Arnold Schaffer has been named chair of the Sansum Clinic Board of Trustees. Schaffer has been a steadying force for the nonprofit throughout the financial and operational challenges of the pandemic.
“Arnie has a wealth of experience guiding healthcare organizations and a proven record of being an inspired leader of several major hospital operations,” said Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, CEO/chief medical officer of Sansum Clinic. “He has been a wise decision-maker during the difficulties of managing COVID-19. We can always rely on him to contribute generously to our team.”
A resident of Montecito, Schaffer has more than 30 years of healthcare management experience as a CEO of numerous hospitals and regional health systems, and is currently a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal Healthcare Industry Group.
He previously held positions with Providence Health, most notably executive vice president, and senior vice president of Regional Operations for Alaska, Washington, Montana and California. Schaffer earned a bachelor of science in management from Northern Illinois University, and a master of science in healthcare administration from Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas.
“I am honored to be able to serve Sansum Clinic in this role, and am focused alongside our capable board on ensuring that our standards of excellence are upheld, and that we can continue to deliver safe, high-quality healthcare to our patients,” Schaffer said. “We are always honored to partner with our community to weather any challenge, including this current pandemic.”
A member of the Sansum Clinic Board since 2019, Schaffer is a previous board chair of both the California Healthcare Association and the Hospital Association of Southern California.
Schaffer assumes the Sansum Clinic Board chair position previously held by Montecito Bank & Trust president/CEO Janet Garufis since January 2021. Among the advancements the current board has made in its latest term are the creation of a top-of-the-line surgery center; acquisition of technology to add to the imaging program; construction of Ridley-Tree Cancer Center; and other infrastructure acquisitions.
Sansum Clinic is the largest independent nonprofit outpatient healthcare organization between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. For more about Sansum Clinic, visit www.sansumclinic.org.