**Steward Health Care CEO Steps Down Amid Senate Scrutiny**

CEO Ralph de la Torre of Steward Health Care, a hospital operator that declared bankruptcy in May, is set to resign after his refusal to testify before a U.S. Senate panel investigating the company's financial troubles. Steward Health Care, based in Texas, manages a network of approximately 30 hospitals across the United States.

The company’s recent difficulties have attracted the attention of policymakers in New England, where some of its facilities are situated. According to a spokesperson for de la Torre, he has parted ways with Steward Health Care on "mutually agreeable terms" and will continue to champion better reimbursement rates for underprivileged patients.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has been vocal about holding de la Torre accountable. Sanders stated earlier this month that Congress intends to address the harm caused by de la Torre’s leadership to hospitals and patients nationwide.

De la Torre's resignation will be effective from October 1. The Senate had recently passed a resolution aiming to hold him in criminal contempt for not appearing before the investigative committee despite a subpoena. This resolution has now been forwarded to a federal prosecutor for further action.