On May 13, PeaceHealth medical staff held a special meeting where they passed a resolution calling for the removal of Chief Medical Officer Jim McGovern, MD, from his position. Following a month of administrative leave due to a controversial emergency room services contract in Lane County and allegations of violating the scope of his administrative license, PeaceHealth announced McGovern’s discharge on Thursday.

In February 2024, McGovern was promoted to Chief Hospital Executive of the PeaceHealth Oregon network, overseeing all hospital operations across the network, which includes PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center, and PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center in Florence.

In April, the Medical Executive Committee at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend accused McGovern of attempting to dictate patient care decisions, thereby violating the limits of his administrative license. Physicians also raised concerns about his role in PeaceHealth’s decision to terminate a 35-year contract with Eugene Emergency Physicians (EEP) in favor of a new partnership with Georgia-based ApolloMD. The decision to outsource services sparked significant public backlash, prompting PeaceHealth to negotiate a three-year contract renewal with EEP.

In a statement released on Thursday evening, Sarah Ness, President and CEO of PeaceHealth, indicated that “Following a period of administrative leave, we determined that a leadership change was in the best interest of the organization.” Heather Wall will continue to serve in her interim executive role as PeaceHealth begins recruiting a new chief executive for Oregon.

“We remain focused on delivering high-quality, compassionate care and supporting our caregivers as we move forward together,” Ness stated.