NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Jill E. McCormick, Director, Marketing & Planning
St. Edward Mercy Health System
Phone: 479-314-6037
Email: jill.mccormick@mercy.net

Regional Administrator Change at St. Edward Mercy

Fort Smith, Ark. – April 21, 2009 – Jim Maddox, regional administrator for St. Edward Mercy Health System, is stepping down after 34 years of service for health reasons.

Maddox has been the regional administrator for the St. Edward Mercy Health System since 1999 during which time he had responsibility for the operations and direction of three rural hospital and three clinics. The three rural hospitals became licensed as critical access hospitals under the new designation by the State Health Department in his first year of management.

North Logan Mercy Hospital was the first-ever designated critical access hospital in the state of Arkansas. Maddox has been invaluable in building and maintaining community relationships with the goal of working with local leaders to promote health maintenance and health prevention programs.

From 1979 to 1999, Maddox served as the chief administrative officer of North Logan Mercy Hospital. Prior to his service at North Logan Mercy Hospital, Maddox was first a staff medical technologist and later became the managerial director of nursing service for St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith.

Upon Maddox’s retirement at the end of May, the role of regional administrator will be filled by Ron Summerhill, the current vice president of human resources for St. Edward Mercy Health System.

The three rural facilities, North Logan Mercy Hospital (Paris), Mercy Hospital of Scott County (Waldron), and Mercy Hospital Turner Memorial (Ozark) serve a population of 52,000 and see an average of 14,000 emergency department visits and over 21,000 outpatient visits per year.