TAUNTON – Maureen Bryant, who has served as Morton Hospital and Medical Center’s chief operating officer for the past decade, will take over as the hospital’s chief executive officer when longtime CEO Thomas C. Porter decides to retire, The Taunton Daily Gazette reported today.

Porter, who has been Morton’s CEO for the past 22 years, has not announced a date for his retirement, but has previously noted that he will be eligible for full retirement benefits when he turns 65 in 2011, The Gazette reported.

In anticipation of the transition, Morton’s board of trustees has negotiated an agreement with Bryant for her to take Porter’s position once he retires, the paper reported. She has assumed the transitional title of chief operating officer and president, effective immediately.

The Gazette said Porter will remain CEO of the hospital and president of Morton Health Foundation Inc., the hospital’s parent company, during the transition.

Board chairman Edward Roster said Bryant was Porter’s handpicked choice to succeed him, according to a press release. “We are very pleased to obtain [Bryant’s] early commitment and look forward to a smooth succession … as we face challenging economic times ahead for health care providers,” Roster said in a news release quoted by the paper.

The hospital laid off 25 employees in October 2007 amid falling revenue, the paper said. The hospital generated $116.77 million in total revenue during the 2007 fiscal year, tax records show.

Porter earned $609,737 in total compensation in 2006-07, while Bryant earned $330,384, according to tax filings.

Additional information is available at MortonHospital.org.