Dr. Steve Gordon, president and CEO of the St. Charles Health System.
Courtesy of St. Charles Health System
St. Charles Health System announced Monday that Dr. Steve Gordon will continue to lead the Central Oregon institution, now as its permanent CEO and president.
Last year, Gordon became interim CEO in the wake of layoffs, financial woes and dire staffing problems.
“Plenty of work still lies ahead, but we’re seeing results from focusing first on clinical excellence and a better experience for our patients, caregivers, physicians and providers,” Gordon said in a statement.
A former member of the health system’s governing board, Gordon is a primary care and internal medicine physician. In a press release, St. Charles shared high points of his resume, such as graduating Harvard College, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and previously holding executive leadership roles for PeaceHealth in Vancouver, Washington, Providence Health and Services in Portland, and Salem Health.
Gordon stepped into the top job at St. Charles at a time of turmoil last year.
In May 2022, St. Charles laid off more than 100 employees. Former CEO Joe Sluka announced his departure two months later, followed by two high-profile executive lay-offs that July.
Also in July, the health system’s leaders quietly adopted crisis standards of care to avoid having to comply with rules that govern nurse staffing levels, as OPB reported. The health system rescinded that move after the Oregon Health Authority said it would violate state law.
A file photo St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. St. Charles Health System on Monday announced that its interim CEO will stay on in a permanent capacity.
Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB
Sluka’s tenure was punctuated by intense conflicts with labor unions representing St. Charles nurses and other care providers, including a historic strike by medical technicians in 2021.
Some labor relations are cooling under Gordon’s leadership. Last week, a group of about 300 physicians and providers dropped their petition to form a union, citing “changes in senior leadership,” per a joint press release from the Central Oregon Providers Network and the health system.
“We are eager to work with the new St. Charles leadership and are cautiously optimistic,” Dr. Les Dixon, an Emergency Department physician who sought to organize the doctors, said in a statement.
Now, St. Charles is working to find common ground with an even larger contingent of its workforce: nurses. Labor contract negotiations with the Oregon Nurses Association are currently underway.
While announcing Gordon’s appointment, the health system reported improved financial performance since he became CEO. St. Charles did not provide details of Gordon’s compensation.
