Whidbey General Hospital’s new chief operations officer stepped into place last month.

Hank Hanigan of Longview, Wash., said he accepted his role on Whidbey because of the “feel and the people.”

“I was told during the interview that this is a special place, but everybody says that,” he said Monday night after the hospital commissioners’ meeting. “Since I’ve moved here, I’ve come to realize that the people here really are personable.”

Hanigan’s family includes a wife and four children.

Over the past 15 years he’s served in a variety of hospital roles including chief financial officer at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Ore. and director of surgical and physical rehabilitation service lines at St. John Medical Center in Longview.

Hanigan’s education includes a master’s of business administration from Washington State University and a bachelor’s of business administration from Gonzaga University.

Hanigan was hired at a starting yearly salary of $147,000.

Tom Tomasino formerly served as the Hospital’s COO until he replaced former CEO Scott Rhine on an interim basis in October 2008. In the role of COO, he earned a yearly salary of $144,000. Tomasino was selected as the permanent CEO last July and now earns a base salary of $230,000 in addition to benefits and educational expenses.