Chris Van Gorder Elected Chairman-Elect of American College of Healthcare Executives
Chicago – Chris Van Gorder, FACHE, president and CEO of Scripps Health, San Diego, has been elected Chairman-Elect of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), an international professional society of more than 30,000 healthcare executives.
Van Gorder took office at the Council of Regents meeting during the ACHE’s 52nd Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago March 20. As chairman-elect, he will serve the first part of a three-year term in ACHE’s consecutive chairmanship offices: chairman-elect, chairman and immediate past chairman.
Board certified in health care management as an ACHE fellow, Van Gorder previously served as an ACHE Governor since 2006. He has been president and CEO of Scripps Health since 2000. Scripps Health is a nonprofit, integrated healthcare delivery system with five acute-care hospital campuses, 19 outpatient centers and home health care services, with more than 2,600 affiliated physicians and 12,700 employees.
In addition to his work with ACHE, Van Gorder serves as a commissioner on the California Emergency Services Commission and is serving his second term as a commissioner for the United States National Commission for UNESCO. He is also an editorial board member for The Governance Institute and is on the board of directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.
He is a clinical professor in health administration at the University of Southern California, where he also serves on the Healthcare Administration Advisory Board of the university’s School of Policy, Planning and Development. In addition, he is a reserve commander in the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Unit and a licensed emergency medical technician.
Van Gorder received his master’s degree in public administration/health services administration from the University of Southern California and completed the Wharton System CEO Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles.
About Scripps Health
Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a $2 billion nonprofit community health system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,600 affiliated physicians and 12,700 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, home health care services, and an ambulatory care network of clinics, physician offices and outpatient centers.
Recognized as a leader in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, Scripps is also at the forefront of clinical research and graduate medical education.
In 2008, Scripps committed more than $150 million in capital and facility improvements across the San Diego region while providing significant charity care to the community — more than $268 million in uncompensated care in 2008. Scripps Health Foundation generated $46 million in charitable donations in 2008 to support the Scripps mission.
Contact: Steve Carpowich
Phone: 858-678-7183
E-mail: Carpowich.Stephen@scrippshealth.org