CEO Gordon Leaving OLBH

By Mike James, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.

Jul. 30–RUSSELL — Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mark Gordon is leaving for a new position, the hospital announced Tuesday.

Gordon, who has been at the helm at OLBH for five years, has been promoted within the Bon Secours Health System and will begin his new job Aug. 25 as chief administrative officer for St. Francis Medical Center in Richmond, Va.

Vice president of planning and operations Kevin Halter has been named interim CEO.

Since Gordon came on the scene, OLBH has experienced a pattern of growth, including the diabetes and wound care center, OLBH imaging center, Bellefonte Heart Care, OLBH Woman’s Center, Bellefonte Women’s Care, Bellefonte Pediatrics, Human Motion OrthoCare, surgery expansion and primary care expansion.

Also in that time, recruitment efforts have brought 50 new physicians to OLBH, Halter said. “He’s done a fabulous job in five years.”

A search committee will convene in August to find a permanent replacement, said hospital spokesman Kevin Compton. No timetable has been set for hiring a new CEO.

Halter came to OLBH in 2004 from Bluefield, W.Va., where he was executive vice president of Bluefield Regional Medical Center.

The St. Francis center includes a 130-bed acute care hospital with ambulatory surgery, imaging and oncology centers. Gordon also will be a member of the Bon Secours senior management team in Richmond.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at [email protected] or (606) 326-2652.

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