Steve Nierman, who has served as president of South Florida Baptist Hospital for the last six years, was announced Aug. 7, as Winter Haven Hospital’s new president.
The transfer comes after Winter Haven Hospital and Tampa Bay area-based BayCare Health System completed all of the steps needed to implement a planned consolidation.
Nierman’s first day at Winter Haven will the same day the consolidation goes into effect, Aug. 30.
“He’s done a great job,” Tommy Inzina, BayCare chief operating officer and chief financial officer, said. “If he hadn’t done such a great job, he wouldn’t have had this opportunity. It’s a great indication of his work.”
BayCare submitted two candidates for the Winter Haven Hospital Board to review. Nierman was one of the two final candidates for the position.
“Overwhelmingly, he was the superior candidate,” Lance Anastasio, president of Winter Haven Hospital, said. “He has high scores with patient and physician satisfaction. His skill set is a perfect fit.”
Anastasio announced his retirement last year but committed to the board to remain until a consolidation was finalized and help select his replacement.
“I’m looking forward to the challenges,” Nierman said. “Professionally, I’ll help my organization consolidate with another. There are also more health-care service lines at Winter Haven.
“It’s also exciting to join an organization with such quality,” Nierman said. “I hope to be able to continue that and further it.”
As president of South Florida Baptist Hospital, Nierman led numerous expansion and renovation efforts. He brought to the Plant City community many services that previously were only available in bigger cities. Nierman led the construction of the Evelyn & Batista Madonia Sr. Heart and Vascular Center and the development of a highly successful interventional cardiology and peripheral endovascular program. He developed the Orthopedic Joint Replacement and Neuro-Spine Surgery program and successfully recruited the necessary surgeons. He also started a minimally-invasive, robotic surgery program with colorectal, urologic and gynecologic surgeons.
“(I’ve enjoyed) the people I worked with and the doctors,” Nierman said. “From the day I came six years ago, I knew it was a hospital with fantastic community support. I was part of the community and South Florida since day one.”
Nierman has worked in other large health-care systems. He served as chief operating officer at Memorial Hospital of Tampa, of Iasis Healthcare Corporation, and Spring Hill Regional Hospital, of Health Management Associates Inc. Prior to that, he worked with a national health insurance company after serving in the active duty military for several years.
BayCare is conducting a national search for Nierman’s successor. There is no date set as to when a possible candidate may be selected.
“It’s not the building, not the new services, it’s the relationship I have with the doctors and community that I will miss,” Nierman said. “But, there will be new friends.”
For the full story, make sure to read next week’s Plant City Times & Observer.