Newport hospital announces interim CEO

NEWPORT — Kim Manus has been named the interim CEO for the Pend Oreille County Public Hospital District following the announced departure of the district's current chief executive officer Merry-Ann Keane.

Keane had previously announced her last day with Newport Hospital and Health Services will be Sept. 15. Keane is moving to western Washington to be closer to her daughter and to continue her career as a hospital administrator.

The hospital district's board announced last week that Manus would serve as interim CEO following Keane's departure.

Manus has been with NHHS since August 1986, serving as business manager and treasurer as well as the chief financial officer for the Newport-based hospital.

In her time with the district, Manus said she has seen exponential growth and is looking forward to future opportunities for expansion. She plans to continue moving forward with the district’s strategic plan, which has made significant progress under Keane’s leadership. 

Express Care service expansion, MRI service expansion, respiratory therapy expansion, and switching to live human telephone operators are just a few of the successful initiatives completed in 2024, NHHS officials said.

In early 2023, Keane rallied district officials and staff to turnaround the district’s projected $3.2 million budget shortfall. And, by year-end, the district’s bottom line was positive, Jenny Smith, NHHS public information officer, said.

Keane was also instrumental in leading the charge to bring labor and delivery services back to Newport Community Hospital, after a yearlong closure beginning in 2022.

Owned and operated by Pend Oreille County Public Hospital District No. 1, Newport Hospital and Health Services was established in 1921. The hospital district offers a range of services, in-patient and outpatient services and specialty clinics, from emergency services to cardiology to physical and occupational therapy.