Catholic Health Services of L.I. names new leader for Suffolk

Catholic Health Services of Long Island has named William Allison executive vice president for acute care - Eastern division, an appointment that makes him president and chief executive of the system's three Suffolk County hospitals.

Effective Jan. 7, Allison oversees operations at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson.

Allison had been chief financial officer for the three hospitals as well as senior vice president of administration and finance for Good Samaritan.

He replaces Richard Murphy, who had joined Good Samaritan in 1988 as vice president of administration.

CHS spokeswoman Christine Hendricks said in a written statement CHS "could not reach mutually acceptable terms for the renewal of his employment contract" with Murphy.

LIBN reported in Dec. 2006 that Murphy was one of Long Island's highest paid hospital executives, earning about $2 million in pay in 2004, including about $1 million in retirement pay. In 2005, his compensation totaled nearly $800,000.

CHS would not say if Murphy's salary played a role in his departure, but CHS has a history of forcing out executives through restructuring in an effort to cut down on costs. In July 2006, several unnamed executives left St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center and were offered buyout packages or other opportunities within the system. In 2004, four administrators at St. Charles Hospital were dismissed. In 2003, in the face of a $42 million operating loss, CHS cut personnel and executive salaries and moved its operations to smaller offices.

Prior to joining Good Samaritan, Murphy had served as vice president of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, and he most recently held the role of chair-elect of the council's board of directors.

Council spokeswoman Janine Logan said Allison would replace Murphy on the board.

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