PeaceHealth fires top Oregon hospital executive, effective immediately

PeaceHealth announced Thursday that Dr. Jim McGovern is no longer serving as chief executive for the Oregon region, effective immediately.

McGovern has been relieved of his duties as top executive and a spokesperson with the hospital system confirmed McGovern no longer works for PeaceHealth.

The firing comes five weeks after McGovern was placed on administrative leave for attempting to influence patient care, without an Oregon medical license.

On March 19, more than 300 pages of documentation were delivered to the PeaceHealth System Board of Directors by the RiverBend Medical Executive Committee. In the communications, dated from 2022 through 2025, McGovern allegedly exceeded his administrative authority and sought to influence clinical decision‑making.

The Medical Executive Committee issued a formal reprimand to McGovern for what it described as “actions that endangered patient safety” and indicated it intended to file a report with the Oregon Medical Board regarding his conduct.

McGovern has also been at the forefront of the failed effort to transition PeaceHealth Oregon’s emergency department staffing from a local physician’s group to an out-of-state management corporation.

PeaceHealth president and CEO Sarah Ness wrote in a statement that “a leadership change was in the best interest of the organization.”

Heather Wall will continue in her interim executive role while PeaceHealth moves forward with recruitment for the chief executive position in Oregon.

Tiffany Eckert is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.