LOS ANGELES, March 30, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Richard D. Cordova, who has been president and chief operating officer at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles since April 25, 2005, will become its president and chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2006, replacing Walter W. Noce, Jr., according to an announcement by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Marion Anderson, of Bel Air, and Walter B. Rose, of Pasadena.
Mr. Noce, who has been CEO since July 1995, will remain with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles as vice chairman of the board of trustees through Dec. 31, 2007. His ". . . time and attention," according to Mrs. Anderson and Mr. Rose, will be focused on ". . . completing the fundraising for the New Hospital Building and other fundraising priorities set by the trustees." He also will remain active in the hospital's governmental relations and public policy interests.
Mr. Cordova will have overall responsibility for the operation of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. He also will become a member of the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Board of Trustees.
"We have been working for almost two years to ensure a seamless transition of hospital leadership," Mrs. Anderson said, adding that ". . . we have been fortunate over the past year to have the leadership skills of two truly exceptional healthcare executives, and we are delighted that will continue."
"It has been particularly gratifying for us to see that Bill and Rich have formed a close and cooperative working relationship that is clearly focused on the needs of the hospital," said Mr. Rose, adding that ". . . now, Rich will focus his attention on strategic initiatives and hospital operations, and we will be able to take full advantage of Bill's considerable skills as a member of the board."
A highly regarded executive, Mr. Noce has served the state, regional and national health care industry, and he is a frequent contributor to regional, national and international discussions on public policy issues specific to the access to quality health care for children. He is the immediate past chairman the board of trustees of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), a national organization that promotes the health and well being of children and their families through education, research, health promotion and advocacy, as well as its public policy affiliate, the National Association of Children's Hospitals (NACH).
Mr. Cordova, who was selected one of America's "Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics" by Hispanic Business magazine in October 2005, was the unanimous choice of the executive selection committee in a national search conducted a year ago by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The committee included Mrs. Anderson and Mr. Rose, as well as trustees Natalie Naftzger Davis, Richard Farman, Enrique Hernandez, Jr., William H. Hurt, Arnold J. Kleiner, Theodore R. Samuels and Paul Schaeffer; Henri R. Ford, M.D., vice president and chief of surgery; Roberta G. Williams, M.D., vice president for pediatrics and academic affairs; Randall C. Wetzel, M.B., B.S., FCCM, FAAP, chief of the Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine; Carl Grushkin, M.D., head of the Division of Nephrology; and Stuart E. Siegel, M.D., head of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Childrens Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases.
Mr. Cordova had been associated with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, a non-profit integrated health care system with revenues in excess of $20 billion and 30 hospitals in eight states, a health plan with more than eight million members and eight physician groups.
He was president of the Southern California Region of the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Hospitals (2002-04), with responsibilities for 11 hospitals with a licensed capacity of 2,300 beds, as well as a health plan for more than three million members, including 45,000 employees. His responsibilities also included the leadership of the organization's regional efforts in marketing, strategic planning, finance, quality and patient safety.
Mr. Cordova was chief operations officer for Southern California (1999-02) at Kaiser prior to his appointment as president of the Southern California Region. Prior to this position, he was senior vice president and service area manager, with responsibilities for four hospitals in the Northern California East Bay Service Area, including those in parts of Contra Costa County and all of Alameda County.
Mr. Cordova was associated with the Department of Public Health for the City and County of San Francisco, from 1991 to 1998, as executive administrator of the Community Health Network (1997-98), with responsibilities for San Francisco General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital and 12 community health centers. He also served as CEO of San Francisco General Hospital (1991-97), an acute care hospital specializing in trauma and AIDS.
He was a founding member of the San Francisco Public Health Authority (1996-98), which created the Medi-Cal managed care organization for the City and County of San Francisco.
Mr. Cordova was with the Department of Health Services for the County of Los Angeles, from 1973 to 1991, including service as administrator of General Hospital of Los Angeles County (LAC/USC Medical Center) (1986-91) and associate hospital administrator of operations at Olive View Medical Center (1978-86).
He has been a diplomat of the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE) since 1980. He was a member of the ACHCE Regents Advisory Council (1990-98).
Mr. Cordova has been a member of the board of the California Healthcare Association (2002-04), the California Chamber of Commerce (2002-04) and the Healthcare Association of Southern California (1999-01). He was a member of the board and the executive committee of both the California Association of Public Hospitals (1990-98) and the National Association of Public Hospitals (1990-97; Chair 1997).
Mr. Cordova was a member of the Council on Graduate Medical Education (1996-98), appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.
He is currently chair-elect of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management and is a founding member of the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives.
Mr. Cordova received a bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University at Los Angeles in 1972. He received an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University in 1984.
He completed a PEW Fellowship at the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems in 1987.
Mr. Cordova is a native of Southern California, born and raised in Montebello. He is married with three daughters.
Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has been treating the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century, and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Childrens Hospital is one of America's premier teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California for more than 73 years. It is a national leader in pediatric research.
Since 1990, U.S. News & World Report and its panel of board-certified pediatricians have named Childrens Hospital Los Angeles one of the top pediatric facilities in the nation. Child magazine also ranked Childrens Hospital Los Angeles among the Top Ten children's hospitals in America in its February 2005 issue.
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