Jose Echavarria appointed CEO of Northwest Medical Center – Springdale
by February 20, 2022 9:43 am 1,387 views
Springdale-based healthcare provider Northwest Health announced Friday (Feb. 18) that Jose Echavarria has been named CEO of Northwest Medical Center – Springdale.
Echavarria has been as the interim CEO of the 222-bed hospital since October. That month, Hans Driessnack, who was CEO of the hospital, accepted a new job and relocated to Arizona to be closer to family. He’d worked in Springdale since December 2018.
In July 2021, Denten Park resigned as CEO of the Northwest Health market and relocated out of state to be closer to family. Following the departures of Driessnack and Park, Northwest Health completed a nationwide search to fill the open positions. Early this year, Northwest Health named Chris York its market CEO, effective Jan. 24.
Before becoming interim CEO of the Springdale hospital, Echavarria was assistant CEO for the Northwest Health market and focused on strategic initiatives to advance the health system, including successfully implementing telemedicine for critical care, cardiology, pulmonology and neurology across the five-hospital system.
He also played a key role in developing Northwest Health’s standalone emergency room and urgent care location in west Bentonville, recruiting specialists to the area and establishing the cardiac electrophysiology program in Springdale.
“Jose’s success here at Northwest Health aligns with our hospital’s mission of quality and excellence,” York said. “I am looking forward to Jose’s continued leadership and drive for growth at Northwest Medical Center – Springdale.”
Prior to joining Northwest Health, Echavarria worked in executive roles at several hospitals with Steward Healthcare in Texas. He received an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he also earned a black belt in Lean Six Sigma.
Echavarria, who can speak English and Spanish, is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives. He also is as a board member for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce.