As Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare integrates with Ascension Health, it will lose six senior vice presidents and 10 vice presidents, a Wheaton spokesperson confirmed Thursday afternoon.
The six senior vice presidents are Wheaton’s Dr. Rita Hanson, chief medical officer; Greg Smith, chief information officer; Dr. Brenda Bowers, chief nursing officer; James Gresham, senior vice president of continuing care and clinical operations; Michael Lepore, senior vice president and chief administrative officer; and Wayne Frangesch, senior vice president of human resources.
The 10 vice presidents who will leave have not been named.
The senior vice presidents will leave their posts at different times over the course of the year. Bowers, Gresham and Lepore will leave by June 30, Hanson and Smith will leave by Sept. 30 and Frangesch will leave by Dec. 30.
Ascension Wisconsin spokesperson Vince Gallucci released this statement: “As Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare integrated into Ascension Wisconsin and we come together as a fully integrated health care system across the state, some corporate services functions are being re-imagined. Several leaders will be leaving over the months ahead, though these decisions in no way reflect the skills or dedication of these committed and talented individuals. Ascension Wisconsin remains dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate, personalized care in the communities we’re privileged to serve throughout the state.”
Wheaton and its eight Wisconsin hospitals officially became part of Ascension on March 1. The combined health care organization now operates 27 hospitals and 114 primary care clinics in Wisconsin and is expected to generate nearly $3.5 billion in revenue annually.
A BizTimes Cover story published in December examined several aspects of the merger.
