Applicants for Memorial Healthcare CEO to be interviewed Friday, Saturday

Candidates for chief executive of South Broward's public hospital network, Memorial Healthcare System, will be interviewed in an open forum Friday and Saturday in Hollywood.

The board of commissioners for the South Broward Hospital District, which governs Memorial Healthcare, will interview seven candidates — down from an initial 10 identified earlier this month — about their leadership, strategic plans, medical staff relationships and other topics.

Candidates to be interviewed include four internal applicants, and three external candidates in leadership positions at hospital systems across the country.

Two other external candidates identified on Jan. 7 withdrew their applications, with one citing as his reason the “discord” among the seven-member board of commissioners and the “furor” that would likely result from the selection of an external candidate.

Commissioners have have bickered openly during the search for a new CEO, and several have expressed their preference for promoting an internal applicant.

Another external applicant is traveling until Jan. 31, but commissioners have not announced whether they will interview him at a later date.

Following the interviews, which will be held at Memorial Healthcare’s offices on 3111 Stirling Road starting at 9 a.m., commissioners will meet at an undetermined date to determine which candidates will advance to the next round. A previously scheduled board meeting for Jan. 24 has been canceled.

The new CEO will replace Frank Sacco, who last year announced that he will retire in February after 28 years in the top job at Memorial Healthcare.

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Applicants for Memorial Healthcare CEO to be interviewed Friday, Saturday."