Andalusia Regional Hospital CEO Rebecca Brewer is resigning, effective March 31.

ARH employees, volunteers and physicians were notified in a memo on Friday that Brewer is resigning to relocate closer to family.

Brewer came to ARH in 2012 as interim administrator and later was given the permanent job.

Brewer had more than 30 years of healthcare management experience when she joined ARH. Most recently, she served as interim CEO of Lander Regional Hospital in Lander, Wy. – another LifePoint facility – for seven months and as interim vice president for surgical services at Oakhill Hospital in Brooksville, Fla., for six months. Brewer holds a master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Carolina. She is Board Certified and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

The memo to employees from local hospital board chairman Terry Powell and LifePoint Hospitals Western Group President Don Bivacca, praised Brewer for her work here.

“During her tenure, Rebecca focused her team on improving the confidence of patients and the community in the medical care that can be accessed locally. Under her leadership, Andalusia Regional Hospital was recognized by the Joint Commission as a 2013 Top Performer in Pneumonia Care and Surgical Care. The same year, the hospital was recognized by the Alabama Department of Public Health as outperforming most hospitals in the nation in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. “

An interim CEO is expected to be named soon.

“A national search has been launched to identify the right person to fill this important role on a permanent basis,” the memo stated. “In the meantime, an interim CEO will be named very soon to assume the leadership position and work with Rebecca to ensure a smooth and successful transition. We appreciate Rebecca’s willingness to work with us to transition her responsibilities as she relocates closer to home.”