Sparks hospital filling out top management staff

Sparks Health System CEO Melody Trimble has now filled all but one of the hospital’s top management positions with the hiring of Sue Conley as the chief operations officer.

Conley will assume the duties effective May 24. She will move from Mesquite, Nev., where she worked as the Mesa View Regional Hospital CEO for the past five years, according to a statement from Sparks. Mesquite is about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, and has a population just short of 20,000.

Conley has more than 20 years experience in hospital administration. She earned a master’s degree in health care administration from Trinity University in San Antonio and a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

Trimble is about to complete her fifth month on the job as CEO. She began effective Dec. 1, following the purchase of Sparks Health System by Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates. HMA purchased Sparks in a $138-million deal that closed Nov. 30. The company operates 55 hospitals — including Summit Medical in Van Buren — in 15 states and employs about 33,700. The publicly held (NYSE: HMA) hospital company is directly and indirectly affiliated with 8,000 physicians.

The only position open on Trimble’s top management team is a director of associate relations. The management team in place is:
• David Rothenberger, chief financial officer;
• Sue Conley, COO (effective May 24);
• Donna Bragg, director of marketing & communications;
• Gilda Sharp, director of risk management;
• Frankie Solomon, vice president-quality and regulation;
• Bob Moody, vice president-PremierCare;
• Jodi Love, chief nursing officer;
• Jeremy Drinkwitz, associate administrator;
• Richard Boone, associate administrator; and,
• Staci Carroll, vice president-Sparks Clinic.