Beebe Healthcare Announces CEO Departure

Rick Schaffner, RN, executive vice president and chief operating officer, will serve as interim CEO

Beebe Healthcare and its Board of Directors announces the departure of president and CEO Jeffrey Fried, FACHE, effective March 26, 2019.

David Herbert, chair of the board of directors commented, “We are all very grateful for Jeff’s many contributions in growing Beebe Healthcare to where it is today. Jeff has been a dedicated and passionate champion for providing the best healthcare possible here in Sussex County. From his first to his last day at Beebe, Jeff was committed to helping Beebe better serve the community. The board wishes to move ahead in new directions as Beebe enters into its next generation of providing excellent healthcare for the community. We thank him for his commitment and professionalism over the past 24 years and wish him great success in his future endeavors.”

The board has appointed Rick Schaffner, RN, as interim CEO. Mr. Schaffner, who has served as Beebe’s executive vice president and chief operating officer for seven years, plays a key role in the evolution of Beebe and is integral in developing and executing the Next Generation of Care plan for Beebe’s ongoing expansion strategies.

Beebe’s vision is for Sussex County to be one of the healthiest counties in the nation and its mission is to be recognized by the community as the best healthcare system on Delmarva. Beebe’s medical, clinical and administrative staffs, as well as volunteers, are committed to serving current as well as future generations of Sussex Countians.

The healthcare environment and competitive marketplace is evolving rapidly. This new landscape is an opportunity to better serve the community. To do this Beebe is attracting exceptional clinical and administrative talent and making significant investments in its infrastructure to ensure optimum performance, accessibility and service.

Beebe remains focused on two overarching commitments to the patients and community it serves:

• Achieving Operational Excellence—Provide exceptional health care and continuously work to improve patient and caregiver service, satisfaction and safety.
• Enhancing Patient Access—Meet the changing needs of the community by investing in people, facilities, infrastructure, innovations and new models of care that can deliver quality outcomes and experiences for patients, while increasing efficiency and reducing healthcare costs.

“We are commencing a nationwide search for a new CEO immediately. This search will provide us an opportunity to attract an exceptional healthcare leader,” said Mr. Herbert. “The board has full confidence in Rick and the clinical and administrative leaders to continue to build on the successes of the organization. We look forward to his leadership as we continue to enhance and expand access to Beebe’s services to meet the needs of our patients and community.”

The expansion program to bring healthcare services closer to the Sussex community will continue as planned. Projects underway will provide improved access to emergency and oncology care in the South Coastal Region as well as the development of a minimally invasive, short-stay surgical hospital on the Rehoboth Health Campus. Upgrades will also continue at the flagship Margaret H. Rollins campus on Savannah Road in Lewes.

“We are committed to achieving excellence through the delivery of exceptional health care and customer service each and every day,” said Mr. Schaffner. “We continuously work to improve patient access, patient satisfaction, quality and safety that best meets the changing needs of our patients, caregivers and community.”

For assistance with media inquiries, please contact Alex Sydnor, vice president, external affairs at [email protected], 302-645-3115.