Heywood co-CEO named to Mass. Health & Hospital Association board

Photo | Courtesy of Heywood Healthcare Heywood Healthcare co-CEO Rozanna Penney

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One of the two co-CEOs of Heywood Healthcare has been voted onto the board of an association representing 70 hospitals and healthcare facilities across the state.

Rozanna Penney was voted onto the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association board of trustees on Jan. 25, according to a press release issued by Heywood on Tuesday.

“I am honored to represent North Central Massachusetts on the MHA Board of Trustees, and to work closely with my colleagues to address the systemic challenges facing the healthcare industry, to ensure accessible healthcare for all,” Penney said in the release.

The Burlington-based organization lobbies state and federal lawmakers on behalf of healthcare facilities across the state. The association’s board of trustees already includes other prominent members of the Central Massachusetts healthcare industry, including Carolyn Jackson, CEO of Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, and Eric Dickson, President of UMass Memorial Health in Worcester.

“This is a time of change for healthcare in Massachusetts, and we are excited for how Rozanna will help inform its future.” said Steve Walsh, president and CEO of MHA, said in the release. “Her perspective as a community hospital leader and her advocacy for north-central Massachusetts will be critical as we look to build a better system for patients everywhere.”

Penney was named co-CEO of Heywood Healthcare alongside Tom Sullivan in June, following the exit of former CEO Winfield Brown.

Heywood paused construction on a new $29-million surgical pavilion later in June, and then declared bankruptcy in October. The hospital has made efforts to emerge from the bankruptcy in 2024, announcing in January the reopening of a 12-bed inpatient behavioral health service unit at their Gardner hospital.