Henry Ford Health CEO Wright Lassiter to leave in July to run Chicago-based health system
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Wright Lassiter III, the president and CEO of Henry Ford Health, is leaving the Detroit-based health system in late July.
He announced to Henry Ford's 33,000 employees Thursday that he will become CEO of CommonSpirit Health, a Chicago-based nonprofit hospital system.
“It has truly been one of the great honors of my life to lead the incredibly relentless, resilient, innovative, diverse and compassionate team that is Henry Ford Health," Lassiter said in a statement. "I am incredibly proud of the transformative work we have done together in and across communities in Michigan and far beyond. I have no doubt that the influence and impact of Henry Ford will continue to grow and flourish long after my final day here."
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Bob Riney, Henry Ford's COO and president of health care operations, will lead the health system while its board of directors conducts a national search for Lassiter’s successor.
Since 2014, Lassiter has led Henry Ford Health, completing two mergers and a global expansion by opening partner hospitals in Saudi Arabia and India.
He is chair of the American Hospital Association, is chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber's board of directors and has served on the boards of the Detroit Children’s Fund, LeMoyne College, Invest Detroit, Motown Museum and Downtown Detroit Partnership.
Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, said the region was "exceptionally fortunate" to have Lassiter as a leader.
"Since his arrival in Detroit, Wright has stewarded Henry Ford Health through opportunities such as mergers and expansion, and challenges such as the pandemic in exceptional fashion," Baruah said in a statement. "Additionally, as Henry Ford Health’s chief executive officer, he made the institution an even better community partner, especially around its Midtown headquarters."
CommonSpirit Health operates 140 hospitals in 21 states and is among the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S.
Staff writer Christina Hall contributed. Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Henry Ford Health CEO to leave Detroit for CommonSpirit Health
