Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center names new chief nursing officer. Last Updated: 8/24/2026 TARZANA, CALIF. (Aug. 24, 2026) - Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center has appointed Shalina Steccato, MSN, BSN, RN, as its new chief nursing officer. Steccato brings to this new role more than a decade of nursing leadership experience and a strong record of advancing quality, patient safety, workforce engagement and operational excellence. Since joining Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in 2023, she has served as director of emergency and critical care services, overseeing several of the hospital's most complex clinical service lines. In that role, she helped strengthen clinical outcomes, advance a culture of high reliability and improve quality, safety and operational performance. "Shalina is a respected leader whose ability to build high-performing teams and drive meaningful results makes her the ideal person to lead nursing services," said Nick Lymberopoulos, chief executive of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center. "As an internal leader who understands our culture, our caregivers and the needs of our community, she is uniquely positioned to build on our momentum and advance nursing excellence across our medical center. We are thrilled to welcome her into this important role." Prior to joining Providence, Steccato held nursing leadership positions at Dignity Health - California Hospital Medical Center, Olympia Medical Center and Community Hospital Long Beach (MemorialCare). She holds a Master of Science in nursing, leadership and management and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Western Governors University, and a Bachelor of Science in biology from University of California, Riverside. "I am honored to serve as chief nursing officer and continue supporting the outstanding nurses and caregivers at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center," said Steccato. "Together, we will continue to strengthen nursing excellence, support our caregivers and deliver high-quality care to our community." # # # About Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, California, is a 204-bed, not-for-profit faith-based hospital that has delivered compassionate, high-quality health care to the West San Fernando Valley since 1973. The innovative partnership between Providence and Cedars-Sinai combines the resources and talent of a community-centered hospital and a renowned medical powerhouse expanding local access to specialty care and advanced treatment. For more information visit: providence.org/tarzana.

Helmsley Charitable Trust gives nearly $1.2M to expand lifesaving cardiac care at Providence St. Patrick Hospital. The generous gift will help create a state-of-the-art hybrid operating suite, strengthening timely access to advanced heart care for patients across western Montana. MISSOULA, MT, August 24, 2026 - As western Montana grows, the need for fast, advanced cardiac care is becoming increasingly urgent. Providence St. Patrick Hospital is grateful to announce a generous grant of nearly $1.2 million from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to help create a state-of-the-art hybrid operating suite within Providence Heart Institute. The investment comes at a critical time. Demand for complex cardiac procedures continues to be on the rise, creating access challenges for patients facing life-threatening heart conditions. The new hybrid operating suite will bring advanced surgical and catheter-based capabilities together in one highly specialized space, allowing care teams to perform complex procedures more efficiently and respond more quickly when every minute matters. "This hybrid suite will dramatically speed up emergency response times in situations when each second counts," said Walter Panzirer, Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. "The Helmsley Charitable Trust is excited to help Providence St. Patrick Hospital provide rapid advanced cardiac treatment to patients across western Montana." Located steps from cardiac ICU beds and specialized recovery teams, the hybrid suite will reduce the need to transport critically ill patients between floors for emergent surgical intervention. This integrated environment is designed to improve safety, strengthen workflow, expand procedural capacity, and help ensure patients can receive complex, lifesaving treatment close to home. "We are deeply grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for investing in the health of Montana families in such a meaningful way," said Stephanie Goble, chief philanthropy officer for Providence Montana Health Foundation. "This gift will help us move with urgency to meet a growing need, ensure we continue to say yes to referred patients from partnering hospitals and expand advanced cardiac care. This inspirational investment gives more rural patients the chance to receive lifesaving treatment close to home, surrounded by the people and communities they love." The hybrid operating suite is part of a broader two-phase expansion of the heart institute. Once complete, the project will help St. Pat's serve an additional 1,000 patients annually, decompress the ICU and Emergency Department and strengthen the hospital's No Diversion Program, which supports reliable transfers for emergent patients from rural and critical access hospitals. "Thanks to the generosity of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, St. Pat's is better equipped to respond to urgent cardiac needs today while building a stronger future for heart care across western Montana. This gift reflects a shared commitment to bringing high-quality, timely and compassionate care closer to home for the patients and families who need it most." Providence Montana Chief Executive, Krissy Petersen About Providence Montana Providence has a long tradition of caring for Montana residents since the Sisters of Providence arrived in 1864. Providence Montana is one of Montana's largest health networks including Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, over forty statewide clinics and 3,000 employees. St. Patrick Hospital is Western Montana's regional state-of-the-art medical care center, operating the area's only Level II Trauma Center and centers of excellence for cardiac and stroke programs. St. Pat's provides general acute inpatient services, surgical specialties such as cardiac and orthopedics, cancer treatment, and neurosciences services. St. Joseph Medical Center is a Critical Access Hospital.

Providence taps SSM Health veteran to steady finances after years of red ink. Providence has named Kevin Smith, CFO of SSM Health, as its new chief financial officer effective Oct. 26. He replaces Greg Hoffman amid a $400 million operating income improvement in early 2026 after four years of losses. The hire aims to lock in gains while tackling a still-thin balance sheet. This executive shift highlights ongoing pressures across nonprofit health systems. Friday, August 21, 2026 Kevin Smith steps into one of the most watched finance jobs in nonprofit health care this fall. The move comes as Providence, the sprawling Western system, shows tentative signs of recovery after posting operating losses for four straight years. Smith, currently chief financial officer at SSM Health in St. Louis, will take the top finance role at Providence on Oct. 26. He succeeds Greg Hoffman, who retired this summer after nearly a decade with the organization and five years as CFO. The announcement landed just days ago, underscoring how quickly boards move when momentum finally appears. Providence operates 51 hospitals across the western United States. Staffing shortages and soaring supply costs after the pandemic hammered its margins. Losses mounted. Balance sheet pressure grew. Yet the first half of fiscal 2026 brought a $400 million year-over-year lift in operating income, according to the system's recent disclosures. Turnaround Gains Meet Lingering Pressure That improvement caught attention. S&P Global Ratings upgraded Providence's credit outlook in May. The agency still flagged the system's thin balance sheet. Progress exists. Vulnerabilities remain. Smith inherits both. His charge is clear. Oversee operational strategy and financial performance. Translate recent gains into sustainable strength. Hoffman had guided the system through the worst of the post-pandemic storm. Now the board wants fresh eyes on execution. Providence CEO Erik Wexler praised the hire. "His experience, judgment and commitment to Mission-driven stewardship will be invaluable as we continue strengthening Providence for the future," Wexler said in a statement. Short. Direct. Focused on culture as much as numbers. And in Catholic health systems, mission language carries weight. Smith brings a resume built across multiple organizations. He joined SSM Health as CFO in 2023. Before that he held finance posts at Universal Health Services, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Luminis Health and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The pattern? Steady moves up the ladder at systems of varying size and complexity. Observers see a leader comfortable with both turnaround work and steady-state operations. But the context at Providence runs deeper than one executive change. The system has sold assets, restructured operations and fought to stabilize after years of negative margins. A 2025 operating loss of $486 million on $29.5 billion in revenue marked improvement from the prior year, Becker's Hospital Review reported. Still far from ideal. Labor, supply and regulatory costs continue to bite. Its health plan arm faced even steeper trouble. Providence Health Plan posted a $102 million net loss in 2025. Rising utilization, pharmacy costs and a temporary star-rating drop contributed. The plan later decided to wind down operations, citing an "untenable situation," according to Becker's Payer Review. Regional nonprofits, squeezed between national competitors and cost trends, increasingly struggle to stay viable. That pressure ripples back to the provider side. Smith arrives at a moment when many systems eye similar stabilization plays. Divestitures. Cost discipline. Revenue cycle fixes. Credit upgrades help access capital, yet thin margins leave little room for error. One bad quarter can erase goodwill with ratings agencies. Industry watchers point to broader forces. Hospitals saw payroll and supply costs jump more than 40% between 2020 and 2024 in some markets. Reimbursement often fails to keep pace. Add workforce shortages, demand shifts and policy uncertainty. The result? Persistent financial strain across nonprofit health care. Yet some systems find traction. Providence's $400 million swing in the first half of 2026 offers one data point. Whether Smith can build on it depends on execution across dozens of facilities. Operational strategy now sits squarely in the CFO's lane. No longer just reporting numbers. Shaping them. The timing feels deliberate. Hoffman's retirement was announced months earlier. Providence conducted both internal and external searches. Landing a sitting CFO from another respected Catholic system signals confidence. SSM Health itself has managed its own margin pressures in recent years. Smith knows the playbook. His predecessors left markers. Hoffman helped move operations into the black in at least one quarter before retirement. The system also divested non-core assets, including skilled nursing facilities and certain technology holdings. Those moves freed capital and simplified focus. Smith will likely continue that discipline. But questions linger. Can Providence sustain the recent operating income gains? Will labor costs moderate? How does the system address its balance sheet concerns while investing in technology and facilities? Credit outlook upgrades buy time. They do not guarantee long-term health. Smith's track record suggests he favors measured improvement over flashy fixes. Colleagues describe him as analytical. Collaborative. Focused on long-term success rather than quarterly optics. Those traits matter in an industry where boards now demand proof that financial recovery can last. Health care finance has grown more complex. Revenue from value-based contracts. Rising pharmaceutical expenses. Cybersecurity threats. Regulatory scrutiny over charity care and executive pay. A CFO today must speak strategy as fluently as debits and credits. Providence appears to have chosen someone ready for that brief. The announcement drew quick coverage. Healthcare Dive first reported the hire, noting the system's progress amid ongoing challenges. Fierce Healthcare included it in its regular executive moves roundup, highlighting the Oct. 26 start date. Becker's Hospital Review placed the move among other recent CFO shifts across health systems. None of those pieces sugarcoat the environment. Large nonprofit systems face genuine threats to stability. Providence has avoided some of the worst outcomes seen elsewhere. No bankruptcy filings. No forced mergers yet. But the margin for error stays slim. So Smith walks into a system showing green shoots. Four years of losses. A major improvement in early 2026. An upgraded outlook tempered by balance sheet notes. A respected peer organization as his current post. The ingredients for cautious optimism exist. Delivery remains the test. Industry insiders will watch closely. Quarterly results. Debt metrics. Investment in clinical programs. Any further divestitures. How Smith balances mission commitments with financial rigor will define his tenure. In health care, those two goals sometimes pull in opposite directions. Successful CFOs find ways to align them. For now the story stays one of transition. A veteran finance leader takes the helm at a critical juncture. Recent numbers point up. Legacy pressures have not vanished. The coming quarters will reveal whether Providence's turnaround has real staying power. Or whether the thin balance sheet continues to limit options. Smith doesn't have the luxury of a long honeymoon. Boards expect results. Caregivers want stability. Communities served by those 51 hospitals depend on it. The hire signals belief that experienced operators can still steer these organizations through choppy waters. Time will test that conviction. Subscribe for Updates The CFOTrends Email Newsletter is essential for Chief Financial Officers navigating today's fast-evolving business landscape. Perfect for finance leaders focused on driving growth, managing risk, and optimizing performance.