Milford Regional president to also become CEO

PHOTO/COURTESY Edward J. Kelly

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By Rick Saia

Edward J. Kelly, the president of Milford Regional Medical Center, will also become the CEO of the health care organization in 2016, Milford Regional announced Thursday.

Kelly will take over the additional role from Francis M. Saba, who is retiring after having served as both president and CEO since 1990. The two roles will be combined when Kelly assumes the position Jan. 1, 2016, according to a statement from Milford Regional.

"Milford Regional has had the good fortune of cultivating strong leadership that ensures Milford Regional's continued stature as one of the region's premier healthcare systems,” board chairman John Burns said in the statement. “Having worked closely together for over 20 years, Frank and Ed share the same mission and vision for the hospital as well as the communities it serves.”

Kelly is a 30-year veteran of the health care industry, having served in senior-level roles at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick, as well as managerial positions at Leonard Morse, St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton and Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He came to Milford Regional in 1993 as chief financial officer and was promoted to executive vice president in 1998. In 2008, Kelly was named president of Milford Regional.

Kelly's career in healthcare, which spans more than 30 years, has included senior level positions at MetroWest Medical Center; Leonard Morse Hospital; as well as managerial positions at Leonard Morse; St. Elizabeth's Hospital; and Beth Israel Hospital. He came to Milford Regional in 1993 as chief financial officer and was promoted to executive vice president in 1998. Ten years later, Kelly was named president of Milford Regional. He directs and manages all day to day operations of the hospital and is currently overseeing the new, $54 million building project (which will include a new emergency department, intensive care unit and private patient rooms) slated to open in the fall of 2015.

During his tenure at Milford Regional, Kelly played a key role in the development of Tri-County Medical Associates (the medical center’s affiliated physician practice group); the merger with the Visiting Nurse Association of the Greater Milford/Northbridge Area, and the renovation and construction of numerous projects including the new Cancer Center with Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center; the Patient Care Center; and the cardiac catheterization lab, the statement read.

"I look forward to working with Ed over the next year to ensure a seamless transition in leadership," Saba added in the statement. "Our success at Milford Regional has come from great physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers, a very supportive community, and a management structure that encourages teamwork that fosters the growth and development of the individual members of the team.

“My years with Ed as both mentor and colleague give me every confidence in the board's decision to select him as my successor. I could not be happier for both Ed and our healthcare system," Saba said.