MOSES LAKE — Alex Town has been named as the new chief executive officer of Samaritan Healthcare, effective May 22. Town replaces Theresa Sullivan, who retired earlier this month.

Town was the chief administrative officer before becoming CEO. He has been working at Samaritan since 2017.

“I’m incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve this organization and community,” Town said in a Samaritan press release announcing the change. “Theresa’s leadership has helped build an extraordinary foundation for the future, and I’m excited to continue that momentum.”

Sullivan was named as CEO in 2015, and supervised the construction of a new hospital; Samaritan is working with the Washington State University medical school on a residency program in Moses Lake. Sullivan said in an earlier interview that she expects Samaritan to keep growing.

“Even though I’m leaving, there is so much for the future, for Samaritan, continued growth and being more and more of that regional healthcare provider. This community is continuing to grow, and we need to build on the services we provide and try to keep more care local,” Sullivan said.

Samaritan commissioners officially appointed Town as Sullivan’s successor in April. Commission chair Katherine Christian said commission members thought Town was a good choice.

“Alex has been an instrumental part of Samaritan’s success and future planning,” Christian said. “His leadership, strategic vision, and commitment to our mission make him exceptionally well-positioned to lead Samaritan into this next chapter.”