DENVER: Denver Health CEO Patricia Gabow to retire

Longtime Denver Health chief executive Patricia Gabow, MD, will retire in September, leaving behind a national reputation for quality and a local legacy of fighting for the poor. Gabow's departure will trigger a wide search for a leader who can take advantage of healthcare reform's newly insured customers to continue a Denver Health expansion throughout the city. Gabow, who may return part time to help with the transition, transformed Denver Health into an independent agency caring for hundreds of thousands of patients. In her nearly 20-year tenure, Denver Health pushed into more community clinics and school clinics, while expanding its own insurance plan. Gabow's national recognition peaked recently when the hospital was hailed as the best of 114 academic medical centers for lowest mortality rates in its patients.