OLYMPIA--The Department of Social and Health Services today announced that Dr. Marylouise Jones will step forward to lead Western State Hospital as the Interim Chief Executive Officer while a search is underway for a permanent replacement for current CEO, Cheryl Strange.
Strange, who has been at the helm as CEO at Western for the past 15 months, was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to serve as Secretary for DSHS, effective Sept. 18, 2017.
Carla Reyes, Assistant Secretary for the Behavioral Health Administration, had praise for Strange and Jones.
“I am confident that Dr. Jones can keep us moving forward on the path to maintain the improvements in care we have achieved to date; to keep striving toward improvements that ensure treatment addresses the chronic, acute and complex physical health needs of our patients; and to ensure we keep our focus on excellence in care and recovery,” said Reyes. “My thanks to Cheryl for her work as the CEO since May 2016 and many thanks to Dr. Jones for continuing to lead the hospital into this next phase of transformation.”
DSHS is in the midst of recruiting for a permanent CEO at the hospital and hopes to announce the permanent replacement within the next three months.
In the meantime, Jones will continue to lead the hospital on its mission to transform Western. She is well-versed on this mission and has been a critical part of the hospital’s team, emerging as a strong leader over the past year of transformation. Jones is known for her dedication and compassion, and has more than 25 years of experience working in complex healthcare settings. She brings a balance of strong clinical skills and a background in psychiatric best practices, healthcare regulatory standards and evidence-based practice. Her administrative experience is grounded in transformational leadership, Lean and continuous quality improvement.
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