Kerry Carmody, who transformed a community hospital into a nationally recognized medical center, will retire, effective November 1, after nearly 40 years with Providence Health & Services, Southern California.
Carmody is the Catholic not-for-profit healthcare organization’s regional chief operating officer, but made his mark as chief executive of Providence Holy Cross Medical Center.
With numerous awards for quality, safety and outreach, the hospital serving the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys is known in the industry as the “little engine that could.”
“Kerry is the heart and soul of Providence in the Valley and beyond,” said Michael Hunn, senior vice president and chief executive of Providence Southern California. “He is extraordinarily passionate about our Mission of outreach to the poor and vulnerable, living it professionally and in his private life where he in an avid volunteer for at least a dozen charity organizations.”
Carmody entered the healthcare field in 1973 as a medical technologist at Providence Saint Joseph, and then moved into various leadership roles.
In 1999, he was appointed chief executive of Providence Holy Cross, and in 2009 was named regional COO, overseeing operations at five medical centers, numerous outpatient programs, affiliated physician organizations.
“Few people love the work they do. I am fortunate to be among them,” Carmody said. “The people of Providence and their dedication to our patients and the community have inspired me over four decades and I am grateful to have been a part of that tradition of service to those most in need.”
His most recent accomplishment includes overseeing health care reform-inspired efforts toward efficiency and improved quality, among them a new affiliation with Facey Medical Group and its Facey Medical Foundation. The goal of both initiatives is to create a seamless continuum for patients.
Carmody is known for his open door policy and his frequent walks through hospital halls to understand what’s happening on the front lines. He drove the recent 138-bed expansion of Providence Holy Cross, necessary in a region hit hard by a series of hospital closures.
Carmody and his wife Kristie live in Valencia, and he is in the community with the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, the Foundation for Children’s Dental Health, the Downed Officer Foundation supporting families of officers lost in the line of duty and the Love Ride, benefiting muscular dystrophy.