(ST. LOUIS) September 25, 2009 – Julius D. Spears, Jr., has agreed to assist Ascension Health’s legislative office in Washington, D.C., to help expand the health system’s presence with congressional and Administration leaders, Ascension Health announced today. Spears will transition from his current role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 1. Providence Hospital is one of Ascension Health’s local health ministries.
“The activities currently in progress on Capitol Hill represent the best opportunity ever to achieve 100% access to healthcare and 100% coverage,” said Ascension Health Chief Advocacy Officer Susan Nestor Levy. “Ascension Health is actively involved in the reform process, and Julius will help ensure our ministry’s national voice is heard, working from his healthcare experience in several states and the District of Columbia.”
“Ascension Health thanks Julius for his many contributions through his leadership at Providence Hospital, and is pleased to be able to use his skills in building relationships and his extensive visibility in Washington in this new way,” said Robert J. Henkel, FACHE, President, Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer of Ascension Health.
A national search for Spears’ successor at Providence Hospital will begin immediately. In the interim, Bonnie Phipps, Ascension Health’s Ministry Market Leader for the Baltimore/Washington area, will assume a more active role at Providence Hospital.
Ascension Health is transforming healthcare by providing the highest quality care to all, with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Ascension Health, which provided $868 million in care of persons who are poor and community benefit last year, is the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system. Ascension Health’s Mission-focused Health Ministries consist of 113,000 associates serving in more than 500 locations in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Founded in 1861 by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, Providence Hospital (www.provhosp.org) is a 408-bed community hospital specializing in geriatric care, maternity, behavioral health, oncology, orthopedics, and wellness programs. The hospital’s medical teaching program includes residencies in internal medicine, surgery and family medicine. Chartered by President Abraham Lincoln, Providence Hospital is the longest continuously operating hospital in Washington, D.C.
