Henry Ford Health System Welcomes New President and CEO

Experienced, Compassionate and Community-Oriented, Wright Lassiter, III, will Lead Henry Ford into Its Second Century

DETROIT Jan. 4, 2017 – Henry Ford Health System, one of the nation’s leading comprehensive, integrated health systems, begins 2017 with a new president and CEO. Wright Lassiter, III, who served as system president since December 2014, assumed the role of president and CEO of the $5.5 billion health system on Jan. 1. Lassiter succeeds Nancy Schlichting, who retired at the end of 2016.

The board of directors selected Lassiter as incoming CEO in 2014 as part of a planned transition. He served as a system president since December 2014 and has worked closely with the organization’s leadership team on a comprehensive strategic planning effort resulting in some of Henry Ford’s largest growth initiatives. This included successful mergers with HealthPLUS in Flint, Michigan and Allegiance Health in Jackson, Michigan.

“I have been so proud to be part of Henry Ford, a vital and storied institution known on the world scale for its innovation and discovery,” Lassiter said. “Henry Ford has an exceptional legacy of treating and serving the southeast Michigan community and beyond with superior care and value. I look forward to working with all employees to ensure our second 100-years are even better than our first 100.”

System board chair Sandra Pierce said Lassiter’s talent and leadership were apparent from their first conversation. “During the past two years, our system board has had the pleasure to work with Wright and has found him to be a creative and compassionate leader with the right skills and experience to lead Henry Ford into our second century,” said Pierce. “Wright engaged actively with our community from the start and has a deep passion for our city’s history, culture and determination to rebound.”

“I believe that healthcare institutions should be true partners in their customers’ health and wellbeing, and, that the right to a healthy life should be accessible to all,” Lassiter said. “Under my leadership, we will continue to spread our roots deep in the community to improve the quality of life for all citizens.”

Prior to Henry Ford, Lassiter was CEO of the $865 million Alameda Health System in Oakland, California. He led Alameda through both an expansion and turnaround, resulting in nearly 10 years of positive financial performance and significant increases in patient safety and engagement that earned the system Top Performer Status by The Joint Commission. He also has more than 25 years of experience with large, complex health systems, including Methodist Health System in Dallas, and JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas.

Lassiter’s work has earned him several national recognitions, including Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in 2016” and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions’ “Top Blacks in U.S. Healthcare” in 2014.

Lassiter currently serves on several boards, including the American Hospital Association, America’s Essential Hospitals, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago – Detroit Branch. He received his master’s degree in healthcare administration from Indiana University and bachelor’s degree in chemistry from LeMoyne College in Syracuse. Lassiter is a native of Tuskegee, Alabama.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brenda D. Craig
Director, Media Relations
Henry Ford Health System
313-283-8331
bcraig3@hfhs.org

About Henry Ford Health System and Henry Ford Health System Innovations

Henry Ford Health System is a six-hospital system headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the nation's leading comprehensive, integrated health systems, recognized for clinical excellence and innovation. Henry Ford Health System provides both health insurance and health care delivery, including acute, specialty, primary and preventive care services backed by excellence in research and education. The system is a 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient.

Established in 2011, Henry Ford Health System Innovations engineers the future of healthcare through identifying and commercializing the health system's technologies and know-how. Its main arms include Research and Education, Technology Management, Corporate Innovation, and International Programs. To learn more, visit HenryFord.com/Innovations.