CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jeff Sandene, the current Chief Financial Officer for Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) will be taking the reins of the Vandalia Health system next year.
“It’s a great honor and I’m very excited, but at the same time I’m very humbled to be able to lead the organization after Dave Ramsey. Dave has been a great mentor for me,” Sandene told MetroNews.
Sandene was chosen to succeed Dave Ramsey, who will be retiring next July. Ramsey has been the president and CEO of Vandalia Health since its inception when CAMC and MonHealth joined forces. Before the merger in 2022, Ramsey had been with CAMC for over 20 years.
Ramsey brought Sandene in nine years ago from Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sandene says Ramsey has built something special.
“Dave builds a great culture here,” Sandene said. “He’s got a very strong team that’s been here for a lot of years, and he’s just continued to help me evolve through the system, taking on more and more responsibilities. He’s just been a great mentor and friend for the nine years that I’ve been here.”
When CAMC and MonHealth merged into Vandalia, the company added more locations than just the CAMC and MonHealth facilities. Now part of the Vandalia system is Davis Medical Center, Broaddus Hospital in Phillippi, Webster Memorial Hospital, Grafton City Hospital and Highland-Clarksburg Hospital.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of great growth that we’ve had over those nine years, just within the last three years, growing from four hospitals to 14. It’s been an exciting time to watch the transformation and to be part of the team that’s really helped build Vandalia into a statewide presence,” Sandene said.
During his time as CFO, Sandene has had to build relationships and work closely with several leaders across each Vandalia Health region, including Dr. Glenn Crotty, the executive vice president and CEO of Vandalia South Region which includes all CAMC facilities, and David Goldberg, who heads up the Vandalia North Region, which includes Mon Medical Center.
Sandene says his experience within the system will help the transition go over well.
“Being very visible within those regions and continuing to work with the medical staff and working with the leadership in each of those hospitals is something I already do today, so it’s going to be a natural progression as I move into the president and CEO role, but it’s going to take all of us working together to continue to find opportunities within our health system to become more efficient and provide higher quality patient care
Sandene knows that there will be new challenges that come with the promotion. He says many hospital administrators are watching and waiting right now to see how some federal decisions will affect them.
“I think everyone is watching — from a federal level — what’s happening from the Big Beautiful Bill going through from a reimbursement perspective. We know what’s going to happen with the Medicaid front, but we’re kind of watching what’s going to happen in the Medicare front,” Sandene said. “From a positive perspective, we’re also watching what’s happening with innovation. AI technologies continue to evolve in healthcare.”
Sandene will continue serving as the CFO for CAMC until Ramsey’s retirement.