Silverton Health President/CEO Rick Cagen announced March 24 he will retire July 1.
Sarah Fronza will take his place as the interim CEO and continue the negotiations for the proposed partnership between Legacy Health and Silverton Health.
When Cagen started at Silverton Health almost five years ago, he said it was his goal to retire by the time he was 65 years old. He will be 64 in May.
“When we began this process 18 months ago to find a suitable partner, I knew there needed to be a transition in the management team and this is the perfect time for the transition,” Cagen said.
Silverton Health Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer Rob Johnson will retire June 1.
Formerly the chief operating officer of accountable care and service transformation, Fronza was promoted in early March to vice president by the Silverton Health Board of Directors.
Cagen praised Fronza for her leadership style, adding she is a visionary who knows how to collaborate and bring different groups to the table to find a common ground.
Silverton Health Board Chairwoman Gayle Goschie said Fronza’s success and experience in accountable care and service transformation “makes her the perfect person to lead our organization into the future.”
Fronza started with Silverton Hospital in 2007 as a registered dietitian and diabetes educator working her way up until she was named chief operating officer of accountable care and service transformation in December. Fronza received her bachelor’s and graduate degrees from Purdue University. She is a 1993 graduate of Silverton High School.
Cagen confirmed Legacy Health and Silverton Health are in the process of entering into a letter of agreement to form a partnership. Cagen said it is the first step of many. He expects the process to take six to 10 months to complete.
Silverton Health Marketing Communications Director Rita Kester said both the hospital’s governing board and Legacy leadership cannot disclose details of the negotiations.
“There are still many details to work out and the letter of intent is just the first step of many prior to finalizing an agreement between both healthcare systems,” Kester said.
For more on this story, read the full story in April 1 Our Town.
