Gorge Providence Hospital CEO leaves

“I decided I needed a little time to step back and reset my course,” said Freysinger, who has been with Providence since 2007.

“I have been proud to have been in Hood River. It’s been a great experience,” said Freysinger, who said he will take a sabbatical before deciding on his next direction.

“We are really fortunate in Hood River to have a great group of providers and caregivers, not only locally but in the regional system,” he said.

“We’ve been able to implement some strategies and approaches just because of the way the community is. It’s a very collegial place,” said Freysinger, pointing to the hospital’s selection last year by Becker’s Review as one of the top 50 critical access hospitals in the United States.

Jeanne Vieira, the chief operations officer, will serve as interim CEO, according to Susan Frost, Providence community relations manager. Vieira, who is also chief nursing supervisor, also served as interim CEO after the departure of Freysinger’s predecessor, Ty Erickson.

“We are very glad to have Jeanne available to step in as chief executive,” Frost said

Frost said a national search for a new CEO is underway, and that numerous qualified applicants are expected, given the opportunity to be in Hood River.

“We think it’s going to be a coveted role. We know it’s an important role and we value the fact that we can provide health services to the community,” she said.

Frost said the goal is to have a new CEO in place as soon as possible, adding that “we will continue to focus on quality health services and patient safety.”

Providence will look for someone “who realizes we provide a lot of services for a rural community and we will continue to provide them in the best way possible, and also understands the way Providence is connected to this community,” Frost said. “We will be looking for someone who has a vision of providing health care beyond the facility.”

Before coming to Hood River, Freysinger worked as an executive in human resources, working on the integration with Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City, and helping lead Providence’s move to a patient-centered electronic health record.

Prior to his time in Oregon, Freysinger was vice president of human resources at Exempla Health Care in Denver, and he worked as a hospital administrator in his native Michigan.

The son of a hospital administrator, Freysinger received his master’s degree in health service administration from the University of Michigan.

Freysinger said Thursday, “I’ll see where I’m going next. Nothing is solid.” But his activities this weekend are set: he’s been volunteering as a wrestling coach at HRVHS this year, and was looking forward to helping out at the OSAA 5A Wrestling Championships in Portland, where five athletes are competing.