SSM Health Wisconsin’s Regional President and Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) board member Damond Boatwright has accepted the CEO position at Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), where he will succeed Mary Starmann-Harrison.
As CEO of HSHS based in Springfield, Ill., Boatwright will oversee system operations of 15 hospitals, numerous community-based health centers and clinics that employ nearly 2,300 physician partners and more than 13,000 associates in Wisconsin and Illinois. He will start his role at HSHS in June.
In announcing Boatwright’s appointment, HSHS Board Chair Bill Murray said, “Damond’s leadership record [at SSM] is exemplary. I am confident he will provide the leadership needed to help HSHS continue working through the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Damond is committed to moving HSHS forward as an integrated health care ministry, ensuring that high-quality health care is accessible to all our communities.”
“Damond has been an inspirational leader, not only to SSM Health, but also to Wisconsin’s entire health care system,” said WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding. “His devotion to the health care profession and the mission of providing accessible care to all is truly remarkable. He has been a valuable resource to WHA and to me personally. I am proud to know Damond and am certain that he will continue to advance health care excellence in his new role.”
In a message to SSM employees, Boatwright reflected, “Please know that while I am excited to begin this new chapter, I am also profoundly grateful to each of you for the work we have accomplished together during my seven years in Wisconsin.”
Boatwright joined SSM health in Wisconsin as regional president of hospital operations in February 2014. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all hospital operations within SSM Health’s integrated care delivery network in the Wisconsin region.
Boatwright has been a member of the WHA board of directors since 2015 and served as board chair in 2019. He is chair of WHA’s advocacy committee and is a member of the association’s nominating committee and budget committee. His past board committee memberships include the WHA issues advocacy committee and subcommittee on health care reform. He is a regular participant in both the WHA annual Advocacy Day and annual board planning sessions. He received WHA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2020 for his exemplary commitment to both WHA and the communities it serves.