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St. Christopher’s CEO Don Mueller is leaving for job in home state of Tennessee

Mueller's replacement is Robert Brooks, the hospital's current chief operating officer.

Don Mueller, CEO of St. Christopher’s Hospital, shown here in October, is leaving for a job in his home state of Tennessee.
Don Mueller, CEO of St. Christopher’s Hospital, shown here in October, is leaving for a job in his home state of Tennessee.Read moreJessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children chief executive Don Mueller is resigning from the North Philadelphia safety-net hospital for a job in Chattanooga, Tenn., located closer to his family, St. Christopher’s owner Tower Health announced Wednesday.

Mueller took the job at St. Christopher's in the summer of 2020, about seven months after Tower and Drexel University bought the facility, but did not permanently move to Philadelphia.

Robert Brooks, St. Christopher’s chief operating officer since September, will succeed Mueller after a transition period of at least two months, Tower said.

Brooks is a Philadelphia resident, according to Tower. St. Christopher’s ran into state inspection problems after Mueller did not permanently relocate to the region. State health officials last year blamed safety lapses at the hospital on Mueller’s absence and ordered him to be in Philadelphia five days a week.

“We are grateful for Don’s contributions to St. Christopher’s throughout his tenure. We understand this decision was driven by a desire to spend more time with his family and know he will continue to influence and champion pediatrics,” P. Sue Perrotty, president and CEO of Tower Health, said in a news release.

Mueller’s new job is as CEO at Chattanooga’s Siskin Children’s Institute, a nonprofit that provides diagnostic services and treatment for children with special needs.

Tower praised Mueller’s performance at St. Christopher's, saying that the hospital’s finances improved to break-even last year from a $97 million loss three years earlier. Last year’s overall results benefited from more than $25 million in donations from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University, Temple Health, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Independence Health Group, and private donors.

Brooks had previously worked with Mueller at Erlanger Health System in Tennessee.

“Since joining St. Christopher’s in August, I have seen firsthand how irreplaceable this institution is as a vital provider of patient care and community engagement initiatives, along with serving as an anchor research and medical training hub,” Brooks said.