Craig Castro, the President and chief executive of Fresno’s Community Health System, will retire “early next year,” according to an announcement made by the hospital operator on Wednesday.
Castro, whose career with Community dates back to 2002 as its Chief Information Officer and leader of Clovis Community Medical Center, will retire after a 40 year career in health care.
A man of many hats: Castro, who took the reigns of Fresno’s largest general hospital operator at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, succeeded Tim Joslin, who departed in late 2019 after 14 years helming the hospital.
- Over the course of his career, Castro held various high-ranking posts before taking the helm of the entire organization, including CEO of Clovis Community Medical Center and Chief Operating Officer for Community Health System.
COVID and controversy: During the coronavirus pandemic, Castro-led Community fought – and prevailed – in key legal battles against some of its doctor networks over questionable tactics to gain leverage over the hospital.
- The biggest? A walkout by Community’s neurosurgeons walked off the job amid a contract dispute, threatening Community Regional Medical Center’s Level 1 trauma center status.
- Community sued the doctor group representing neurosurgeons along with its largest doctor network – Santé – alleging collusion in the COVID-era walkout. The hospital and networks settled for $1.2 million.
- After the pandemic receded, Community faced heat and a Federal lawsuit from local activists alleging that the health system routed Medi-Cal proceeds generated from Community Regional Medical Center, which predominantly services poorer patients, to finance operations and facilities at Clovis Community Medical Center. That suit is still pending.
What they’re saying: “Craig took the helm as Community Health System’s President and CEO just days before we received our first COVID-19 patient, marking the beginning of our multi-year response to the global pandemic that highlighted our team’s heroic efforts statewide,” said Community Board Chair Roger Sturdevant in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. “At the same time, under Craig’s leadership we launched Community Provider Network, which includes a medical foundation that’s grown to nearly 500 providers strong. In addition, Craig has strengthened our partnerships and investments in medical education that cultivate our future doctors and nurses.”
- “All of these achievements help ensure our families and friends can receive the most advanced medical treatment right here at home,” Sturdevant’s statement continued. “Generations of Valley residents will continue to benefit from Craig’s mark on our healthcare system.”
