Onward and upward for Sharon Hospital

SHARON — Sharon Hospital announced last week that Dr. Mark Marshall will be the new chief medical officer, stepping into the position that had been held for the past two years by Dr. Robert Schnurr. The transition will happen July 1.

The office has a two-year term. 

The chief medical officer acts as intermediary between the hospital administrators and the medical staff. 

The appointment was announced by CEO Peter Cordeau on June 21. 

For the past six years, Marshall has been the hospital’s chief of staff, a position he will now give up. Dr. Donald Soucier will be the new acting chief of staff; he was associate chief of staff for the past six years, working with Marshall (who had been associate chief of staff for several years under the previous chief of staff, Dr. Michael Parker). 

The CMO is appointed; the chief of staff is an elected position. Soucier will be acting chief of staff until the next election, in December.

Marshall, who is 50, lives in Salisbury with his wife, Silloo, and their children, Ethan, 18, and Amelia, 16. 

He has been at Sharon Hospital for 17 years and is board certified in internal medicine and palliative medicine. He is also (and will remain) Sharon’s hospitalist. 

“As chief medical officer, my focus will be on quality, specifically on patient experience and patient safety, and eliminating avoidable harm.

“Another area of focus will be to grow and improve services.”

For example, he feels the hospital should have a hematology department to study blood disorders; and peritoneal dialysis should be offered at the hospital . 

While many of the longtime doctors and nurses remain at Sharon Hospital, Marshall notes that there are also new surgeons, new hospitalists, new neonatologists.

“We’re expanding our services for in-patients. We’re in the same building, we have many of the same people, but we have new administrators, we have some new doctors, we are growing and will continue to grow and to get better.”

He also wants to improve efficiency in all areas, including billing. 

“We have to show people in the community that we’re expanding and getting better,” he said. “And that’s going to have to happen by word of mouth.”

Marshall is confident about the hospital’s future and feels it’s on an upward trajectory.

“I’ve been here for 17 years and there have been a lot of changes,” Marshall said. “I’m very devoted to Sharon Hospital. I want it to be the best it can be.” 

Readers of The Lakeville Journal have the opportunity to ask Marshall any medical questions that are on their mind, for his column on the Health page called Ask the Hospitalist. Questions can be specific and personal or broad and general; they will be presented anonymously. Submit questions to Mark.Marshall@sharonhospital.com.