Beebe Healthcare 'eliminates' chief operating officer job to 'streamline' nonprofit

Beebe Healthcare has "eliminated" the position of its second-in-command, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Schaffner.

“Beebe Healthcare is undergoing a transformational journey to become more agile and streamlined to be able to serve our community for the next 100 years," Beebe President and CEO David Tam said in an emailed statement. "In an effort to recalibrate the team of executives leading our growing and evolving healthcare system, I am eliminating the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer position while reassigning duties to others."

According to a January 2015 news release from Beebe, Schaffner served as their COO from 2004 to 2007 before leaving for the same position at Holy Spirit Health System in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. He returned in 2015 and has been with the Lewes nonprofit since then.

"Transforming our organization is necessary to care for our expanding community but change is never easy," Tam said in the statement. "We are thankful for Rick’s 11-plus years of dedicated service to Beebe, and his efforts to expand our nonprofit, community health system throughout Sussex County and persevere during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

More: As other hospitals grow, Beebe Healthcare focuses on Sussex County to expand access

According to the most recently available tax returns for Beebe Medical Center Inc., Tam was paid a salary of $1,042,422 in fiscal year 2021, which ended in June 2022.

The next-highest-paid employee was Chief Financial Officer Paul Pernice, who made $677,516, followed by Schaffner, who made $639,127.

Jeffrey Fried was Beebe's CEO before Tam, for 24 years. Schaffner served as interim CEO until Tam came on in 2020.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Beebe Healthcare chief operating officer position 'eliminated'