Montana State Hospital CEO resigns after 1 year

Kevin Flanigan, MD, CEO of Warm Springs-based Montana State Hospital, is stepping down after about one year at the helm, according to a July 18 Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services news release.

Dr. Flanigan has served as CEO of the state’s only public psychiatric hospital since summer 2024. The department’s spokesperson said Daniel Bemporad, DO, a former staff psychiatrist at MSH, will return to the hospital July 26 as interim CEO, while Dr. Flanigan’s service will conclude Aug. 8. State officials did not discuss the reasoning behind the leadership change, and Dr. Flanigan did not respond to requests for comment from Montana Free Press as of July 18.

“I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Flanigan for his unwavering commitment to Montana’s most vulnerable patients and the positive impact he has had on MSH,” Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said in the release. “During his tenure, Dr. Flanigan transformed the hospital’s culture and moved the facility closer to federal certification, allowing Dr. Bemporad to seamlessly carry the ball forward. I welcome Dan back to DPHHS as an employee and believe he is the right psychiatric leader for MSH at this crucial time.”

The leadership change at MSH comes after the hospital lost certification from CMS in April 2022 over patient safety concerns. According to the Free Press, Dr. Bemporad will be MSH’s sixth leader since the certification loss.