Alluvion announces CEO’s resignation
Alluvion Health announced Jan. 31 the resignation of Trista Besich, the organization’s chief executive office, effective March 1.
The Alluvion board of directors has appointed Bill Preston as acting CEO.
Preston joined Alluvion in January 2022 as an associated vice president and in July 2022, was promoted to vice president of integrated services, according to his bio on Alluvion’s website.
Local agencies working to provide crisis response after Alluvion cuts program
Before Alluvion, he owned several businesses, worked eight years in healthcare and 20 years in broadcasting, according to his bio.
The healthcare agency did not give a reason for Besich’s resignation or further detail.
In their statement, the agency said it “is steadfast in its mission to continue delivering high-quality healthcare
services and maintaining its long-standing culture of ethical practices and governance” and that the board “appreciates the efforts of Ms. Besich over the past few years to expand Alluvion’s presence and impact the health and well-being of the Great Falls and local community.”
Alluvion was established after the entity split from Cascade County, where it had previously operated under the county as a federally qualified healthcare center.
It remains a FQHC, but split and formed itself as a nonprofit organization in 2019.
The health center itself was originally established in 1994.
Last summer, Alluvion said it had paused work on the Rocky Mountain building downtown due to funding shortages.
Alluvion cutting, furloughing staff due to Medicaid claims backlog
In the fall, Alluvion cut several positions and the Adlera Lab and furloughed other employees due to funding shortages from Medicaid claim processing backlogs at the state, Besich told The Electric at the time.
In November, the agency ceased providing mobile response team services to local law enforcement.
“We are confident in the strength and resilience of our team during this period of change. Alluvion Health is committed to a transparent process with the patients’ and community’s best interests in mind. Together, we will continue to make a lasting impact on the health of our community,” Alluvion said in a statement.
Alluvion pauses Rocky Mountain Building construction
Alluvion’s board of directors is comprised of at least 51 percent active patients and the agency is funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Primary Health Care, according to Alluvion.
