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Providence Oregon, the state’s largest hospital system, announced a change in top leadership on Tuesday.
Jennifer Burrows, a registered nurse who is currently chief executive of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, will step into the role on May 6, according to an announcement from Joel Gilbertson, chief executive of Providence Central Division.
Burrows has 32 years of experience in health care and has held various leadership positions at Providence, including chief nursing officer. She was selected after “an extensive nationwide search,” Gilbertson said.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Jennifer since our division came together,” Gilbertson said in a statement. “She has been a passionate champion for her ministry, and she never misses and opportunity to advocate for both the caregivers and patients of Providence. As a nurse, she will be an invaluable presence on our division executive team, one who always keeps the perspective of a bedside caregiver in mind.”
William Olson, whom Burrows is replacing, will be retiring at the end of the year, but until then will help with the transition and to guide “several important initiatives that span the Central Division,” Gilbertson said.
Providence, with eight hospitals in Oregon, had $5.3 billion in total operating revenue in 2023 and cleared $35 million of revenue over expenses from operations, according to its financial statement. Collectively, Oregon hospitals posted a negative 1.3% median operating margin last year, and more than half could not cover the cost of care with revenue only from core patient activities, due to higher labor costs and inflation.
In interview, Burrows outlined some of the headwinds hospital systems are facing.
"I think the financial struggles we’re seeing in health care, as more people age onto Medicare, and the dialogue taking place around universal health coverage and thinking about how that looks different than in the past, and we’re already facing shortages in the workforce in health care and that's going to continue to be a struggle," Burrows said.
In terms of her priorities, she said "caregiver and provider engagement."
"Being a clinician by background, I’m very sensitive to the delivery of patient care and how do we make it not just a great place to receive care but a great place to come to work," she said.
With six Providence hospitals currently in negotiations or soon to be with the Oregon Nurses Association, Burrows said she is optimistic agreements can soon be reached using a federal mediator, "and that we can do that without a work stoppage."