Harry Weis, President and CEO of Tahoe Forest Health System, Announces Future Retirement Date

Harry Weis, President and CEO of Tahoe Forest Health System (TFHS), announces his future retirement date of January 2, 2026. Mr. Weis has been the President and CEO of TFHS since December 2015 and has served as a leader to more than 60 healthcare facilities and healthcare-related companies nationwide during his career.

“I have been in discussion with our thoughtful Board of Directors on my retirement for the past several months, and we have agreed on my retirement date,” says Mr. Weis. “I have chosen to make this announcement today, as May 2nd is a very special day for me, marking the 47th anniversary of my humble privilege to serve in healthcare.”

In a statement from Mr. Weis, he expresses his deep gratitude to his employees and the Truckee-Tahoe community:

I am so proud of our team improvement efforts here at Tahoe Forest Health System over the past nine years; they are equal to any of the best I’ve seen throughout my career.

My personal mission has been to preserve healthcare in communities across America where, in many cases, there was a very high risk of health system closure. I believe it is my duty to serve alongside my team to protect every health system I work in, keeping it on a track of sustainability and improvement by listening and responding to the needs of our patients.

In June 2015, prior to my start at TFHS, our balance sheet showed a net worth of $99 million and a modest annual growth rate of $1.5 million per year. The three previous fiscal years of 2013-2015 saw an aggregate loss of $1.9 million. However, our team for the past nine years has executed a net worth growth 14 times better year over year.

During the health system’s first 66 years of operation, it remained highly in debt from a “debt to asset ratio” perspective, much higher than most hospitals I’ve seen. Yet, in a short nine years, we’ve lowered it 21 percentage points!

Over the past nine years, we’ve seen incredible accomplishments, including:

• The purchase of the EPIC electronic medical record, the best electronic medical record in the nation, connecting our patients with the top 100 hospitals in America
• The investment of $170 million in vital equipment and space additions, allowing us to meet the needs of our swiftly growing community and serve a much greater patient population
• The ability to help several struggling private healthcare practices recover so they could continue to serve the patients in our region
• Raising our Patient Satisfaction scores, continuously improving the quality of care and safety for our patients each year
• Winning Best Place to Work awards in the large employer category for five years in a row, based on survey results from our entire team by the Northern Nevada Human Resources Association
• Being named 2nd largest critical access health system in the nation by Modern Healthcare

All of these accomplishments are a result of the exceptional efforts of our amazing TFHS team. I love our team and their willingness to confidently tackle the challenging patient-focused improvements we’ve made over the last nine years. It’s not about being big, but about doing big things for our patients in a compassionate and skillful manner!

We all know that when playing on a team, we may disagree with the coach’s call at times, but as a team member, we execute the play to the best of our ability. This same principle applies to our lives, and we remember that while we may not agree with all decisions, we are working as a team to best serve our community.

I will work with our Board of Directors as they engage with a skilled recruiting firm and internal and external stakeholders to select the next CEO in a wise and thoughtful manner, ensuring a smooth transition.

It has been such a tremendous honor and privilege to serve the growing and changing needs of this community and to work alongside such an amazing team of dedicated professionals.

To all of you I say – thank you so very much!