Trinity Health shakeup: CEO to depart, new leadership at St. Francis amid safety issues

Hartford Business Journal – Thursday, April 30, 2026
By David Krechevsky

Trinity Health Of New England on Thursday announced a series of leadership changes at St. Francis Hospital and across its regional system following months of scrutiny from regulators and concerns raised by patients, staff and the community.

As part of the shakeup, Trinity Health Of New England President and CEO Montez Carter will transition into an advisory role and leave the organization July 1. Dr. Steve Hanks will serve as president and CEO of Trinity Health Of New England while continuing to lead Trinity Health New York.

The move expands Hanks’ role after Trinity earlier this month broadened his responsibilities to include oversight of the New England system, including St. Francis, while Carter, who has been CEO since 2022, remained in place but reported to him.

At the hospital level, Dr. Robert Roose, who oversees Trinity Health Of New England’s community hospitals, has been named interim president of St. Francis Hospital and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital. He replaces Valerie L. Powell-Stafford, who was named president in 2024.

Jennifer Misajet has been named interim chief nursing officer. The system said it is working to appoint an interim chief medical officer and is recruiting for a vice president of operations role.

The changes come as St. Francis remains under a consent order from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, which has maintained an extended on-site presence at the Hartford hospital since September 2024. The order cited failures to meet minimum nurse and environmental services staffing levels, as well as medication errors.

Trinity said it has also engaged an outside consulting firm to review operations and practices aimed at improving quality and patient safety.

In a statement, Trinity Health executives said the moves are intended to address concerns raised by regulators, patients, employees and the community.

“Saint Francis has cared for people in Hartford for generations, and that matters to us,” said Dr. Daniel Roth, Trinity Health’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We hold ourselves to a high standard, and feedback we have received makes clear that continued improvement is essential.”

Hanks said additional changes are needed to improve performance and rebuild trust.

“We are going to fix what needs fixing,” he said. “And we are going to earn back the trust that St. Francis has always stood for.”

The hospital has also faced financial challenges. According to the state Office of Health Strategy, St. Francis reported a nearly $55 million operating loss and a $53 million deficiency of revenue over expenses in fiscal year 2024.

Trinity Health Of New England is part of Livonia, Michigan-based Trinity Health, a multistate Catholic health system. Its Connecticut operations include St. Francis Hospital and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford, Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs, and St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, along with a regional physician network.

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