Kerry Carmody on SCVTV’s “Newsmaker of the Week” program in 2007

Kerry Carmody, a passionate healthcare executive who transformed a community hospital into a nationally recognized medical center, announced this week his plan to retire after nearly 40 years with Providence Health & Services, Southern  California.

Carmody, a Valencia resident, is the Catholic not-for-profit healthcare organization’s regional chief operating officer, but made his mark in the San Fernando Valley as chief executive of Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. With numerous awards for quality, safety and outreach, the Mission Hills hospital is known in the industry as the “little engine that could.”

Since April, Carmody has served as interim chief executive at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he began his career in 1973. He is overseeing the selection of that hospital’s new chief executive, expected to be announced in August, and will remain until Nov. 1 to ease the transition for a new regional COO.

“Kerry is the heart and soul of Providence in the Valley and beyond,” said Michael Hunn, senior vice president and chief executive of Providence Southern California. “He is extraordinarily passionate about our Mission of outreach to the poor and vulnerable, living it professionally and in his private life where he in an avid volunteer for at least a dozen charity organizations.”

Carmody entered the healthcare field as a medical technologist at Providence Saint Joseph, and then moved up to various leadership roles. He served five years as division director of clinical services at Providence Saint Joseph before a 1996 promotion to operations director for the San Fernando Valley Service Area.

In 1999, Carmody was appointed chief executive of Providence Holy Cross, and in 2009 was named regional COO, overseeing operations at five medical centers, numerous outpatient programs and affiliated physician organizations.

“Few people love the work they do. I am fortunate to be among them,” Carmody said. “The people of Providence and their dedication to our patients and the community have inspired me over four decades and I am grateful to have been a part of that tradition of service to those most in need.”

His most recent accomplishment includes overseeing health care reform-inspired efforts toward efficiency and improved quality, among them the new Providence Partnership for Health physician organization and a new affiliation with Facey Medical Group and its Facey Medical Foundation. The goal of both initiatives is to create a seamless continuum of care for patients.

Carmody is known for his open door policy and his frequent walks through hospital halls to understand what’s happening on the front lines. He led the recent expansion of Providence Holy Cross, driven by the need to expand health care in a region hit hard by a series of hospital closures.

He has been active in numerous professional and community organizations including serving on the board of Private Essential Access Charity Hospitals – PEACH – a network of hospitals that care for a large number of low-income, medically vulnerable patients.

He also is a former board member of the Valley Economic Alliance, a member of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp. and on the board of trustees at his alma mater, Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore.

Carmody’s outreach includes mentoring young men through Catholic Big Brothers of Southern California, sitting on the boards of Alemany High School and Guardian Angel Elementary School in Pacoima and  working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Arthritis Foundation, the College of the Canyons nursing program and Esperanza International, a homebuilding charity in Tijuana.

Carmody lives in Valencia with his wife Kristie, and is active there with the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, the Foundation for Children’s Dental Health, the Downed Officer Foundation supporting families of officers lost in the line of duty and the Love Ride, benefiting muscular dystrophy.

Carmody grew up in Burbank and attended Burroughs High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Linfield College, his master’s degree in medical technology from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and his MBA from the University of La Verne.

About Providence Health & Services, Southern California

Providence Health & Services, Southern California, is a Catholic not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing quality and compassionate health care and reaching out to the poor and the vulnerable in the communities it serves. Providence Southern California operates five award-winning acute-care medical centers in the Los Angeles area, providing a full continuum of healthcare services: Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Providence Tarzana Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro. The region also has numerous ancillary facilities including Hospice care, long-term care, numerous outpatient clinics, Providence Medical Institute and Providence High School.