Dr. Carol Fox retires as Independence Health chief medical officer

Dr. Carol Fox can recall a time when patient records existed only on paper.

And when a woman who delivered a newborn through a C-section might be in the hospital for the better part of a week.

After a 38-year medical career, Fox will retire as chief medical officer of Independence Health System. Her last day is Friday.

Dr. Michael Fiorina, a family physician with nearly 30 years of clinical and administrative experience, has been named to succeed Fox as Independence Health’s chief medical officer. He had been serving as chief medical officer of the system’s Butler and Clarion region.

As she retires, Fox, 64, of Unity, said that advances in medicine mean that a typical C-section patient might be home in a day or two.

And while patient records are now recorded digitally, health care has yet to reach its full potential with collaborative sharing of patient information.

“It’s not yet met that promise of global connectivity,” she said, but she predicted, “We’re going to continue to see that evolve and grow. I think the potential is limitless.”

Fox became a leading voice in Westmoreland County in 2020 when local officials and medical professionals were confronted with the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic. Independence Health had yet to be created through a merger with the Butler Health System. The local hospital network was then known as Excela Health.

She recalled how much had yet to be learned about the infectious and sometimes deadly disease when the county commissioners issued a state of emergency declaration in mid-March of that year.

“The commissioners were ahead of the curve,” Fox said. “We really didn’t see hospitalized patients here until later in March or April. Reporters were asking questions about covid and no one knew a whole lot about it at the time.

“We’d heard about Ebola and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which were very impactful, but they didn’t really touch us locally.”

The pandemic soon hit home in Westmoreland, with growing patient cases and with the challenges resulting from restrictions on public activities.

“The recommendations and the science were evolving really quickly,” Fox said. “It impacted our ability to keep and retain staff and to get goods that we needed, with a lot of the supply-chain issues at the time.”

Reaching out to community members and colleagues around the region helped Excela navigate through the crisis, she said.

When Excela didn’t have enough protective masks for all its staff, Fox said, “We got support from the community. The tattoo artists and the nail salons gave us their masks because they weren’t able to be open.”

Simultaneously, she said, “There was a regular meeting of the community leadership, where we got to hear what the (covid) impact was from various organizations and what was going on in the schools.”

Sean Kertes, chairman of the county commissioners, said Fox “played a pivotal role in helping both elected officials and the county at large understand and respond to covid-19. Her expertise made her an invaluable resource during an incredibly challenging time.”

Ken DeFurio, president and CEO of Independence, said Fox demonstrated “steady, compassionate leadership” during the pandemic. “She guided our clinical teams, and our communities, with clarity and courage, always keeping the health and safety of our patients and staff as her, and our, top priority.”

The Excela staff gave back, Fox said, donating to the local food bank when they realized how many people — out of work during the pandemic —were experiencing food insecurity.

“Our people were working long hours under tremendous stress, but they still gave money to support the food bank,” Fox said.

A lasting, positive outcome of the pandemic, Fox said, is a closer collaborative relationship among chief medical officers of major health systems in the region, who began meeting regularly.

“It’s about people being willing to work together and share best practices,” she said. “That group still meets today,” now discussing topics such as the resurgence of measles and funding issues.

A start in Latrobe

Speaking with TribLive on Thursday, Fox recalled her start at the Latrobe Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program, where she began her career in 1987.

“When I started, there were 12 residents; now there are 24,” she said.

Fox was based at an affiliated Mountain View primary care practice in Unity. She continued to see patients there after completing her residency.

“I really enjoyed taking care of patients locally, from the cradle to the grave,” she said. “There were kids who I had delivered as a resident who I saw when they were having children of their own. That was really something, to be able to get to know them and understand the family dynamic, what made them tick.”

Fox became a faculty member in the residency program, sharing her knowledge with young physicians, and later served as the program director.

She said, “That’s something that was different for me — understanding regulatory requirements and maintaining accreditation. I learned a lot when I did that.”

Fox stepped up to become medical director of Latrobe Hospital in 2005. In 2012, she was named chief medical officer of Excela Health — formed when Latrobe Hospital combined forces with two other Westmoreland County community hospitals: Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg and Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant.

She transitioned in 2023 to chief medical officer of Independence Health.

Fox cited obesity rates and improved access to medical providers as issues that need to be addressed in regional health care.

“We have a pretty broad primary care base in Western Pennsylvania,” she said, “but there are still individuals who can’t easily access care due to lack of transportation or financial resources. It’s an ongoing concern.”

During retirement, Fox is looking forward to spending more time with her family. That includes a grandson and two more grandchildren who are on the way.

At the same time, she said, “I’ll miss the people that I’ve cared for and the people that I’ve worked with. I’m blessed to have made friends who have become family.”

Independence said it soon will announce a new associate chief medical officer for the Westmoreland area, who will report to Fiorina.

Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.

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