Countywide : Health Care Official to Join Private Firm

Ronald R. DiLuigi, second-in-command at the county’s Health Care Agency, said Friday he is resigning to become a vice president at St. Joseph Health System.

His departure comes as the agency tries to grapple with the effects of the county bankruptcy, but DiLuigi insisted it is not related to the financial crisis.

“This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for me,” said DiLuigi, a 48-year-old Yorba Linda resident who has worked for the county for more than a decade. “The job appeals to me.”

DiLuigi has served as assistant director of the Health Care Agency for seven years, managing the department on a day-to-day basis. He took on more responsibilities last month when Health Care Agency head Tom Uram was named acting county administrative officer.

“We are losing one of the finest employees I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” Uram said Friday. “This is a major blow.”

Uram said he suspects that the county’s financial turmoil was one factor in DiLuigi’s decision to leave. “I wouldn’t doubt that it was a little impetus,” he said. “You can’t blame someone for leaving when there is so much uncertainty around. . . . I could not in good conscience discourage him from taking it.”

St. Joseph Health System runs St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton and Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo.