Memphis, Tenn., Mar. 23, 2000 - Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. leaders announced today that Stuart Mitchell, currently vice president and Mississippi market leader for the Baptist health care system, will join the staff of Baptist Memorial Hospital-East as CEO and administrator.

Mitchell has served in various capacities throughout the Baptist health care system since 1993. He will begin his work at Baptist East - cited by the Tennessee Hospital Association as the busiest hospital in the state and by National Research Corp. as Mid-Southerners' most preferred hospital - in mid-April.

"We're very pleased that Stuart has accepted this important responsibility," said David Hogan, executive vice president and chief operating officer for BMHCC. "Baptist East is a very important and well-loved hospital, and we know it will progress even more under Stuart's leadership. He brings strong leadership skills and a sincere desire to make a difference for our patients."

From 1993 through 1998, Mitchell served as the administrator of Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, a 328-bed regional medical center in Columbus, Miss. While there, he oversaw a $44 million building project and led the hospital to win the Mississippi Department of Health Quality Award three years in a row. Before that, he worked for 10 years as the administrator of Phenix Medical Park Hospital in Phenix City, Al.

He has received the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International, and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In addition, he has served numerous leadership roles in both the Columbus, Miss. and Phenix City chambers of commerce and with the Alabama Hospital Association. He holds a master's degree in business administration from Columbus College in Columbus, Ga., and a bachelor of science degree in business administration with a health care management major from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Mitchell replaces Baptist East CEO and administrator Steve Mansfield, who has accepted a position as president and CEO with St. Vincent's Health Care System, based in Little Rock, Ark. Mansfield joined Baptist East as administrator in 1997, and has spent 23 years working in the Baptist system in various capacities.

"We're really sad to see Steve go," said Jerry Brantley, vice president and metro market leader for BMHCC, "but we understand what a wonderful opportunity this is for him. He has led Baptist East to great accomplishments and earned the respect of the staff and patients there. Under his leadership, Baptist East has won numerous awards and has begun the most important construction projects of its 20-year history. He leaves a wonderful legacy there for this community - one that we know Stuart will build upon."

Baptist East was built in 1979, and has grown from a community hospital featuring obstetrical services to a full-service tertiary care hospital with a full spectrum of specialties. The hospital's special services include a pediatric emergency department, perinatology center, women's health center and a cardiac wellness complex. The hospital has 604 licensed beds and approximately 2,400 employees. Mid-Southerners recently named Baptist East their most preferred hospital in a National Research Corp. survey, making 1999 Baptist East's fourth consecutive year to win the NRC's Consumer Choice Award.

As part of Baptist's Health Care for the 21st Century building program, several new projects are under way at Baptist East. These include a new five-story bed tower featuring a Pediatric Center and a new parking garage, to be completed early in 2001; the Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, to open in spring 2001; and the Baptist Heart Institute of the Mid-South, slated to open in fall 2001.

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