Airica SteedPhoto: Courtesy MetroHealth
(Cleveland) - After a nationwide search, MetroHealth System has named Dr. Airaca Steed as its next President and CEO. Dr. Steed will replace Dr. Akron Boutros, who announced late last year that he would retire when his contract ends at the end of 2022.
Dr. Steed is currently Executive Vice President/System Chief Operating Officer of Sinai Chicago Health System and President of Mount Sinai and Sinai Children’s Hospital. Much like MetroHealth, Sinai Chicago is an urban academic healthcare system focused on health equity and eradicating healthcare disparities.
“Dr. Steed’s capabilities, character and experience are a perfect match for the qualities we wanted in our next CEO,” said MetroHealth Board Chair Vanessa Whiting, who is president of A.E.S. Management Corp. “She comes from a major safety-net healthcare system that shares a similar focus to that of MetroHealth: improving the health of the community in an urban, academic setting. Airica has been successful in improving quality of care, patient satisfaction, operating results, and health equity. She also has a deep history as an innovator and as a community collaborator who builds strong relationships among partners, both of which will continue to be important to our success.”
“We were fortunate to have several excellent candidates for the CEO role,” continued Whiting. “The Board was unanimous in the belief that Dr. Steed was the right leader to take MetroHealth forward, particularly as we open The Glick Center, our new hospital, and to increase our impact on our community’s health.”
“Coming from one of MetroHealth’s national peers, I know it to be one of the most admired, innovative and progressive public health systems in the country,” said Dr. Steed. “MetroHealth has done an incredible job in developing a patient-centered, whole-system approach that aggressively targets health equity and has a bold and unapologetic focus on eradicating healthcare inequities."
Dr. Steed has a Doctorate of Education in Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University, a Master of Business Administration from Governors State University and a Bachelor of Science, Nursing from Rush University. She is also pursuing a Masters in International Relations with a focus on Healthcare from Harvard University Extension School.
Copyright 2022 iHeartMedia
Listen to WTAM for news at the top and bottom of the hour