Newswise — LOS ANGELES – Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) announced today that Richard D. Cordova, FACHE, president and CEO, intends to retire. The hospital will engage in a national search to identify a successor. Cordova joined CHLA on April 25, 2005 as president and chief operating officer and assumed the role of president and CEO and member of the CHLA Board of Trustees one year later on April 1, 2006.
"I am grateful to have spent the last ten years of my career with an organization that is committed to its mission of creating hope and building healthier futures for children,” says Cordova. “As a professional, I have enjoyed leading nonprofit health care organizations. It has been my distinct privilege to participate in the strategic investments that CHLA has made in the future of health care for children. Being able to make such a significant impact—treating nearly 107,000 children every year for critical illnesses and life-threatening injuries, researching the next generation of cures to resolve their health issues and training the next generation of medical providers—has been incredibly gratifying.”
Ted Samuels, Co-chair of the CHLA Board of Trustees, shares “My fellow Trustees and I take great comfort in knowing that Cordova and his senior leadership team have outlined a vision for CHLA that will guide it for many years to come.” Samuel’s Board Co-chair, Cathy Siegel Weiss, adds, “The expansion that Cordova has led over the past decade will not only leave a meaningful legacy but will also form a firm foundation of success for the future of CHLA.”
During his tenure at CHLA, Cordova was responsible for charting a course of growth and expansion for the organization, leading a team that successfully:• Completed the first $1 billion fundraising campaign for a freestanding pediatric medical center.• Achieved a top five national ranking from U.S. News & World Report magazine for children’s hospitals.• Earned and retained Magnet recognition for nursing excellence.• Constructed and moved patients into the Marion and John E. Anderson Pavilion.• Claimed top-of-mind awareness as the premier pediatric health care provider in Los Angeles through a rebranding and advertising initiative.• Advocated successfully for graduate medical education, disproportionate share and provider fee funding at the state and national level.• Regionalized the institution’s services, developing and opening four new ambulatory care centers in neighborhoods where families need pediatric specialty care most.• Became one of the nation’s “most wired” hospitals through technology investment.• Enhanced CHLA’s clinical and research efforts by solidifying the institution’s partnership with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.• Contributed to health policy efforts that protect access to medical care for children.
Cordova has a tradition of playing a leadership role in the health care industry. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE), former governor and currently chair-elect for the organization. He will begin service as chair in March 2015. He is also a founding member and first chair of the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives. In addition, he has served as a board member for the California Children’s Hospital Association, California Hospital Association, Child Health Corporation of America, the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, the California Healthcare Association, the California Chamber of Commerce and the Healthcare Association of Southern California. He was a member of the board and executive committee of both the California Association of Public Hospitals and the National Association of Public Hospitals. Mr. Cordova was appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, as a member of the Council on Graduate Medical Education.
Cordova has been the recipient of many prestigious industry awards, including being named one of America’s:
• “Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics” by Hispanic Business magazine • “100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine • “Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine • “CEO of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal
Cordova has worked for several well-known health care providers in California including Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, serving ultimately as president of the Southern California Region of the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Hospitals. Additionally, he gained experience in executive and administrative roles at San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco Public Health Authority, the Department of Health Services for the County of Los Angeles, General Hospital of Los Angeles County and Olive View Medical Center.
Cordova obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University at Los Angeles and received the Alumnus of the Year Award in 2010. An MBA graduate from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University, he was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2006. He completed a PEW Fellowship at the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems.
About Children’s Hospital Los AngelesChildren's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children’s hospital in California and among the top five in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children’s Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children’s Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog: WeAreChildrens.org. #LiveLAGiveLA
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