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The Escambia County Health Care Authority (ECHCA) announced today the naming of Jeff Booth as the CEO of the healthcare authority.

Booth will succeed CEO Chris Griffin, who announced his retirement today. Griffin’s retirement will be effective June 30, 2021.

“We are deeply grateful for all of Mr. Griffin’s contributions to the success of the healthcare authority and for his leadership of our organization for the past 18 years,” ECHA Board Chairwoman Debbie Rowell said in a release. “We wish him and his wife, Robin, the very best in the future.”

Griffin said his retirement announcement comes with mixed emotion.

“I am very proud of what we have collectively accomplished for health care in Escambia County and I know that our team will continue to focus on providing the best care possible for the citizens of our county,” Griffin said.

Griffin joined the ECHCA in 2003 as the chief financial officer for D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital, and served as the hospital’s chief operating officer prior to being named as McMillan’s Hospital administrator in July 2008.

Griffin served as McMillan’s Hospital administrator until being named as the ECHCA CEO as part of the authority’s reorganization of its health system in 2019.

Prior to joining D.W. McMillan, Griffin served in several financial and leadership positions with Weyerhaeuser, BellSouth and the international accounting firm of Price Waterhouse. Griffin received his bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration from the University of Alabama in 1983, and is a retired certified public accountant.

Booth, a healthcare executive, has 37 years experience working with and leading a variety of healthcare provider institutions. As CEO of ECHA, Booth will lead a team of experienced executives to provide care for the citizens of the county through the health system’s two hospitals, seven clinics, a home health business and ambulance service.

Booth has been serving as the outside consultant to the board for the last two-and-a- half years, and has been in a number of recent and ongoing strategic initiatives of the system. He said he looks forward to building on the solid platform put in place by Griffin and the whole ECHCA team.

“We are excited about Jeff joining our team and are energized about working with him to write the next chapter for our health system and its impact on the citizens of Escambia County,” Rowell said.