Denten Park named CEO of Northwest Health, Sharif Omar takes job out of state

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 1,684 views 

Denten Park has been named market CEO for Springdale-based healthcare company Northwest Health. On Tuesday (June 12), the company announced Park had accepted the position after former CEO Sharif Omar took a position in another state.

Omar was CEO of Northwest Health for nearly four years, and his last day in the position was April 13. Omar started in the position after working as CEO of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, a 224-bed hospital in Pottstown, Pa. Since Omar left the position, Maurine Cate has served as interim CEO of Northwest Health.

Park, who starts Monday (June 18), has worked as CEO of Mountain View Regional Medical Center in Las Cruses, N.M., since 2009.

“Northwest Health has established a strong tradition of providing patients with quality care close to home,” Park said. “I welcome the opportunity to build upon this tradition and support the skilled and compassionate physicians and staff who are making a difference in individual lives each day and serving the broader community across Northwest Arkansas.”

Park has more than 20 years of executive management experience at hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers in Arizona, Wyoming and Utah. In Las Cruses, he recruited physicians and providers, built the first free standing emergency center in New Mexico, established the first trauma program for the community and increased patient access to care.

His collaborative approach has led to consistent improvements in employee, physician and patient satisfaction. He’s worked closely with physician partners to build relationships and grows and improves how hospitals serve patients and communities, the release shows.

Park earned a master’s degree in business administration from New Mexico State University and a bachelor’s degree in business management and social business from Utah State University. He was a founding member of The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and president of the Las Cruces Public Schools Foundation. He’s also chairman of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce and former board member of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. And, he’s a youth basketball coach and referee, a volunteer youth educator and Eagle Scout Board of Review member for the Boy Scouts of America.

Northwest Health is owned by Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tenn., and has 540 physicians, 2,200 staff members and 487 beds in five hospitals in Northwest Arkansas. In late April, Northwest Health confirmed it was building a standalone emergency room on South Shiloh Drive in Fayetteville.