SMH Board of Commissioners selects Sandy Badinger to become Chief Executive Officer

(April 15, 2020 – Slidell, La.) – The Slidell Memorial Hospital (SMH) Board of Commissioners announced today they have selected Sandy Badinger, MBA, as Chief Executive Officer.

Under terms of the partnership between SMH and Ochsner Health, Badinger is now the CEO of the Slidell market, including SMH, Ochsner Medical Center – Northshore and related clinics and outpatient facilities. Badinger, who has been interim CEO since December 2019, has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Slidell Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) for four years, and as SMH Chief Financial Officer since 2012.

“I am excited to formally accept the position as Chief Executive Officer,” said Badinger. “I have had the pleasure of working with an amazing team at Slidell Memorial for the past eight years and at Ochsner since 2016, and I look forward to continuing the progress we’ve made for our community.”

In her role as CFO, she has been hugely instrumental in progressing JOA operations. SMH and Ochsner Medical Center – Northshore have added 270 jobs since the collaboration began. Badinger also played a vital role in the successful implementation of Epic electronic medical record system at SMH in July 2019. Additionally, she has led a series of bond refundings for SMH, resulting in a savings to taxpayers of more than $2.7 million over the remaining life of the bond issues.

“Together with Ochsner, the SMH Board was hopeful that Sandy would step into the position of CEO to lead SMH and our partnership,” said SMH Board Chairman Dan Ferrari. “She has shown us her outstanding leadership time and again, especially as interim CEO through our current coronavirus crisis. She has the respect and trust of the SMH Board, our partner Ochsner, physicians and staff, and we are confident in her ability to be a strong leader for our hospital and clinics, as well as the community.”

“Ochsner Health is excited that Sandy will be leading the amazing teams at SMH and OMC-Northshore,” said John Herman, CEO, Ochsner Health-Northshore Region. “Sandy has been an inspiring leader for the dedicated and heroic healthcare professionals at both organizations over the last few months and especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Sandy is dedicated to serving the communities of east St. Tammany. We are confident she will continue to lead SMH and OMC-NS during this time of great change in healthcare and create a stronger partnership poised to deliver exceptional healthcare in the future.”

Badinger has more than 24 years of experience in healthcare finance, including leadership positions in diverse and multi-hospital systems in the Greater New Orleans region. She came to SMH from Cypress Pointe Surgical Hospital in Hammond, where she served as CFO since shortly after the specialty surgical opened in 2011. While there, she established significant operational and financial processes for the new facility. Prior to that, she served as the CFO at Fairway Medical Center in Covington from 2008 to 2011.

Badinger holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of New Orleans.

Badinger is married with two children and is an active member of St. Jane de Chantal church. She sits on the St. Tammany Chamber Board, the Northshore Extended Care Hospital Board of Managers, the Ochsner Health Network Executive Committee and the Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital Board.