June 8, 2020

Avera Health is making some changes to its leadership team as longtime executive Dick Molseed prepares to retire in July.

Molseed serves as executive vice president of strategy and governance and has been with Avera for 28 years.

Tom Clark has been named Avera Health’s new chief strategy and growth officer, effective July 12. He has served as regional president and CEO of Avera Queen of Peace Hospital in Mitchell since 2011.

“The health care industry is at an inflection point in terms of value-based care, consumer demand across all aspects of the care experience and now resiliency through this COVID-19 environment. Our health care ministry must be positioned to respond and meet patients’ and members’ needs in high-reliability, high-quality and lower-cost scenarios, and we want to strengthen our leadership team to address just that,” Bob Sutton, Avera Health president and CEO, said in a statement.

“Avera will benefit from Tom’s strong commitment to our mission, his consensus-building leadership style and his thoughtful vision for the future of this health care system.”

Clark brings more than 30 years of experience in the health care sector. Before  coming to Avera, he served in various CEO and marketing leadership roles in hospitals in Indiana. His work has included operations, strategic planning, business development, facility management, productivity and other business-value creation efforts.

The new chief strategy and growth officer will oversee a broad compendium of departments across Avera. Clark will provide executive direction to the CEOs of Avera eCARE, Avera Health insurance division and Avera@Home, as well as the senior vice president of strategic marketing and communications, senior vice president of rural health, senior vice president of business development, vice president of performance excellence and the director of facility development.

 “Avera represents the best in health care today — a system that has its eye on the future and a steadfast focus on quality outcomes and experiences for the people it serves,” Clark said. “I’m thrilled to take on this new position. I have a passion for creating an environment that enables patients and members to receive great care and service, physicians to practice high-quality medicine and employees to love where they work.”   

In a statement, Avera said the announcement of Clark’s appointment begins the process of “further advancing Avera’s realignment of its regional operations and follows Avera’s strategy and its strategic effort to innovate and sustain the health system’s infrastructure for the future.”