Bell Hospital CEO Resigns

The CEO of Bell Hospital in Ishpeming has left the facility.

Rick Ament resigned on Tuesday to start his own health care consulting firm in Wisconsin.

According to a statement from the hospital, Ament’s new business venture has been in the works for months.

Bell officials say he’d been in talks with the hospital’s board of directors during that time about his possible departure.

There’s no word on where in Wisconsin he’s going or on whether this has anything to do with Marquette General’s newly announced restructuring plan that involved layoffs.

Bell vice president of operations Barbara Larson and chief financial officer Gerald Messana will share Ament’s job duties on an interim basis.

The search for a permanent CEO has not begun yet, and there’s no indication of whether Larson or Messana would be candidates for the job.

Under Ament’s watch, the hospital moved to a brand-new facility and has been recognized in the top 2% of all hospitals in the country for patient satisfaction.

However, the hospital also posted a $7 million loss last fiscal year.

Bell officials say Ament is out of the area and that he declined to make any further comment.