Just three days after his predecessor’s resignation went into effect, Denten Park has been named the CEO of Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester and of the Massachusetts market of its parent company, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.
Park took over the executive role on Monday, leading the largest for-profit hospital system in Central Massachusetts and the region’s second largest hospital. He will manage the strategic, operation, and clinical initiatives at Saint Vincent and Tenet-owned MetroWest Medical Center campuses in Framingham and Natick, according to a Tuesday press release from Saint Vincent.
Park replaces Carolyn Jackson in both roles. On Feb. 4, Tenet announced Jackson’s resignation, which went into effect on Friday. She joined Saint Vincent as CEO in 2019, holding the role for far longer than any of Tenet’s other hospital CEOs in Central Massachusetts in the last 10 years.
During her six-year tenure, Jackson became the face of ongoing controversy surrounding both the hospital and Tenet. Under her leadership, Saint Vincent nurses staged the longest nurses strike in the state’s history, and the hospital became the site of two Massachusetts Department of Public Health investigations following hundreds of complaints levied against it by the Massachusetts Nurses Association labor union. The DPH’s first first investigation into the hospital was closed in March with the department stating Saint Vincent was back in compliance with applicable state and federal requirements.
Park will now lead the hospital as it is currently under investigation by the DPH.
Park comes to the Worcester hospital having served in the roles of market CEO of multi-hospital systems, project president, and CEO at Community Health Systems, a Tennessee-based healthcare provider.
He earned his MBA from New Mexico State University and his bachelor’s degree from Utah State University.
“We are excited to have a seasoned healthcare executive like Denten leading our operations in Massachusetts,” Maggie Gill, Eastern Group president for Tenet, said in the release. “I am confident that his experience and leadership will be instrumental in building strong relationships with our staff, physicians and community, and advancing our mission of providing high-quality care.”
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
