22 filled, 23 vacant leadership roles cut at St. Charles Health System

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- St. Charles Health System is implementing a leadership restructure that will eliminate 22 filled positions and 23 vacant leadership roles in its support services areas. The changes, which affect less than 1% of the health system’s workforce and no direct patient care positions, aim to position the organization for long-term success following rapid growth in Central Oregon.

The restructuring follows an evaluation of leader spans of control, titles and market alignment across the health system, designed to fairly balance responsibilities and prepare for continued expansion.

The health system has experienced significant growth in the services and amount of care provided throughout Central Oregon in recent years. This expansion is aligned with increases in population and demand for care in the region, primarily occurring in outpatient and specialty services.

Michael Hartke, incoming president and CEO of St. Charles Health System, highlighted the organization's commitment to the community. “We have been in a position to step in and support maintaining some key services in the region in recent years including orthopedics and neurosurgery, pharmacy, urology, gastroenterology and specialized cancer care, just to name a few,” Hartke said.

Hartke emphasized St. Charles' role as a local nonprofit. He added, “As a nonprofit, local health care organization, we have the responsibility and the privilege of ensuring our patients have access to the care they need and we are proud to be able to provide it.”

The leadership restructure will specifically eliminate 22 filled positions and 23 vacant positions within support services areas. These adjustments account for less than 1% of the total St. Charles workforce.

No direct patient care positions are impacted by these changes. The evaluation encompassed all supervisors and above across the health system to fairly balance responsibilities for those in leadership roles.

Hartke acknowledged the individuals affected by the restructuring. “I want to sincerely thank the people being impacted by today’s hard news for their incredible contributions to St. Charles and wish them nothing but the best going forward,” Hartke said.

He also reassured the community about the health system's future. “The changes we are making today are about setting ourselves up for a more sustainable and scalable structure for the future and I want to reassure our community that St. Charles is strong, stable and committed to meeting community needs.” The organization will continue ongoing work to bring titles into alignment over time.