UPDATED: CEO at MetroWest Medical Resigns

First posted at 5:03 p.m. on January 25. Updated at 8:10 a.m. on January 26. with an editor’s note. Updated at 9:31 a.m. with statement from Tenet.

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FRAMINGHAM – The CEO of MetroWest Medical Center has resigned.

David Elgarico was announced as CEO at the end of June of 2022.

He replaced Ava Collins, who resigned in April 2022. Collins announced her resignation a week after Tenet Healthcare announced the cancer center at MetroWest Medical Center would close.

Tufts Medical took over the Cancer Center earlier this month.

Elgarico was the 6th CEO at MetroWest Medical Center since 2017.

According to an email from Carolyn Jackson, who is the Massachusetts Market CEO for Tenet Healthcare, Elgarico is returning to Oregon.

Editor’s Note: SOURCE received copies of the email from staff at the hospital and published this report at 5:03 p.m. Tenet Healthcare’s spokesperson sent a statement at 5:43 p.m. on the resignation after the digital news outlet requested a statement earlier in the day. The spokesperson wanted it noted in the SOURCE report that a statement was sent.

Earlier this month, MetrioWest Medical Center’s Chief Nursing Officer resigned.

Massachusetts Market for Tenet Healthcare’s Chief Financial Officer John Whitlock will serve as interim CEO for MetroWest Medical Center, according to an email from Jackson.

Naomi Seymour has been named as interim Chief Nursing Officer, said Jackson in an email today, January 25.

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The hospital has been having issues since Christmas weekend, when it began diverting ambulances from its labor & delivery department.

It continued to divert ambulances for three consecutive weekends.

The chair of the OB/GYN department stepped down.

In December, short staffed, Tenet Healthcare combined the ICU and CVU units, at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham.

Earlier today, January 25, the ER and the labor & delivery units at Framingham Union Hospital, part of MetroWest Medical Center was without power, according to local fire departments. Tenet spokesperson said there was not a power outage.

“During routine backup generator maintenance, a faulty switch was replaced,” said the spokesperson.

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare has been closing services at MetroWest Medical Center since 2020.

In the middle of the pandemic, Tenet closed the pediatric unit.

Last year, the hospital wanted to close the cancer unit, until Tufts Medical agreed to take it over earlier this month.

Staff are worried that Tenet is looking to close labor & delivery at MetroWest Medical Center. The closest hospitals for maternity patients would be Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Milford Hospital or Emerson Hospital in Concord.

The 11-member City Council and the Mayor had a length discussion about the hospital at its first meeting in January.

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Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare owns MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham & Natick and St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, which has 10-month long nurses strike between March of 2021 and January of 2022. Metrowest Medical Center is non-union.

Tenet Healthcare has owned MetroWest Medical Center since 2013, when the Dallas-based company acquired the Nashville-based Vanguard in a $1.8 billion deal.

Tenet had previously owned MetroWest Medical Center and Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester but sold the facilities to Vanguard Health in 2004 for $126.7 million.

Tenet Healthcare ended 2021 with a net income from continuing operations of $915 million.

The CEO of Tenet-Healthcare, which owns MetroWest Medical Center is Dr. Saum Sutaria. His base salary is $1.15 million, but his total compensation in 2021 was $21.14 million. Total compensation includes salary, bonus, stock and option awards, non-equity incentive plan compensation and all other compensation.

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