FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Barb Meyer, 314/628-3633

Johnsen to Become CEO at St. Joseph's Mercy

HOT SPRINGS, AR (July 25, 2007) – Timothy J. Johnsen will become President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph’s Mercy Health Center on January 1, 2008, following the planned retirement of current CEO Randall J. Fale, FACHE, at the end of the year.

Johnsen has held the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer at St. Joseph’s Mercy since September 2006. He previously served as president of St. John’s Hospital in Lebanon, Missouri. Both St. Joseph’s Mercy and St. John’s are sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy Health System.

Johnsen also has held leadership positions at Citizens Memorial Health Care System in Bolivar, Missouri, and Cox Health System in Springfield, Missouri. He holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in health services administration from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, and a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University in St. Louis.

“Early in the selection process Tim emerged as the leading candidate for the CEO position,” said Lynn Britton, senior vice president of the Sisters of Mercy Health System. “Tim completed an extensive round of meetings and interviews with Sisters of Mercy Health System leadership, local physicians, board members, community leaders and Sisters of Mercy. His selection has been unanimously endorsed by everyone involved in the process. We are delighted to provide Tim with this new leadership opportunity, and to benefit from his strong commitment to furthering the Sisters of Mercy’s mission of healthcare service in Hot Springs and the surrounding area.”

Recruitment activity will begin in the near future to fill the position of chief operating officer at St. Joseph’s Mercy.

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About Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy Health System (Mercy) operates hospitals, physician practices, outpatient clinics, health plans and related health and human services in a seven state area including Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Its members include 18 acute care hospitals providing more than 4,000 licensed beds, a heart hospital, a managed care subsidiary (Mercy Health Plans), physician practices, outpatient care facilities, home health programs, skilled nursing services and long-term care facilities. Services are provided by approximately 30,000 co-workers and 4,000 medical staff members who are employed or practice at Mercy facilities. Mercy is the 9th largest Catholic health care system in the U.S. based on net patient service revenue and is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy–St. Louis Regional Community.

 

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