South Jersey’s Lourdes Health System announced Wednesday that CEO and President Alexander Hatala has retired after 31 years with the system.
South Jersey’s Lourdes Health System announced Wednesday that CEO and President Alexander Hatala has retired after 31 years with the system.
The Camden-based system’s board and owner Trinity Health named Dr. Reginald Blaber as president, effective Wednesday. The system has not named a new CEO.
“Alex’s leadership and decades-long commitment to our mission and core values have contributed to the organization’s growth and reputation for high-quality care in the southern New Jersey region, and we wish him all the best,” Benjamin Carter, Trinity Health executive vice president, said in a prepared statement. “We are pleased that Dr. Reginald Blaber has assumed the role as president of Lourdes Health System. Dr. Blamber is an innovative leader who has driven the expansion and integration of the cardiovascular service line at Lourdes. His clinical and operational experience will serve the organization well as he assumes the new role.”
Blaber most recently served as creator and executive director of the Lourdes Cardiovascular Institute, vice president of cardiovascular services and chairman of medicine for the health system.
The practicing cardiologist has been affiliated with Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, the system’s main hospital, for more than 20 years. The Haddonfield resident earned his medical degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine, and also served six years as an Army internist. He has an MBA in addition to his M.D.
Hatala joined Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in 1986 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He helped Lourdes grow from a single medical center to a multihospital system, becoming CEO and president of Lourdes Health System in 1998.
“It has been a privilege to serve our communities with a team that dedicates their lives to our values-based mission while providing the best care possible to the people of southern New Jersey,” he said in a statement. “I am proud of the accomplishments of Lourdes Health System over the past 31 years.”
