Whitefish hospital searching for new chief executive

North Valley Hospital is in the process of selecting a new chief executive.

At the beginning of June, Jason Spring stepped down as CEO at the Whitefish hospital and voluntarily moved into a new role at Kalispell Regional Healthcare where he will serve under the title of Chief Executive Provider Network Integration.

Spring transitioned into his new position June 1, one month after North Valley and Kalispell Regional finalized an agreement to create a formal affiliation between the two organizations.

Tate Kreitinger has been tapped to serve as the interim CEO at North Valley. Kreitinger also serves as CEO of The HealthCenter at Kalispell Regional where he has worked for 10 years. He will split his time between the two facilities.

“He knows how the organizations work together,” said Catherine Todd, Senior Director of Business Development and Community Relations at North Valley Hospital. “It will help us collaborate and get things done while he is here in the interim.”

Over the next few months, Todd said, the North Valley board of directors will work toward selecting a new CEO. The hospital is required to have its own CEO under the organization’s conditions.

“The board is looking at what we really need in a CEO,” Todd said. “They’re not rushing it and taking their time to make sure they know what kind of leadership fits best within the system.”

Todd said Spring’s new role in Kalispell provides some services in which North Valley participates.

“He will be working across the region to develop relationships with other healthcare providers for the purpose of augmenting patient care,” Todd said.

Spring told the Pilot the move was a voluntary decision as part of the affiliation plan and that he’s excited about taking on the new role.

Spring was named CEO at North Valley in 2009 after Craig Aasved resigned to join St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. He came to Whitefish from Hot Springs, Ark., where he was the CEO for five years at HealthPark Hospital. Previous to that, Spring spent three years as CEO for an 83-bed rehabilitation hospital system.

Under Spring’s leadership North Valley expanded the Birth Center, built the North Valley Professional Center in Columbia Falls, and added numerous local services.

“A huge amount of growth happened,” Todd said of Spring’s tenure in Whitefish.

“The seven years at North Valley have been the best years of my career and I’m proud of what we accomplished while I had the honor of serving as the CEO,” Spring added. “NVH has a dedicated staff, medical staff and board that is committed to our communities and patient-centered care and I look forward to continuing to work with the NVH team in my new position.”

In May, the governing boards of North Valley and Kalispell Regional finalized an agreement to create a formal affiliation between the two organizations. North Valley is now an affiliate under the umbrella of Kalispell Regional Healthcare System. The move was touted as a way to better integrate the organizations both clinically and financially.