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Weekly: COO Barnard could become interim director of UMC

University Medical Center’s Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Barnard, might end up being the interim director for the public hospital.

County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly said Thursday he will recommend Barnard when the commission meets on Jan. 21 to plan for the departure of Chief Executive Officer Brian Brannman. Brannman is resigning for a vice president post with Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican, which has three area hospitals.

Weekly, the chairman when commissioners act as the UMC Board of Trustees, said Barnard has done a good job and will help the county’s new board for UMC get familiar with the organization.

Barnard started at UMC in August 2012.

The board was created to oversee the public hospital and will start meeting this month.

The new board ultimately will have wide-ranging duties, including approving contracts and expenditures, setting policies and hiring the hospital’s chief executive officer.

Contact reporter Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Follow him on Twitter @BenBotkin1.

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