Bill Guest is leaving Cascade Comprehensive Care to become chief executive of Willamette Valley Community Health, a coordinated care organization based in Salem that serves Marion and Polk counties.
Up until now, Dean Andretta, the chief financial officer of WVP Health Authority, has been its interim executive director.
For the past 18 years Guest has run Cascade Comprehensive Care which is also a CCO located in Klamath Falls.
“This is a great opportunity for me and my family,” said Guest, who assumes his new position in mid-August.
Reflecting on his role at Cascade, Guest told The Lund Report he’s most proud of seeing the health plan grow from a small plan with barely 5,000 members to 12,000 members, and building a great track record between the hospital and local physicians. Cascade’s ownership is divided equally among Sky Lakes Medical Center, the primary care physicians and the specialists.
Guest’s successor has not been chosen, and its board of directors is expected to conduct an executive search.
“I’ll be helping with the transition,” Guest added. “There’s a good foundation in this community, good cooperation.”
In the past, when potential employment offers have arisen, Guest was reluctant to leave Klamath Falls. However, after raising six children, he and his wife are looking forward to attending the Little League games, soccer matches, pageants and recitals of their grandchildren who live in the Salem/Portland area.
“Now, after 31 years of raising kids, we became empty nesters last August and decided this was the best time to relocate; we couldn’t think of any reason to delay any longer.”
Once he takes over the helm at Willamette, Guest will have a command of 90,000 Oregon Health Plan members. Ruth Rogers Bauman chairs its board.
Diane can be reached at [email protected].
