiting and retaining staff members is one of his top priorities.
The St. Charles Board surveyed more than 1,600 St. Charles caregivers and community partners to determine which qualities they most wanted to see in their next CEO, and results included ‘compassion for patients and staff’, ‘experience as a direct healthcare provider’, and ‘visibility and presence across all sites of care and in the communities St. Charles serves.’
