ELMA – Summit Pacific Medical Center CEO Renee K. Jensen is leaving to a position within EvergreenHealth as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for EvergreenHealth Monroe, the community in which she was raised.

“Renee was a gift to the district,” said Drew Hooper, board chairman of Grays Harbor Hospital District 1, which operates Summit Pacific. “It’s been a privilege to watch her lead this organization from the brink of closure into the nationally recognized medical center it is today. We have been extremely fortunate to have retained her talents for as long as we have and look forward to following her career. Under her leadership we have expanded services for the community and have improved access to high quality care. This work will have a positive impact on the community for generations to come.”

Jensen leaves as of May 5. Current Chief Operations Officer (COO), Josh Martin will be acting CEO. Martin began working with the district last summer and has more than 15 years of healthcare leadership experience in both large and small healthcare systems, including a previous executive healthcare leadership position at Grays Harbor Community Hospital. He has a Master’s Degree in business administration with an emphasis in healthcare administration and Bachelor’s degree in business administration.

As CEO and superintendent of the district, Jensen oversaw operations for Summit Pacific Medical Center and its affiliated healthcare clinics. Jensen has served as the District’s CEO for ten years, having started in her position in 2007, when the organization was known as Mark Reed Hospital.

Upon starting with the district, Jensen immediately set plans into action that greatly improved the district’s financial position, saving it from closure and allowing the District to secure funding for the construction of Summit Pacific Medical Center which opened in 2013. Since then, under Jensen’s leadership, the District has achieved many more momentous achievements such as implementing the first rural Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in the state, constructing a new primary care clinic in McCleary in 2016, and seeing each of Summit Pacific’s primary care clinics become nationally recognized as Patient Centered Medical Homes.

Jensen herself has been recognized with the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) Joe Hopkins Award (2015), a Puget Sound Business Journal Top 40 under 40 Honor (2014), WSHA Community Health Leadership Award (2013) and Leah Layne Memorial Health Leadership Award (2013).

Jensen is a native of Monroe, WA and looks forward to continuing her career in her hometown. “It’s a bitter sweet moment for me,” Jensen shared, “On one hand I have this incredible opportunity to make a difference in the community that raised me, but on the other hand I have to leave this amazing organization and community. I’ve devoted a decade of my life here, and in that time, thanks to the support of the community and the incredible staff at Summit, I have been able to make a significant impact and improve healthcare in Grays Harbor County,” Jensen continued, “I know the team I have built here at SPMC has no plans to slow down and I can’t wait to see where they take Summit Pacific.”