Helen Lidholm resigns as Saint Mary's CEO; last day is Jan. 31

RENO, Nev. — Helen Lidholm will step down as CEO of Saint Mary's Health Network early next year.

The Reno hospital announced Lidholm's decision to resign, effective Jan. 31, 2020, in a Nov. 20 media release.

Lidholm has been CEO since April 2007. The media release did not indicate a succession plan to replace her.

“The Governing Board is grateful for Helen's years of service and exceptional leadership,” Dr. Richard Bryan, Jr., MD, FACC Chariman of the Board for Saint Mary's, said in a statement. “Saint Mary's would not have achieved the quality, patient care, safety and financial accomplishments we have without Helen's leadership. Going forward the board will continue to govern and ensure the continued success of Saint Mary's.”

“We're thankful for Helen's commitment and dedication to Saint Mary's employees, providers and community,” added Dr. Sunny Bhatia, Chief Medical Officer of Prime Healthcare, the parent company of Sainy Mary's, in a statement. “Helen has laid a solid foundation, and we're confident in the ongoing growth and success of Saint Mary's.”

In an interview earlier this year with the NNBV, Lidholm spoke about a variety of successes Saint Mary's has enjoyed over the years, including being the first hospital in the community to receive Leapfrog's patient safety grade A; being the first hospital in the community to earn a 4-star rating from CMS's for Safety; and earning the distinction of being one of America's Best 250 hospitals from Healthgrades out of the over 4,500 hospitals in the nation, the only hospital in Nevada to receive this award.

"We have impressive employee engagement," she said in the Oct. 2 Q-and-A interview. "The average employee has worked here at least eight years, and our nurse turnover is 5 percent compared to the national average of 17 percent."

The Nov. 20 media release including the following statement from Lidholm:

“I leave with so much pride of everything we have accomplished together during my tenure. When I came to Saint Mary's in April of 2007 it was on an interim assignment with aspirations for the organization but with no intentions of staying; however, I immediately fell in love with the Saint Mary's family as well as all of Northern Nevada. In my time here, I've had the privilege to lead Saint Mary's through many transitions which have included 2 acquisitions and a complete financial turnaround.

“I am so very proud of the staff and providers, whose hard work and dedication every day has been rewarded with many accomplishments and recognitions in patient care, quality, safety and financial outcomes. Our leadership team is the strongest I have ever worked with and it is with complete confidence in the leaders and staff that I hand the reigns to them. I am also so very thankful for the complete support I have enjoyed from the members of Saint Mary's Community Board as well as medical staff, many community leaders and elected officials. My sincerest gratitude goes to Dr. Reddy for saving Saint Mary's from certain closure in 2012.

“I leave immensely proud of all those at Saint Mary's Health Network, and will be looking for another organization where I can affect the same level of change for the betterment of healthcare.”