Michael Wall Appointed President and CEO of Antelope Valley Medical Center

(LANCASTER, Calif. – January 6, 2017) — Healthcare veteran Michael Wall has been named president and chief executive officer of Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC), effective immediately. Wall most recently served as executive director of Head & Neck Associates of Orange County and prior to that was acting president and chief executive officer at St. John’s Health Center/John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica.

The selection of Wall was made at a public board meeting this week. In announcing the selection, Board Chair Donald Parazo, M.D., said that Wall brings "an extensive background in healthcare quality, financial stewardship and building high-performing teams, which will serve our community well as we begin what we hope will be an exciting new chapter in our hospital’s history."

Wall’s appointment comes two weeks after the Antelope Valley Healthcare District board of directors voted to terminate a management agreement with Alecto Healthcare, which had been operating the hospital the prior 13 months. Former CEO John Rossfeld, an Alecto employee, was not retained by the hospital board.

Wall brings to AVMC more than two decades of experience in administrative leadership positions with specific expertise in strategic planning, managed care, fiscal management, continuous quality improvement and healthier communities initiatives. In addition to his role at St. John’s Health Center, Wall served 12 years as president/CEO at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, which under his leadership was designated by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the "Best Places to Work" in Los Angeles. He has also served as CEO at Alameda County Health System in Oakland and at John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System in Concord.

"The employees and physicians at Antelope Valley Medical Center share my belief that delivering exceptional clinical and service quality to our patients is the cornerstone to everything we do, and I am thrilled to join them in that effort," said Wall. "We have everything we need in place – the people, the technology and the commitment – to truly be an exemplary institution. That makes this an exciting time to be at AVMC as we strive for continuing excellence in serving our community’s ongoing healthcare needs."

Wall holds a master’s degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota. He is a fellow in both the American College of Healthcare Executives and The Healthcare Forum Healthier Communities Fellowship Program. Wall is also a former board member of the Hospital Council of Southern California as well as the Hospital Conference of Northern and Central California.