Steve Purves: A Legacy of Leadership, Service and Exceptional Care
For 13 years, Steve Purves led Valleywise Health through one of the most transformative periods in its history. His vision helped strengthen the health system, expand access to care, inspire historic community investment, and build a stronger foundation for the future. As he retires after more than 45 years in healthcare, Valleywise Health Foundation celebrates a leader whose greatest impact can be seen not only in new facilities and programs, but in the people, partnerships and mission he championed every step of the way.
Putting People First
At 3 a.m. on his very first day at Valleywise Health, Steve Purves walked into the hospital and started making rounds.
There was no formal welcome, no conference room, and no executive presentation. Instead, Steve joined a nursing supervisor on the night shift and walked through the old medical center, meeting employees who were caring for patients while most of the Valley slept.
He wanted to understand the organization from the inside out. More than a decade later, that first night says a lot about how Steve would lead Valleywise Health.
“It’s not the bricks and mortar or the technology that makes a great hospital,” Steve said. “It is absolutely the people.”
When Steve arrived in 2013, Valleywise Health, then known as Maricopa Integrated Health System, was facing serious financial challenges and aging infrastructure. Under his leadership, Valleywise Health achieved a financial turnaround exceeding $170 million and helped secure nearly $1.8 billion in voter-approved bond funding to transform healthcare across Maricopa County.
The health system expanded community health centers and behavioral health services, strengthened the nationally recognized Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center and opened the new 673,000-square-foot Valleywise Health Medical Center.
When the time came to move patients into the new hospital, Steve was there again in the early morning hours. He remembers patients looking around the new space with wide eyes and smiles, almost as if they were asking, “Is this facility for us?”
For Steve, the answer represented everything Valleywise Health had worked toward: every patient, regardless of circumstance, deserved exceptional care in a facility built with dignity in mind. The moment, he said, felt like “mission accomplished.”
Transformation Through Partnership
Steve is quick to point out that Valleywise Health’s progress was never the work of one person.
Employees, physicians, board members, voters, donors, volunteers and community partners came together around a shared belief in what Arizona’s public health system could become.
“Valleywise Health has never done anything by itself,” he said. “We’ve always had to work collaboratively with the community in order to fulfill the mission that we have.”
That philosophy also helped strengthen Valleywise Health Foundation and expand the role philanthropy plays in advancing care. Steve has described community partnership and philanthropy as a “force multiplier,” extending Valleywise Health’s impact beyond what public funding alone can accomplish.
“Steve has always understood the power of bringing people together around a mission,” said Lisa Hartsock, CEO of Valleywise Health Foundation. “He helped our community see what was possible for Valleywise Health and welcomed donors and partners into that vision. We are incredibly grateful for his leadership, his friendship and his belief in the Foundation and the people we serve.”
Building a Stronger Future
Steve’s impact extends far beyond the buildings and programs developed during his tenure.
He helped establish the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance, strengthening Valleywise Health’s role as a public teaching health system and helping educate the next generation of healthcare professionals.
He also guided the transition from Maricopa Integrated Health System to Valleywise Health and advanced a culture of quality and patient safety that earned national recognition. His many honors include the 2026 AZBusiness Magazine Champions of Change Lifetime Achievement Award.
But ask Steve what he is most proud of, and his answer comes back to the people.
His “Purves Principles,” collected during decades in healthcare leadership, reflect a belief that leadership comes with responsibility. One principle he often shares is that status and rank in a healthcare organization do not confer privilege but impose responsibility.
“Steve’s leadership helped transform what was possible for Valleywise Health,” said Kote Chundu, MD, President and CEO of District Medical Group. “He brought people together around a shared mission and understood the importance of strong partnerships between physicians, employees and the community. The organization is stronger because of his service, and that impact will continue for years to come.”
Passing the Baton
When Steve is asked about his legacy, he is hesitant to claim one. He describes leaders as temporary stewards of a mission that existed long before them and will continue long after they leave.
“I would hope that people would say about my tenure here that he left the organization in a better place than he found it,” Steve said.
As he retires, Steve leaves Valleywise Health financially stronger, with modern facilities, expanded access to care, a thriving academic partnership and thousands of employees committed to its mission. That mission now moves forward under President and CEO Michael White, MD, a leader Steve has worked alongside for years.
Valleywise Health Foundation is also recognizing Steve and his wife, Mary Anne, with an opportunity to support the completion of the 10th floor of Valleywise Health Medical Center. The new medical-surgical unit will add much-needed inpatient capacity to serve the growing needs of the community.
After 13 years of extraordinary leadership, Steve may be passing the baton, but the impact of his service will remain in the people cared for, the community strengthened and the future he helped make possible.
