Landmark CEO retiring

RICHARD R. CHAREST is retiring as president and CEO of Landmark Medical Center and the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island. / COURTESY LANDMARK MEDICAL CENTER
RICHARD R. CHAREST is retiring as president and CEO of Landmark Medical Center and the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island. / COURTESY LANDMARK MEDICAL CENTER

WOONSOCKET – Richard R. Charest, president and CEO of Landmark Medical Center and the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island, is retiring.

“It is with a profound sense of accomplishment that I am announcing my retirement after over 40 years at both Landmark Medical Center and the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island. It is now time for me to begin the next chapter of my life,” Charest said in a statement.

Charest’s career at Landmark started in his teens, when he worked as an orderly and dishwasher. He later served as the director of pharmacy, and in other positions. In 2000, he was named president and CEO of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island, a position he still holds. Charest became president of Landmark Medical Center in 2007, and CEO in 2008.

“Rick has built a reputation as a strategic, results-oriented executive – a visionary leader with a passion for quality, patient safety and service excellence,” Dr. Glenn Fort, president of the medical staff, said.

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Three years ago, a defining moment for Charest was the acquisition of Landmark Medical Center by Prime Healthcare.

“With Prime Healthcare’s generous assistance, both of our organizations and 1,200 jobs were saved,” said Charest. “The mission of providing care for northern Rhode Island will continue for generations to come.”

Dr. Prem Reddy, chairman, president and CEO of Prime Healthcare, said Charest guided Landmark through “turbulent times for six years during bankruptcy.”

“He transitioned the hospital to Prime Healthcare and led the hospital through a successful turnaround, turning Landmark into a stable community asset offering quality, compassionate care,” Reddy said.

Besides being his employer, Landmark has been an important part of Charest’s life in other ways – he met his wife Christine there and his two children were born there.

In his retirement, Charest said he looks forward to spending more time with his sons and three grandchildren. Although a departure date has not been determined, a successor is being recruited.

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