The President and CEO of St. Charles -- Jim Diegel is stepping down.

Diegel will stay on until a sucessor is named.  That process is expected to take six to nine months.

Hospital Board Chair Tom Sayek says last month's layoffs of St. Charles Bend Chief Executive Officer Jay Henry and Chief Administrative Officer Kirk Schueler aren't connected.

"The changes are unrelated.  The change of Jay Henry and Kirk Schueler were decisions made by the CEO to make changes in the leadership.  This particular decision was a mutual decision about leadership.  The two are not connected."

Sayek says the administrative layoffs were cost cutting measures in an attempt to cut five million from the hospital's 2014 budget.

Their positions were eliminated and the two remaining CEO's -- Bob Gomes and Jeanie Gentry will each oversee two hospitals.