Gary Blan Named New CEO of Sparks, Summit

Fort Smith native Gary Blan has been named CEO of Sparks Health System in Fort Smith and nearby and Summit Medical Center in Van Buren, effective March 19.

He will fill the position previously held by Melody Trimble, who was promoted Jan. 1 to president of Health Management Associates Inc.’s Southern and Western Group, which operates Sparks, Summit and 24 other hospitals in seven states.

HMA’s entire portfolio includes 70 hospitals in 15 states.

According to a news release, Blan received undergraduate degrees in business administration and journalism from Southern Nazarene in Oklahoma. He received a master’s degree in health care administration from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Blan has more than 30 years of experience serving in health care leadership roles, about a decade of which he spent as CEO of multi-hospital health systems.

Sparks Health System includes Sparks Regional Medical Center, Sparks Clinic (an employed multi-specialty physician group), Sparks PremierCare physician-hospital organization, Sparks Home Health and the fully hospital-integrated Marvin Altman Fitness Center.

Summit Medical Center is a 103-bed hospital that is partially physician-owned.