Tenet Names CEOs at Three El Paso Hospitals

DALLAS .– Tenet’s Central Region announced today the appointment of three new chief executive officers at its three acute care hospitals that are part of the Sierra Providence Health Network (SPHN) in El Paso, Texas. Irene Chavez, a 13-year veteran of SPHN, was promoted from chief operating officer to lead the 508-bed Providence Memorial Hospital, effective immediately; Edmundo Castaneda joins Tenet from a former Triad Hospitals, Inc. hospital to lead the 351-bed Sierra Medical Center, effective Sept. 24; and Sally A. Steffen joins Tenet from an HCA hospital to oversee the continued construction of the new 100-bed Sierra Providence Eastside Hospital, effective Sept. 10. All three executives will report to network president John Harris.

“The addition of these three outstanding executives to one of Tenet’s strongest markets is an exciting opportunity for us in El Paso,” said Stephen L. Newman, M.D., Tenet’s chief operating officer. “I am excited by the talent we have recruited to one of our most competitive markets. This is an important step for our El Paso operations.”

“We have terrific hospitals serving the health care needs of El Paso, and the addition of Irene, Edmundo and Sally will build on that success. Each of them has demonstrated their ability to lead and manage operations in challenging environments,” said Robert L. Smith, senior vice president of Tenet’s Central Region, which includes El Paso. “Each CEO brings a unique brand of management, expertise and experience that is best suited for their hospital. This is an exciting time for the market, for SPHN and for Tenet. With this announcement, we now have a full complement of leaders in El Paso to take the market to the next level in terms of quality, service and performance.”

The three CEOs are native El Pasoans and will reside in the area.
Chavez, 55, has been the chief operating officer at Providence Memorial Hospital for five years. Prior to becoming COO, she was the chief development officer for SPHN overseeing its strategic planning, marketing, advertising and business development. Chavez has bachelor’s degrees in political science and secondary education from the University of Texas at El Paso and a master’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix.

Castaneda, 36, was most recently the CEO of Lea Regional Medical Center, a 250-bed community hospital in Hobbs, N.M. previously operated by Triad. Prior to that, he was the COO of MountainView Regional Medical Center, another former Triad hospital facility located in Las Cruces, N.M. Castaneda earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and his master’s in health care administration from Texas State University, San Marcos.

Steffen, 39, a registered nurse, joins Sierra Providence Health Network from HCA’s Edmond Medical Center, a 100-bed facility in Edmond, Okla. where she was CEO. Previously, Steffen held various positions at Del Sol Medical Center, an HCA hospital in El Paso, including COO, chief compliance officer and chief nursing officer. Steffen has bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees in nursing from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a master’s in health care administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Sierra Providence Eastside Hospital is a new $143 million acute care hospital under development on El Paso’s fast-growing East Side. The hospital is scheduled to open in spring 2008.

Chavez’s promotion and Steffen’s appointment make them the first Hispanic women to become hospital CEOs in El Paso.

Tenet Central Region, part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC), comprises 16 acute care hospitals in Missouri, Tennessee and Texas with approximately 4,293 beds and numerous related health care services. The region includes two hospitals serving the greater St. Louis area, two in the greater Memphis area and 12 in Texas. A 100-bed acute care hospital – Sierra Providence Eastside Hospital – is currently under construction in El Paso and is expected to open in early 2008.

Tenet Central Region hospitals are Des Peres Hospital and Saint Louis University Hospital in Missouri; Saint Francis Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett in Tennessee; and Centennial Medical Center, Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center, Doctors Hospital of Dallas, Houston Northwest Medical Center, Lake Pointe Medical Center, Nacogdoches Medical Center, Park Plaza Hospital, Providence Memorial Hospital, RHD Memorial Medical Center, Shelby Regional Medical Center, Sierra Medical Center and Trinity Medical Center in Texas. The region also includes two specialty hospitals, Plaza Specialty Hospital and Sierra Providence Physical Rehabilitation Hospital. Tenet’s hospitals aim to provide the best possible care to every patient who comes through their doors, with a clear focus on quality and service. Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com.