President of Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville resigns
Oct. 17—WATERVILLE — The president of Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville resigned from her position Thursday, effective immediately, according to officials.
Tricia Costigan's resignation as president of Northern Light Inland Hospital and Northern Light Continuing Care — Lakewood came a day after the president of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor also stepped down.
Randy Clark, a senior vice president at Northern Light Health and president of Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield, will lead the Waterville hospital at 200 Kennedy Memorial Drive and the adjacent nursing care center, while continuing in his other roles, according to a statement issued Thursday by Suzanne Spruce, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Northern Light Health.
Costigan had been president of Inland and Lakewood since May 2022. Before that, she was associate vice president of Northern Light Health from February 2021 to May 2022, according to her LinkedIn page. Prior to that, she was director of operations at Northern Light Medical Group from January 2019 to February 2021.
Northern Light Health announced to employees Wednesday that EMMC President Greg LaFrancois had stepped down from his position at the health care system's flagship hospital in Bangor. LaFrancois had served as president for slightly more than a year.
Ava Collins, leader of Northern Light Lafayette Family Cancer Institute, is to serve as interim president. The search for a permanent successor to LaFrancois is planned for the spring.
Asked why Costigan and LaFrancois each left abruptly, Spruce wrote in an email Thursday that she could not comment on personnel matters.
"I can share that these changes will encourage further alignment around best practices in patient care, advance our shared system services, create administrative efficiencies and be a good steward of scarce healthcare resources," Spruce wrote.
Clark, who succeeds Costigan in Waterville, began working for Northern Light Health in 1996 and was controller at Sebasticook Valley Hospital, according to Northern Light Health's statement.
He became vice president of finance in 2005; vice president of finance and operations in 2016; served as vice president of finance and operations in 2021 and early 2022 for Inland Hospital and Lakewood; and was named president of Sebasticook Valley Hospital in April 2022.
As part of the leadership changes, Clark will report to Marie Vienneau, in her new role as regional president. Vienneau is also the senior vice president of Northern Light Health and president of Northern Light CA Dean Hospital and Northern Light Mayo Hospital, according to Northern Light Health's statement.
"Enhancing existing regional collaborations, this new executive structure of Northern Light Health will formally link Sebasticook Valley Hospital, Inland Hospital, and Lakewood, with our member facilities in Piscataquis County," the statement reads. "It will also encourage further alignment around best practices in patient care, advance shared services, create administrative efficiencies, and be a good steward of scarce resources during these economic times."
Clark said he is looking forward to working with the staffs at Inland and Lakewood.
LaFrancois had served as president of EMMC since July 2023. Before that, he was president of Aroostook Medical Center from 2016 to 2023.
The internal communication about LaFrancois leaving the Bangor hospital says his "understanding of healthcare, both rural and urban, and his passion for connecting with staff will be missed."
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