Leadership
As leaders, we have a cherished and honored role in serving our communities to meet the highest standards of safety at our critical access hospital and rural healthcare clinics to provide a compassionate and caring experience for our patients that is driven by our unique mission of “Living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope.” All of us own these goals to provide leadership and guidance to our care teams that align with our business operations to be a sustainable partner in the future of healthcare for our community.
Your input is critical in this ongoing effort to transform the health experience of our communities, which we welcome and greatly appreciate. If you have any comments or concerns, please reach out to us and we will be happy to talk to you about them!
Our vision
Compelled by our mission to live God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope, we will transform the health experience of our communities by improving physical, mental and spiritual health; enhancing interactions; and making care more accessible and affordable.
Executive team
Eric Swanson, MBA, FACHE, NRP
President
“I’m honored to have been asked to lead this organization and to serve the community and people that I love. I look forward to working with our outstanding associates, volunteers, and medical staff to continue the growth of the high-quality services we provide our patients, and I'm energized by the opportunity to work with our partners to enhance the well-being of our community.”
Eric has served as president of Adventist Health Tillamook since 2019 at the same location he started his career in healthcare as a teen volunteer in 1984. Since then, he has served in many leadership roles such as executive director of strategy and business development, and director roles including emergency medical services, radiology, laboratory, safety and emergency management. Using this experience he provides a well-balanced perspective of the needs of the hospital and clinics to lead and inspire hundreds of Adventist Health Tillamook associates’ calling to provide mission-driven, high quality and compassionate care to their patients.
In addition to his role as president of Adventist Health Tillamook, Eric is a board-certified Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), board member of the Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization, member of the Oregon State EMS Committee, chair of the Tillamook County Emergency Management Advisory Council, member of the Adventist Health Mission Cabinet, and an Oregon-licensed and Nationally Registered paramedic (NRP.) Eric holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee.
Micah Smith
Finance Officer
In this role, Micah provides strategic direction and financial oversight for the entire Adventist Health Tillamook enterprise, including the hospital and its ten medical offices. Prior to beginning this role in 2017, he served as a financial analyst for Adventist Health Tillamook where he was an integral part in overseeing consistent financial performance for the organization.
Micah holds an MBA in Business Administration from George Fox University and a BS in Finance from Oregon State University, in Corvallis, Oregon. He also serves on the faculty of Tillamook Bay Community College where he is an adjunct professor for Health Care Leadership.
Heather Thompson, RN
Patient Care Executive
“Providing the highest quality, most caring experience for our patients is most important to our community and our leaders. Working and learning with our department managers and directors to support our hospital and stand out as a truly exceptional place to receive care in our community is very important to me.”
In her role as Patient Care Executive, Heather directs patient care programs and services at Adventist Health Tillamook to meet the highest quality standards of care and quality in all of the hospital departments including radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, surgery, emergency, cardiopulmonary and maternity. Heather has previously served as administrative director of nursing as well as house nursing supervisor, Medical-Surgical nurse, and ICU nurse since she started working at Adventist Health Tillamook in 2000. Heather has a master’s degree in nursing, and a second master’s degree in healthcare administration.
Gina Seufert
Physician and Clinic Services Executive and Privacy Officer
Since coming to Adventist Health Tillamook in 1994, Seufert has served in a number of clinical and leadership roles for departments including: Quality Improvement, Risk Management, Safety, Emergency Department, Outpatient Therapy Services, Clinic Services, Medical Staff Services and Patient Scheduling. Prior to that, she served for 10 years in several clinical and administrative roles at Ketchikan General Hospital in Alaska.
A registered nurse for nearly 30 years, Seufert has extensive experience in both clinical and administrative rural health care roles. In addition to holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and also maintains TEAM and ACLS clinical certifications.
An active volunteer and past president with the Tillamook County 4-H Leaders Association, Seufert also enjoys spending time with her family, which includes three grown children and three grandchildren, as well as tending to a hobby farm.
Paul Welch, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Ambulatory Medical Director
Dr. Welch focuses on creating and maintaining connections with providers and staff to produce intentional practices centered on guiding, supporting and encouraging excellence in the complete delivery of healthcare.
In addition, Dr. Welch provides medical oversight and directs system care strategies for all Adventist Health Tillamook ambulatory medical practice settings. He works with clinical and market directors to support provider effectiveness and efficiency to do their best care, as well as guide our system to do the best work for them. Dr. Welch graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, with his OB/GYN residency at Southern Illinois University.