St. John's names new CEO

St. John's Health System has a new president and chief executive officer. Jay W. Eckersley will join St. Johns July 1, according to a release from St. John's.

Eckersley's appointment was unanimously recommended by a selection committee that interviewed the candidates and coordinated recommendations from hospital board members and other physicians and employees involved in the interview process.

Eckersley is a native of Utah and began his career in health in 1972 in Salt Lake City, a St. John's news release states. He was most recently at Grant-Riverside Methodist Hospitals, Columbus, Ohio, where he was CEO. Grant-Riverside is the flagship hospital of OhioHealth, central Ohio's leading integrated health care delivery system. Grant-Riverside had 1,200 beds and 8,000 physicians and employees, the release said.

Rob Brodhead, who has been interim CEO of St. John's, will stay on as chief operating officer after Eckersley begins his position.

St. John's has its headquarters in Springfield and comprises 7,000 employees at four hospitals, 90 clinics and various home health and emergency medical services sites in southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas.