Providence health system has named Brian Helleland chief executive of Providence St. Joseph Hospital Orange, effective Nov. 28. He had served as interim chief executive since September. In a dual role, Helleland will also serve as chief executive for the Orange County/High Desert service area in Providence’s reorganized California South Division.
“With more than 27 years of executive experience in health care delivery, Brian has a wealth of experience in building clinical programs and services in collaboration with nursing, physician and community partners,” said Laureen Driscoll, Providence South Division chief executive. “Equally important is Brian’s dedication to our Mission and values, and his unwavering passion for building a culture of servant leadership.”
In his new St. Joseph role, Helleland oversees clinical operations, nursing and ancillary services for the 463-bed hospital, its 3,100 caregivers and 1,100 provider medical staff. A key priority will be strengthening the ministry’s integrated delivery network. This system ensures patients have a seamless experience across the hospital, from a medical office appointment to an inpatient stay.
As chief executive for the Orange County/High Desert area, Helleland oversees operations and collaborates with chief executives at Providence Mission Hospital, Providence St. Jude Medical Center and Providence St. Mary Medical Center. He will have cross-continuum oversight of clinical care delivery, including strategic planning and direction for acute care operations in partnership with the chief executives.
Helleland’s previous roles with Providence include interim chief of acute operations and programs and chief operating officer for Providence South Division, chief executive at Providence St. Jude Medical Center, Fullerton, and interim chief executive at St. Joseph Medical Center, Burbank. Earlier, he served as vice president of ancillary and support services at Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, and in chief operations officer positions in Arizona.
Karl Keeler, chief executive of Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, has assumed an expanded role as chief executive of the Providence LA-Valley Service Area (Valley).
Keeler joined Providence in August 2022 and will continue leading the hospital. He now also oversees Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana, in partnership with Cedars-Sinai, and Providence Holy Cross medical centers.
“I’m truly grateful for this opportunity to work with our Valley leaders to enhance care across our communities,” Keeler said. “I look forward to working together to learn from one another and continue to raise the bar on excellence, compassion and innovation.”
The service area model is designed to share expertise and strategies across the San Fernando Valley. Its aim to better align the three hospitals, Providence physician groups, outpatient services and the organization’s clinical institutes. Goals also include enhancing patient access, disease prevention and health equity and advancing Providence’s integrated delivery network strategy, designed to improve quality, reduce costs and define a patient health care continuum.
The Valley is one of four newly created service areas within the Providence South Division. Others are the LA-Coastal, Orange County and High Desert, and Northern California service areas. In this new role, Keeler reports directly to Laureen Driscoll, chief executive of Providence South.
“A veteran health care executive, Karl has the experience and vision needed to strategically unite our operations across a large and diverse swath of northern Los Angeles County,” Driscoll said. “He shares our vision of a service area that provides each patient with the best of the best in personalized care, developed through shared expertise.”
Previously, Keeler served as president of MercyOne Central Iowa Region and as president and chief executive officer of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Centers in Oregon and Idaho.