BREMERTON — David Schultz, executive VP and chief operating officer at Overlake Medical Center, a 349-bed hospital located in Bellevue, is the new president of Harrison Medical Center.

CHI Franciscan Health made the announcement Oct. 16. Schultz’s first day on the job will be Dec. 15.

“We believe that David Schultz, with his many years of hospital leadership experience, will benefit Harrison as he leads the organization through a period of tremendous change and growth,” CHI Franciscan Health CEO Joe Wilczek said in the announcement.

“Given his solid track record he is the right leader to ensure Harrison remains the region’s center for exceptional health care, now and well into the future.”

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to join Harrison Medical Center and CHI Franciscan Health and make a positive difference throughout the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas,” Schultz said in the announcement.

“I look forward to becoming part of the community and partnering with the medical staff to help Harrison further its culture of quality, as well as advancing the organization’s strategic plan.”

“David stood out for his leadership skills and experience with working with physicians, staff and the community to expand and improve health care services,” Harrison Board Chairman Jim Civilla said. “He will play a pivotal role in leading our organization’s Vision 2020 initiative to construct a single, regional acute care medical center in Silverdale and help us expand our health services throughout the Peninsula, including a new health care facility for Bremerton.”

Schultz succeeds Scott Bosch as Harrison’s president. Bosch retired in July 2014 after nearly a decade with Harrison.

Franciscan declined to state how much Schultz would be paid. But according to tax returns, Bosch was paid a salary of $572,462 plus $199,295 in other compensation in 2012.

Schultz has nearly 18 years of leadership experience at large and small hospitals and inpatient and outpatient care settings. He joined Overlake in 2007 and while there he helped guide the installation of the Epic electronic health record, which was recently installed at Harrison. He also oversaw numerous facility improvement projects, expanded the growth of the Overlake Medical Clinic physician network from 30 to more than 100 physicians, and provided oversight for the quality program which received national awards from The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the U.S.

His prior experience includes: administrator/chief operating officer for Northwest Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona; vice president at East Texas Medical Center, a Level I Trauma facility; chief administrative officer at Children’s Medical Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and, chief operating officer at Doctor’s Hospital, also located in Tulsa.

Schultz has a master’s degree in health care administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is married with two teenage children.

Harrison Medical Center (www.harrisonmedical.org) is licensed for 253 beds between its campuses in Silverdale and Bremerton. It also operates urgent care centers in Belfair and Port Orchard, and will open a new medical facility on Bainbridge Island on Dec. 1. Harrison HealthPartners is also part of the organization, operating a network of 24 clinics throughout the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.

CHI Franciscan Health (www.chifranciscan.org) includes St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma; St. Francis Hospital, Federal Way; St. Clare Hospital, Lakewood; St. Elizabeth Hospital, Enumclaw; St. Anthony Hospital, Gig Harbor; Highline Medical Center, Burien; Harrison Medical Center and Harrison HealthPartners, Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas; Regional Hospital, Tukwila; Franciscan Hospice House, University Place; Franciscan Medical Group clinics and providers, Pierce, King and Kitsap counties; and the Franciscan Foundation.

Franciscan is part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a nonprofit, faith-based health system formed in 1996 through the consolidation of four Catholic health systems. One of the nation’s largest health systems, Englewood, Colo.-based CHI operates in 18 states and comprises 93 hospitals; 24 critical access facilities and other facilities that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. In fiscal year 2013, CHI provided more than $762 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research.