FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – CentraState Healthcare System has announced the promotion of Tom Scott to president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after serving seven years as a senior vice president and Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective April 9.
Scott succeeds John T. Gribbin, who announced his retirement in February after leading the CentraState Medical Center for 22 years.
Scott will oversee the 284-bed acute care hospital, three senior living communities housing 630 residents, an ambulatory campus, four satellite health pavilions, a family medicine residency program and more than 2,600 employees, according to a press release.
“Tom was the unanimous choice of our board after a deliberate process,” said John Cantalupo, CentraState’s chairman of the Board of Trustees. “He is a well-respected leader who was instrumental in growing this organization to its present state, who also has a strong vision for navigating challenges in the healthcare landscape, now and into the future.”
Cantalupo added that the trustees carefully designed a succession plan years ago to ensure that the next president and CEO would have the knowledge, experience and leadership skills to serve CentraState’s employees, patients and community, according to the press release.
Scott joined CentraState in 2015 as COO after serving seven years at Chilton Medical Center, Pompton Plains, in the same role. He has deep experience in healthcare management with prior positions at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn., and St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson, among others.
As COO and a core member of the senior management team, Scott integrated CentraState’s strategic vision with its operations, while fostering a culture of teamwork, innovation, accountability and excellence, according to the press release.
His areas of direct oversight included Nursing, Clinical Services, Information Technology, Physician Practice Management, Senior Services, Facilities, and Cancer and Cardiology Services.
During his tenure, Scott helped guide the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccination rollout and other major system initiatives, including the opening of a new cardiovascular interventional suite as a single-story addition to the hospital campus, and a solar initiative that produces approximately 70% of the hospital’s electric needs, according to the press release.
More recently, he crafted a physician development plan that will add 60 primary care physicians and specialists during the next two years and led the technology transition to the Epic electronic health record and MyChart patient portal, according to the press release.
“I appreciate the confidence the CentraState board and physicians have displayed in selecting me as president and CEO,” Scott said. “I look forward to transitioning to my new role and continuing CentraState’s commitment to clinical excellence, physician engagement and value-based strategies to improve access to high quality, affordable health care.”
Scott received a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University and a master’s degree in health administration from Cornell University. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the VNA Health Group and the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Hospital Association Business Solutions.
He lives in Manasquan with his family.