On this day, we announce the resignation of CEO Douglas Koch from his position at Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center for personal reasons. Over the past 2 1/2 years, CEO Koch has led our organization and achieved numerous significant milestones. One of the most notable is the successful transition of patient care services from the hurricane-damaged JFL Main to the new JFL North facility, a feat that we can all be proud of.
Under CEO Koch’s leadership and through his partnerships with various organizations and individuals, Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center is well on its way to a full replacement hospital for the St. Croix community. However, due to personal reasons, CEO Koch has made the difficult decision to relocate back to the Midwest of the United States to be closer to family.
Douglas E. Koch, Chief Executive Officer – JFL Hospital
Chris Finch, Chairman of the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital Board and the territorial hospital Board of Directors, stated that board members expressed their sadness upon hearing the news. Finch stated, “We are very disappointed to get this news. We have looked forward to working with Doug Koch for years to come as we stabilize and expand services and build and open a new JFLH. CEO Koch recently received a stellar personnel evaluation from board members. Under his leadership, we successfully moved most hospital operations into JFL North. We were able to hire permanent nurses, thus greatly reducing our dependence on temporary travel agency staffing, and he has been building an excellent leadership and hospital team. As board and leadership, we have been looking forward to continued recruitment of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and staff for all positions that are underway. This work will continue, and we will continue the plans he has for expanded services. I will personally miss the strong working relationship I have with Doug. We understand his personal reasons for leaving, and we all wish him well.”
CEO Koch, with a deep sense of gratitude, would like to personally thank Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the entire Virgin Islands Legislature, the hospital board of directors, the Territorial Hospital Redevelopment Team, the JFL medical staff, and every extraordinary employee at Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center.
The next steps, according to Chairman Finch, will be to name an interim CEO to work alongside CEO Koch before he departs later in the summer and, at the same time, conduct a search for a new permanent replacement. CEO Koch is fully committed to ensuring a smooth and successful transition of leadership over the next few months, which should reassure us all about the future of JFL.
We wish CEO Koch all the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his valuable contributions to Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center.
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