Cohen tapped as OBH interim CEO

Published 2:47 pm Monday, April 22, 2024

ILWACO — A familiar face is back at the helm of Ocean Beach Hospital — for the time being, at least.

The OBH Board of Commissioners appointed Larry Cohen as the public hospital’s interim CEO at a brief April 19 special meeting, following the resignation of Scot Attridge. Nancy Gorshe, chair of the hospital board, confirmed to the Observer that Attridge stepped down as CEO due to a health issue.

“We are all very sad and hope for a good recovery for him,” Gorshe said.

Attridge had been OBH’s CEO since August 2022, succeeding Cohen, who had retired that summer after more than six years in the position. Attridge accumulated decades of experience as a financial executive at rural hospitals before taking over the reins as CEO, and had most recently been the chief financial officer at Willapa Harbor Hospital in South Bend.

In announcing Attridge’s hiring, Gorshe hailed his financial healthcare experience — particularly in rural areas — that set him apart from other candidates. Attridge was born in north central Washington and graduated from Deer Park High School near Spokane before attending Brigham Young University and earning his Bachelor of Science in accounting and business management.

During his tenure as CEO, he helped usher the passage of the hospital’s $10 million bond measure last summer, with south county voters giving OBH’s proposal more than 70% support. The funds will go toward a variety of capital improvement projects at the hospital and its clinics, most notably the addition of an urgent care clinic at OBH’s Ilwaco clinic.

Bonds were issued by the hospital last month to fund the projects, and Attridge was on OBH’s team that presented to Moody’s and helped secure a better-than-expected bond levy rate for local property owners.

Cohen steps inCohen returns to temporarily lead a hospital that he spent a half-dozen years as CEO. His first day back was Monday, April 22.

The resolution that OBH commissioners unanimously approved last week naming Cohen as interim CEO stipulates he will tentatively be paid $190 per hour for his services. Gorshe said she did not have a sense for how long Cohen may serve as interim CEO, and said commissioners plan to review a contract for Cohen at the board’s upcoming April 25 meeting after lawyers have hammered out the language.

OBH was one of Cohen’s first stops in his career in healthcare administration. He was selected for a post-graduate fellowship by Virginia Mason Medical Center after completing graduate school at Rush University in Chicago in 1981, and he spent six months at OBH as part of that fellowship before landing a permanent job at OHSU in Portland.

Cohen spent his career working for healthcare providers throughout the region, including OHSU, Legacy Health Systems, Vancouver Clinic and PeaceHealth. He owned LJC Consulting directly prior to joining OBH in 2015, offering services to hospitals, clinics, diagnostic imaging joint ventures and facilities development.