Perkins to take over Anne Arundel Medical Center

Sherry Perkins will serve as the next president of Anne Arundel Medical Center, the hospital’s former president announced Thursday.

Victoria Bayless, CEO of Luminis Health, the medical system created by the combination this year of Anne Arundel Medical Center and Doctors Community Hospital, had been serving as president of the hospital.

“As we continue to establish and develop Luminis Health as our new parent organization, we also are ensuring that we have the right leadership for AAMC,” Bayless said in a statement. “The role of AAMC president is vital and all the more significant given AAMC’s history in this community and its unique culture. Not only does Dr. Perkins bring a great depth and breadth of experience as a leader, we are fortunate to have a former senior executive who understands our culture and our place in the community.”

Perkins announced earlier this year that she was leaving University of Maryland Capital Region Health for a new position in Delaware, less than a year after she was named to the role.

She had helped the Prince George’s County-based health system transition from its previous life as Dimensions Health to a system affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical System.

Before joining Capital Region Health as its executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2016, she had served as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at Anne Arundel Medical Center from 2006 to 2016. 

“I’m thrilled and honored to return to AAMC,” Perkins said in a statement. “As we grow and evolve with new services and programs, we also want to sustain that local approach in how we focus on patients and their families. It is what AAMC is known for, and it is what AAMC employees and caregivers do so well. I look forward to leading the organization as president and working with the highly regarded team that makes AAMC such a special and unique place for our patients and our community.”

Perkins’ appointment is effective next month. She will take over a hospital with 349 beds and about 4,700 employees. 

Luminis Health was created this year when the Annapolis-based Anne Arundel Medical Center acquired the Lanham-based Doctors Community Hospital. Together, the health system has 635 beds and more than 6,400 employees.

The merger was originally announced in May. As part of the deal, Anne Arundel Medical Center said it would invest up to $138 million over five years in Doctors Community Health. That investment would include the hospital campus and IT infrastructure; expansion of inpatient and outpatient services; and programs that support the Prince George’s County Community Health Needs Assessment.

Total integration of the two is expected to take up to two years.