Two experienced, Mission-focused healthcare executives have been promoted to the Ascension Leadership Team, the senior-most executive team at Ascension, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit and Catholic health systems.
Sally Hurt-Deitch, MSN, MHA, RN, FACHE, has taken on a new role as Executive Vice President, Nursing and Operations Infrastructure, as Karen Springer, MSN, RN, Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, prepares to leave the ministry on June 30 after serving Ascension as an executive leader in both System-wide and ministry roles.
Tom VanOsdol, MS, MA, FACHE, will begin serving on July 1 as Executive Vice President and Chief Mission Integration Officer, replacing Timm Glover, M.Div, who is retiring from his career at Ascension.
Sally Hurt-Deitch, MSN, MHA, RN, FACHE
As Executive Vice President, Nursing and Operations Infrastructure, Sally Hurt-Deitch has responsibility for leading Ascension’s Nursing Center of Excellence, Performance Optimization and Planning, Transfer Center Operations, and the newly established horizontals of Outpatient Imaging, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and Outpatient Therapy.
Sally had served as Senior Vice President, Operations, for Ascension since October 2021, focusing on operational discipline and working to establish a unified strategy across Ascension’s hospitals and ambulatory horizontals to ensure alignment, collaboration and consistent implementation of operations.
“Ascension is blessed to have someone of Sally’s talent, commitment and experience as part of our leadership team,” said Joseph R. Impicciche, JD, MHA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension. “She is a passionate and experienced healthcare leader who is committed to creating greater access to quality care for all.”
Sally began her career as a staff nurse in an operating room and endoscopy department, working her way up to hospital CEO. Before joining Ascension she served as Group/President CEO Mid-South, Memphis Market CEO and St. Francis Hospital CEO for Tenet Healthcare, with responsibility for strategic direction, diversification of services, and execution of strategies to achieve the mission and vision of these organizations extending from Tennessee to North and South Carolina.
A registered nurse and native of El Paso, Texas, Sally has served as a chief nursing officer, chief operating officer and chief executive officer with both Tenet and HCA Healthcare. In 2005, she was named CEO at Oklahoma University Medical Center - Edmond. She returned to El Paso in 2007 to accept the CEO position at Sierra Providence East Medical Center (now The Hospitals of Providence East Campus). While in El Paso, she served as the Market COO and later became the Market CEO for The Hospitals of Providence. In 2015, Sally became the Group President/CEO of El Paso/Rio Grande Valley. In 2017, she was named Tenet Healthcare’s corporate chief nursing officer, and in 2019 was named Group President/CEO of its Mid-South Group.
Sally is past president of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives; former chair of the Texas Hospital Association; current board member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board and Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; and past regent-at-large of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Texas at El Paso (UT-El Paso) and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University, San Antonio. In 2013, UT-El Paso recognized Sally as one of its distinguished alumni.
Tom VanOsdol, MS, MA, FACHE
Tom VanOsdol has served as Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast, since 2017.
After Hurricane Michael in October 2018, Tom not only led the recovery of Ascension’s impacted hospitals in Florida, but also brought storm-damaged Bay Medical (now Ascension Sacred Heart Bay) into Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast to ensure that it could continue to serve the Panama City community.
“A positive and inspirational servant leader with deep integrity, Tom lives out our healing Mission every day,” Joe Impicciche said. “His new role reflects his deep commitment to our Mission and Values.
Throughout his career, Tom has held multiple executive leadership roles and numerous local board and community service appointments, including his present appointment as Chair of the Florida Hospital Association Board and the JAX USA Economic Development Board in Jacksonville. Prior to relocating to Florida with Ascension in 2015, Tom served as a regional president for Ascension St. Vincent in Indiana.
Tom is a graduate of the Ascension Leadership Academy and Executive Ministry Leadership formation program. Tom earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, Ball State University, and Indiana Wesleyan University. He also earned his LEAN Six-Sigma certification from Purdue University, and he received a two-year graduate certificate in theology and formation for Catholic healthcare ministry leadership from the Aquinas Institute in St. Louis.
