Adventist HealthCare(AHC) recently announced that Terry Forde has
been named president and CEO of the Gaithersburg, Maryland, organization.
“The Mid-Atlantic Adventist HealthCare Board
believes Terry is the clear choice to continue to build on Adventist
HealthCare’s successful vision and, most importantly, to ensure that we fulfill
our mission to ‘demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and
communities through a ministry of physical, mental, and spiritual healing,’”
says Dave Weigley, chairman of the AHC board and president of the Columbia
Union Conference.
“During the interview process, Forde’s
commitment and focus on patient experience, employee engagement and physician
integration impressed the selection committee,” Weigley says. “In addition,
Terry’s knowledge and experience with the recent changes in healthcare,
especially at the local level, gave the selection committee and the board even
more confidence that he is the right individual to lead the organization.”
The selection committee was also impressed with
the feedback it received about Forde’s collaborative leadership style and how
he personally carries out Adventist HealthCare’s five core values—respect,
integrity, service, excellence and stewardship—each and every day.
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be
chosen to lead an organization with a remarkable tradition of high-quality and
compassionate service to the region,” Forde says. “I am blessed to work with a
dedicated group of executives, employees, physicians, and volunteers, who are
committed to improving the health of the communities we serve.”
Forde joined AHC in July, 2011, as the
organization’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to
that, he served for eight years as an executive with Centura Health, the
largest health system in Colorado. In that role, Forde helped lead a rapidly
growing community health system while also delivering extraordinary clinical,
patient experience and financial performance. During his time with Adventist
HealthCare, he has recruited many of its top executives. He has also been
instrumental in helping the organization adapt to the changes in healthcare by
looking for ways to grow outpatient and community services, while ensuring that
hospitals continue to provide world-class care.
“The board members are confident that Terry is
the leader who will continue to enhance and expand on the great work that
Adventist HealthCare has achieved in providing higher quality and safer care
for our patients,” Weigley adds.
Adventist HealthCare, which has more than 6,200
employees, cares for more than 600,000 people annually and is the largest
provider of charity and uncompensated care in Montgomery County, Maryland. AHC
began serving the Washington, D.C., area in 1907, with the opening of
Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. Over the years it has expanded
its services with the opening of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville,
the Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown, Adventist
Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, Adventist Behavioral Health, Adventist
Home Care Services, the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young
Children, Adventist Medical Group and the Mid-Atlantic Primary Care ACO.
Forde is a member of Chesapeake Conference’s
Spencerville church in Silver Spring, Maryland.
