UMMS CEO Robert A. Chrencik Resigns Amid 'Healthy Holly' Scandal
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The University of Maryland Medical System President and CEO Robert A. Chrencik has resigned.
"Today the Board of Directors and I received and accepted Mr. Chrencik's resignation from UMMS, effective immediately," said Ashworth. "This action is an important step in moving the Health System forward during this critical time and we remain focused on delivering exceptional, safe, quality health care across Maryland. We thank Mr. Chrencik for his leadership, service and commitment during his 35 years of executive employment at UMMS.," UMMS said in a statement.
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Chrencik has been on a leave of absence since March 25.
#BREAKING: UMMS president and CEO resigns. Statement below @wjz pic.twitter.com/ZI5vRZo8kf
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) April 26, 2019
University of Maryland Medical System Interim President and CEO John W. Ashworth will continue leading the System as interim President and CEO.
Chrencik has served as the system's President and CEO since 2008 and under his leadership, it has grown into a 13 hospital health system with 28,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians who care for patients in more than 150 locations across the state.
While he served the state's largest medical system, UMMS entered into a no-bid agreement to buy half a million dollars worth of Healthy Holly books from Mayor Catherine Pugh. The mayor was on the UMMS board at the time.
In the wake of the scandal, Maryland's General Assembly passed a new law that mandates all board members resign and restricts them from entering no-bid contracts with UMMS.
Chrencik's resignation comes after the system received a federal subpoena related to an investigation into Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.
Mike Ricci, a spokesperson for Gov. Hogan, released a statement that said:
"UMMS has a lot of work to do to restore trust, but this is an important step in the right direction. The governor believes very strongly that with a change in leadership must come a change in culture, meaning real accountability and transparency."