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Hospital Welcomes John Schwartz as Interim Chief Executive
 Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital recently welcomed the arrival of John Schwartz who will serve as interim chief executive until a permanent leader is hired later this year. James Arp, who held the chief executive position for two years, has taken a position at Providence Portland Medical Center.
John Schwartz comes to Hood River after serving interim positions at Providence hospitals in Medford, Oregon and Missoula, Montana. He brings over 30 years of health care administration experience, nearly all of it in faith-based health systems.
Before working with Providence facilities, John served 13 years as president of Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago, a 263-bed acute care hospital with 1,000 employees. Schwartz’ previous positions include executive vice president of Aurora Health Care; president and chief executive officer of Good Samaritan Medical Center; and vice president of professional services at St. Luke's Medical Center, all in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I stopped full time work at the end of 2004, to take a break after decades of intense management responsibilities,” John said. “I rested, reconnected with family and friends and traveled for several months, all the time believing if I was meant to work at a particular job, the work would find me. I put God in charge,” he said. “When Russ Danielson (Providence’s Oregon Region chief executive) first called and asked me to serve as interim chief executive at Providence Medford, I had never considered such a role,” he continued, “but I have found it works well with my skills and my love of travel and people. That really is providence!”
John began work at Providence Hood River in mid-April and says he is impressed with the employees, physicians, volunteers and the community. He spent his first weekend in town enjoying Blossom Festival events and meeting people wherever he went. “My job in Hood River is to provide support to the administrative team and our employees, who all are working at maximum capacity, especially preparing for the upcoming hospital expansion. I also look forward to getting to know the community. In just a couple of weeks I already feel very welcome.”
John grew up in a small town, Lester Prairie, Minnesota, about 50 miles west of Minneapolis. He says life there was a lot like fabled “Lake Wobegon” He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and a master's degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota.
A national search for a permanent Hood River chief executive is under way, according to Russ Danielson. “We value our service to these communities, and especially our employees, volunteers and physicians who carry out the Providence mission,” says Danielson. “With John’s excellence and dedication to Providence, I know that we have an outstanding leader during this interim time as we search for just the right leader for our ministry.”
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