Oconee’s hew honcho for health care

In many who made up this morning’s large crowd for an Oconee Economic Alliance business forum was a sense of anticipation as to just who Michael Riordan is and what kind of role will he and his organization play in Oconee’s future health care needs.  Riordan is the titular head of the Greenville Health System which, in three weeks, assumes overall control of OconeeMedicalCenter.  The affiliation has been likened to a major hospital system gobbling up a smaller rural hospital, but is seen also as a step to ensure that the Oconee hospital will avoid having to close as has many hospitals of comparable size.  While Riordan, an ex-Marine, is the president/CEOof GHS, South Carolina’s largest system of hospitals, Oconee hospital leaders will remain in authority once October 1 arrives.  Riordan expressed confidence in OMC’s top management, President/CEO Jeanne Ward and Chief Operating Officer Hunter Kome.  Riordan highlighted the GHS system of eight hospital campuses and more than 12 thousand employees and shared his thoughts on where health care is headed.  He also field questions from his audience—a few of which touched on charity medical care and, specifically, whether OMC, under GHS, will continue its relationship with Rosa Clark, Oconee’s only free medical clinic.