Health First CEO Johnson retiring as head of Brevard's largest health care company
Steve Johnson, the president and chief executive officer of Health First, Brevard County's largest health care provider, is retiring at the end of this month.
Johnson, 68, said he wants to spend more time with his family and to concentrate more on personal wellness.
Health First operates four hospitals ― Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Palm Bay Hospital and Viera Hospital. Its operations also include health insurance plans, a multispecialty medical group, and outpatient and wellness services. Health First has about 9,500 employees.
In a letter to Health First's staff announcing his upcoming retirement, Johnson wrote: "I joined this organization over a decade ago, and I have always understood my role here as steward, partner and advocate for Health First, guiding the organization through a period of transformation and growth, as we pivot to become a consumer-centric wellness company. I recently turned 68, and I’ve decided it’s time for me to allow a new leader to guide this organization, as it accelerates toward the future."
Home-based health care:Healing at home: Health First program offers 'hospital-level care' option for patients
Johnson said the transition "will allow me space to spend time with my family, including my wife, my daughters and my beautiful grandchildren."
“For me, health care is so much more than sick care,” Johnson said. "It’s about cultivating, supporting and celebrating our personal wellness and the wellness of those around us. So I’m embarking on a new path, choosing wellness through time spent with my family. Wellness through enjoying the great outdoors. Wellness through a bit more time spent at rest."
Health First said Kent Smith, chairman of its board of trustees, will serve as the organization’s interim CEO. It said Health First’s board of trustees and senior leadership "will conduct a national search to select the most well-suited candidate to serve as the new permanent president and CEO."
Smith has served on the board of trustees for the last five years, including as chairman for the last two years. He also has had leadership roles in several companies, including as president and chief operating officer of Revolution Technologies; president and CEO of TeamStaff; and president of The Original HoneyBaked Ham Company of Georgia.
Johnson said Smith "has cultivated a deep knowledge of and passion for health care over the course of his decades-long business career, and brings invaluable expertise to this transitional role."
Hospital move planned:Brevard Commission OKs zoning change for new Merritt Island hospital, wellness village
Johnson said Health First's directors and senior leadership, in their national search, will seek "to select the most well-suited, ambitious and energized candidate to serve as the new long-term president and CEO."
Health First said there was no specific timetable for having the new permanent CEO in place.
Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Johnson retiring as Health First President/CEO at end of this month
