Citizens Baptist Medical Center in Talladega will continue as part of Baptist Health System (BHS), officials announced July 29.
BHS had been in discussions with the Citizens Hospital Association (CHA) to review the possibility of CHA’s reacquiring Citizens Baptist.
After several meetings, the parties were not able to reach an agreement on CHA’s reacquiring Citizens Baptist, and negotiations have been mutually terminated.
In a joint statement, BHS CEO Beth O’Brien and Steve Gautney, president of Citizens Baptist, thanked the hospital staff and the community for their support during the talks.
“The best interest of the community will be served by Citizens Baptist continuing as a part of the BHS hospital network,” the statement said.
“Our first priority is and will continue to be the quality of our patients’ experience. To this end, our master facility-site plan will focus on new physician office space and enhanced patient access to outpatient surgery and diagnostic services.”
In other news, BHS recently appointed two interim presidents for two Birmingham-area hospitals.
Vicki Lawson Briggs was named interim president of Montclair Baptist Medical Center following the resignation of Mike Cowling to take a senior vice president position with a hospital system in Chicago.
Briggs has held numerous CEO positions since 1980, including serving as CEO of Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, La., and most recently at Longview Regional Medical Center in Texas.
Because of the joint venture between BHS and Triad Hospitals Inc., regarding Montclair Baptist, Triad will be spearheading the search for a permanent president.
After the retirement of Church Colvert as president of Shelby Baptist Medical Center earlier this year, Scott Williams was named interim president. Williams came to the system from serving as CEO at Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton, Tenn.
(BHS)
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