Hospital picks CEO candidate

Coulee Medical Center will likely meet its new chief executive officer later this month, following a Monday-night decision to offer the job to one of two candidates board directors had been considering.

In special session Monday night, the board of commissioners of Public Hospital District 6 authorized current CEO Debbie Bigelow to negotiate a contract with Jonathan Owens, Bigelow said Tuesday.

“He’s very excited,” she said after calling him.

Bigelow sent him a proposed contract. If he accepts, it will be reviewed the first of two times at the commission’s July 25 regular meeting.

Owens, currently in California, told Bigelow he’d try to be there.

Bigelow said staff members and commissioners, who had opportunities to meet candidates for the job in the last two weeks, were impressed with and liked Owens.

She said Owens has been in healthcare over nine years, five of those in Washington, but more recently in Florida and Kansas. He told the board he has wanted to come back to the Pacific Northwest.