A South Carolina hospital executive and Ann Arbor native will become the new CEO of the Chelsea Community Hospital, officials announced today.

Nancy Kay Graebner, executive vice president of physician strategy and services for Bon Secours St. Francis Health System Inc. in Greenville, S.C., will become president and CEO of Chelsea Community Hospital. Graebner succeeds Kathleen Griffiths, who spent 30 years there, including 13 in the top job.

Chelsea Community Hospital employs more than 1,000 workers.

Lisa Allmendinger | AnnArbor.com

Griffiths, who guided the hospital through its 2009 merger with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and helped it launch its current $60 million expansion, is retiring.

“Nancy Kay Graebner has an impressive record of working closely with medical staff in developing strong clinical programs,” Saint Joseph Mercy Health System CEO Garry C. Faja said in a statement. “We’re confident she will continue Chelsea Community Hospital’s high standards of care made possible by Kathleen Griffiths‘ stellar leadership.”

Chelsea Community Hospital has about 1,050 full-time and part-time employees, making it one of the largest single-site employers in Washtenaw County. It's a not-for-profit hospital in St. Joseph Mercy Health System, which is owned by Catholic health care group Trinity Health.

Graebner, who earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan, has also served as physician network executive for ambulatory management services (Halley Group) at St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor. She was also chief operating officer at Michigan Physician Services in Bloomfield Hills and vice president of practice management at Chicago-based Health Directions Inc.

“I am honored to be presented this wonderful opportunity at Chelsea Community Hospital, and look forward to coming back home to Saint Joseph Mercy Health System,” Graebner said in a statement. “CCH has a long-standing reputation of providing exceptional patient care, and it gives me great pride to be a part of this growing, respected community hospital.”

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.