The president and chief executive officer of Springfield’s largest hospital is resigning after fewer than two years at the helm.
Jay Roszhart, 41, who was promoted to lead 500-bed Springfield Memorial Hospital on July 1, 2024, will leave on June 12, according to a statement June 9 from Drew Early, senior vice president and chief operating officer of parent organization Memorial Health.
Early didn’t cite a reason for Roszhart’s resignation in a statement to Illinois Times, and Roszhart declined comment when contacted by phone.
“Jay’s commitment to building relationships, strengthening culture and advancing innovation has left a meaningful impact on SMH and Memorial Health,” Early said. “We are grateful for his leadership, unique perspective and dedication to our mission, and we wish him the best.”
Early will oversee operations at Springfield Memorial during the leadership transition, a spokesperson for the Springfield-based nonprofit health system said.
Roszhart, a Springfield native, first worked at the hospital as a phlebotomist while attending high school and college, according to a 2024 Illinois Times story.
He began a full-time career at Memorial Health, formerly known as Memorial Health System, in 2009 as an administrative fellow.
Roszhart was president of Memorial Health Ambulatory Group when he was promoted to president and CEO of Springfield Memorial, the largest of the health system’s five hospitals. The other Memorial hospitals are in Decatur, Jacksonville, Taylorville and Lincoln.
Roszhart holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the St. Louis University School of Public Health and a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Roszhart replaced Chuck Callahan as president and CEO of Springfield Memorial. Memorial Health officials said in 2024 that Callahan resigned to seek other professional opportunities and didn’t elaborate.
For the fiscal year ending in September 2025, Memorial Health posted $1.7 billion in total revenues and $423,000 in revenues exceeding expenses – a 0.02% positive margin. During that same period, Springfield Memorial posted $902.5 million in total revenues and $20.2 million in revenues exceeding expenses, representing a 2.2% positive margin.
Springfield Memorial’s financial performance in fiscal 2025 compared with $831.2 million in total revenues and $30.4 million in revenues exceeding expenses the previous year, representing a 3.7% positive margin.
The only money-losing hospital in the health system is Decatur Memorial, a 300-bed institution in the Macon County seat that lost $26.4 million in fiscal 2025 and $28.5 million in fiscal 2024, according to the system’s consolidated financial statements.
Dean Olsen is a senior staff writer with Illinois Times. He can be reached at dolsen@illinoistimes.com, 217-679-7810 or www.x.DeanOlsenIT.
As a resident of central Illinois, I have become increasingly concerned about the cost of healthcare in our country. A visit to Memorial Hospital in Springfield should provide patients with quality medical care and peace of mind. Instead, many people leave not only worried about their health but also fearful of the bills that may follow.
The United States spends more on healthcare than any other developed nation, yet many Americans still struggle to afford medical treatment, prescriptions, insurance premiums, and deductibles. Families who have worked hard and paid for insurance often discover that a hospital stay, emergency room visit, or diagnostic test can result in thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses.
Hospitals and healthcare workers perform vital services, and the doctors, nurses, and staff who care for patients deserve our respect. The problem lies in a system that has become increasingly expensive, complex, and difficult for ordinary people to navigate. Patients are often left wondering why charges are so high and why healthcare costs continue to rise faster than wages.
When illness strikes, people should be focused on recovery, not on whether they can afford treatment or how they will pay their medical bills. Healthcare should not be a luxury available only to those with the best insurance or the deepest pockets.
It is time for elected officials, healthcare providers, insurers, and community leaders to have an honest discussion about affordability and transparency. Springfield residents, like Americans everywhere, deserve a healthcare system that delivers excellent care without creating financial hardship.