Dignity Health's St. Mary Medical Center has appointed Carolyn Caldwell as its president and CEO. She will take over in June.
Caldwell will take the helm of Long Beach, Calif.-based St. Mary's 389-room hospital and its clinic network that includes more than 600 physicians and 1,350 employees. She will lead the expansion of St. Mary's emergency department, which is increasing from 26 to 47 beds. Caldwell will also help grow its senior wellness program through its Center for Integrated Care and as well as its HIV prevention program, the organization said.
"St. Mary Medical Center physicians and staff are looking forward to a strong future with incoming president Carolyn Caldwell taking the helm at a pivotal time for healthcare," Julie Sprengel, Dignity Health's senior vice president of its southern California service area, said in a statement. "The extensive experience Carolyn brings to Long Beach will be impactful on the growth and positive change ahead." The not-for-profit San Francisco-based Dignity Health has 39 hospitals located in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Previously, Caldwell was the CEO of Desert Regional Medical Center for four years in Palm Springs, Calif., a 385-bed tertiary acute-care facility owned by Tenet Health. She is taking over for Sprengel, who filled in as interim CEO for former president and CEO Joel Yuhas when he left in 2016 to lead UCHealth's Memorial hospitals in Colorado.
Caldwell is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has more than 20 years of executive hospital leadership experience. She received a master's degree in health care administration from Texas Woman's University and spent 12 years in clinical services.