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PARKERSBURG -- As changes are occurring in the leadership at Camden Clark Medical Center, new leaders are emerging, including Sean Smith as the new vice president of operations.
With the announced departure of Camden Clark President and CEO David McClure at the end of the year and a change in the duties for Camden Clark's Vice President of Human Resources Tom Heller, others are stepping up to more prominent leadership positions at the center.
McClure recently announced his departure as of Dec. 31, 2017. He recently accepted a position in Morgantown as the vice president of Strategic Initiatives with WVU Medicine, the medical system that Camden Clark is apart of. In addition to McClure, Camden Clark's Vice President of Human Resources Tom Heller is taking on more responsibilities with WVU Medicine having accepted a position with the responsibility for overseeing WVU Medicine's Compensation and Employee Performance Management Programs.
McClure has reorganized the Camden Clark Medical Center's senior leadership team, which included appointing Smith to his new position.
Smith will be taking on some of the responsibilities that both McClure and Heller previously had.
He is concentrating right now on learning the hospital's operations.
"My focus right now is to make sure we continue forward with some of the things Dave initiated and make sure we are efficiently moving along in the projects and that is really our focus at this point," Smith said. "Then we will work to transition in with the new leadership that will be going in on Jan. 1."
Smith has been with Camden Clark for over five years. He was the executive director of the Camden Clark Physician Corporation.
"It was a smooth transition from leading the Physician Corporation and coming into the hospital to take on operational responsibilities and now moving to take up more responsibilities," McClure said.
Smith was the executive director of professional services over the last six months. Before that, he spent three years as the director of physician recruitment where he brought 25-30 new physicians into the area with focus on primary care, pulmonary critical care, thoracic surgery, endocrinology as well as brought the hospital's hospitalist program in house, instead of having it contracted out.
"We really stabilized our inpatient services and expanded our out patient services," he said. "I think the biggest thing is, like all medical services, we will continue to develop more integrated approach to care."
Officials at the hospital are continuing to watch developments regarding health care in the U.S. Congress with the Senate expected to take action on a health care reform bill.
"Right now it is in flux," Smith said. "We have made strides to increase access to care here in West Virginia.
"In West Virginia, Medicaid is a big source of access for our patients. When there is discussion of cutting back Medicaid there is concern."