Southcoast Health announces new president and chief executive officer

FALL RIVER, NEW BEDFORD, and WAREHAM Mass. – The Southcoast Health Board of Trustees announced today that David McCready, MBA, MHA, will join the system as president and chief executive officer of the Southcoast Hospitals Group on October 1, 2023, and succeed Rayford Kruger, MD, FACS as the next Southcoast Health System president and chief executive officer effective January 3, 2024.

McCready joins Southcoast from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he has been a member of the executive leadership team since 2005, most recently serving as president of Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital for the past five years.

“On behalf of Southcoast Health, I am delighted to welcome David as our new president and CEO,” said Donald Giumetti, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Southcoast Health System. “David is a remarkably collaborative and authentic leader bringing more than 25 years of experience in healthcare leadership to Southcoast Health. We know David will skillfully steer the organization through these challenging times in healthcare and ensure that Southcoast continues its commitment to serve our patients, their families, and our community with the expert and compassionate care that is the hallmark of our organization.”

As Southcoast Health’s president and CEO, McCready will be responsible for the overall strategy and operations of the system and all subsidiary organizations. McCready will ensure organizational integrity, the provision of high-quality and integrated patient care, efficient operations, financial sustainability, and exceptional patient experience and outcomes across the entire Southcoast enterprise.

“I am truly honored to join Southcoast Health as its next president and CEO,” said McCready. “Southcoast is a special organization with extraordinary clinical expertise combined with a deep commitment to truly caring for and about its patients and their communities. Southcoast has so much to be proud of, and I look forward to leading and supporting the organization as we continue to fulfill our mission of exceptional care and service.”

Beginning in November of 2022, Southcoast Health engaged in a comprehensive and wide-ranging search, attracting interest from over 70 candidates nationwide.

“Throughout this process, we focused on identifying a strong leader who embodies the values of Southcoast Health and understands the unique needs and challenges present in our community,” said Carmen Sylvester, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Southcoast Health System and Chair of the executive search committee.

“David’s extensive hospital leadership experience and strong commitment to patient care positioned him as the ideal match for our system and community. After getting to know David during the search process, we are confident he will continue to build and strengthen a culture of respect and inclusiveness for all our valued staff and patients.”

Giumetti added, “The Board of Trustees is extraordinarily grateful to Dr. Kruger for his service as president and CEO over the past year-and-a-half. Dr. Kruger’s deep experience as a clinician, combined with his wisdom and leadership expertise, have allowed Southcoast to continue to thrive and focus on putting our patients first.” Dr. Kruger has been a physician and leader at Southcoast for more than 30 years, having previously served as the chief physician executive and as the physician-in-chief of surgical services.

Dr. Kruger will work closely with McCready for several months this fall to ensure a smooth and successful leadership transition, Giumetti noted.

Before joining BWH, McCready worked for several years as an administrative leader at Boston Medical Center and at Highmark Health in Pittsburgh, and as a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. McCready earned a master’s degree in business administration and a master’s in healthcare administration from the University of Pittsburgh. McCready and his wife of 24 years, Susan, have a daughter Kate—a high school senior—and a Labradoodle Gracie.