CHI Memorial has chosen the former chief operating officer of a chain of hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin to be its new chief executive officer.
The hospital’s board of directors and its parent organization, Catholic Health Initiatives, announced Monday afternoon that Larry Schumacher, the former systems chief operating officer for Hospital Sisters Health Systems, based in Springfield, Ill., will take over its top management position, starting Jan. 4.
Larry SchumacherSchumacher has a strong background in nursing, beginning his career at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in critical care and nursing. He has a degree in nursing from the Burge School of Nursing in Springfield, Mo., a bachelor of science in nursing from Missouri State University, and a master of science in nursing from Indiana University. He has served in a variety of nursing leadership roles, including staff nurse, charge nurse, nurse director and chief nursing officer.
Dr. Chris Smith, director of the School of Nursing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, welcomed Schumacher’s appointment.
“The response from nursing staff on having a nurse in the CEO role, in my opinion, will be overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “Nursing leaders are able to share insight between what is needed at the bedside and what is important to the institution on an operational level.”