Farnham named Providence Seaside CEO

Published 4:00 pm Thursday, December 31, 2009

Providence Health & Services announced in December that Krista Farnham has accepted the position of chief executive for Providence’s North Coast Service Area, which includes Providence Seaside Hospital.

Farnham has been with the organization for eight years, joining Providence Seaside as associate administrator in 2006.

She replaces John Schwartz, interim chief executive. Schwartz will continue to work at Providence Seaside for the next few months during the search for a replacement associate administrator.

“The Providence mission and core values are at the heart of what I believe in,” said Farnham, who will assume her new responsibilities in March. “I’m honored to be part of a community that is so supportive of its hospital and clinics.”

“I want to acknowledge the great job that John and Krista have done in Seaside,” said Terry Smith, chief operating officer of Providence in Oregon. “Under their leadership, we’ve seen many positive changes, including new and remodeled surgical suites, the addition of an MRI [machine], and new extended hours at the Providence North Coast Clinics. I know that we will continue to see growth and improvement as their work enters this exciting new phase.”

Farnham told CRBJ she hoped to continue efforts to expand hospital services.

“We continue to look for ways to connect with Providence specialists in Portland to offer more services here,” she said.

Looking into the future, she said at some point she expects discussions between hospital officials and the community on building plans for the medical facility.

“It takes a long time to make plans – 10 to 12 years out,” Farnham said. “We would want to begin talking with the community early in the process.”

Farnham, who resides in Seaside, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and her master’s in health care administration from the University of Washington.

Before joining Providence Seaside, Farnham was the regional operations director for Providence’s hospitalist programs in the Portland Service Area. [Hospitalist is the term used for doctors who are specialized in the care of patients in the hospital.] Previously, She also served in leadership roles at Extendicare Health facilities in Port Angeles, Wash., and in her hometown of Klamath Falls, Ore.