Corewell Health’s President
in Southwest Michigan Announces Retirement
Feb 22, 2024
ST. JOSEPH, Mich., February 22, 2024 - Loren B. Hamel, M.D., president, Corewell Health™ in Southwest Michigan, has announced his plan to retire on June 30, 2024.
Dr. Hamel, a Berrien Springs native, joined the Lakeland Health medical staff in 1983, devoting more than four decades to improving health and well-being in the community where he was born and raised. He practiced medicine for 23 years at University Medical Specialties and held various executive roles before becoming chief executive officer of Lakeland Health in 2009. Dr. Hamel assumed the role of Corewell Health’s president in Southwest Michigan in 2018 following the integration of Lakeland Health and Spectrum Health.
“An integral member of our leadership team, Dr. Loren Hamel has contributed his expertise, passion and unwavering commitment to our shared mission and vision and has lived out our values in so many ways,” said Tina Freese Decker, President & CEO, Corewell Health. “He has imprinted an indelible mark on our organization, and I am filled with gratitude and respect for the work he has done and the legacy he will leave behind.”
During his tenure, Dr. Hamel helped lead the integration of Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital, Southwestern Medical Clinic and Hospice at Home. He oversaw several facility investments including Pine Ridge Rehabilitation Center, Merlin and Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center and Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals Marie Yeager Cancer Center. Under his leadership, the 260,000-square-foot renovation and expansion at Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals - St. Joseph Hospital was successfully completed in 2022.
Dr. Hamel co-found Affirmant Health Partners, one of the most successful clinically integrated networks in the country and shared his aspirations for connecting caregivers’ heartfelt work to the needs of patients and families through his “Bring Your Heart to Work” initiative, which was featured in Harvard Business Review.
“I have awakened every morning and looked forward to discovering additional ways that we could take even better care of our team members and even better care of our friends and neighbors,” said Loren B. Hamel, M.D., president, Corewell Health in Southwest Michigan. “I have felt so privileged to be part of a team who is, at their core, laser focused on ways to improve health, instill humanity and inspire hope.”
Darryl Elmouchi, M.D., chief operating officer, Corewell Health, in partnership with the Corewell Health South Board of Directors, will be leading the search for Dr. Hamel’s successor.