On March 26, Rob Thames, president and CEO of Northern Arizona Healthcare, stepped down from the position after two years on the job. Florence L. Spyrow, who served as NAH’s vice president and chief medical officer of Flagstaff Medical Center, was named interim CEO. This month, the NAH Board of Directors officially named Spyrow as the president and CEO for a permanent basis.
“During her time as the interim president and CEO, Flo demonstrated great leadership skills closing a significant budget gap, aligning her team around a common strategic plan for the future and completing the mission, vision and values revision process for NAH,” NAH Board Chairwoman Alice Gagnaire stated in a press release.
“Not only was Flo able to lead these accomplishments, but it’s become very evident her team and the organization supports her as their leader. Her background as a nurse, lawyer and administrator give her knowledge and perspective that will help NAH achieve its mission and vision.”
“As the interim CEO, I have had the opportunity to learn from providers and colleagues across the system, understand our challenges as we develop into an integrated health system and to explore with community providers how together, we can better serve our communities,” Spyrow wrote in an email.
“I plan to continue to listen and learn as we work together to build on the strong foundation of NAH, developing strengths and partnerships to provide amazing care to our communities well into the future.” Spyrow has a bachelor’s in nursing from San Jose State University, a master’s of public administration and health administration from Portland State University, a master’s in nursing from Oregon Health Sciences University and a juris doctorate from the University of Iowa. Before coming to NAH, she served as senior vice president of operations for Genesis Health System, a regional health provider in Iowa and Illinois, and as vice president of hospital operations for Trinity Regional Health System in Rock Island, Ill. She is also an American College of Healthcare executives fellow.
In leading NAH, Spyrow has expressed a commitment to improving affordability, especially for the rural hospital network. She sees expanding outpatient care as key to this project and touted the hospital system’s efforts to allow for more care to be administered at the satellite locations away from the flagship hospitals of Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood and Flagstaff Medical Center.
Spyrow pointed to new programs at the satellite locations, such as the EntireCare therapy program to the Village of Oak Creek campus, an expanded Cancer Center in Sedona and immediate care services at all locations, aimed at providing urgent care at a cheaper price. Even in Cottonwood she focused on the value of providing cheaper care outside of the hospital setting at the Medical Office Building on the VVMC campus. She touted new hires as well at all Verde Valley locations — family nurse practitioners Jason Litzinger and Linda Kaplan and physician assistant-certified Tatyana Erdmann in Camp Verde; Dr. Debbi McGinn and Karina Jonusas, PA-C, in Sedona; and Drs. Donald Stephens, Adam Schneider and Maxwell Matson and nurse practitioner Ilene Forest in Cottonwood.
Spyrow highlighted the difficulty of acquiring and maintaining top-level doctors as a challenge affecting not only NAH but hospitals nationwide. “There are national physician, nurse and health care professional shortages and we are competing with cities to attract the same group of individuals,” Spyrow wrote. “Luckily for us, we live in such a beautiful place we are able to sell an active lifestyle alongside of a great place to work.” “If we live our values and make decisions based on our beliefs; if we implement the strategic priorities for program and facility development, then we will continue to have the privilege and honor of serving the communities of the Verde Valley,” Spyrow wrote. “NAH will become your health care provider of choice. I look forward to serving you in the years to come.”
