DE QUEEN, Ark. - The Sevier County Hospital Board has hired an Arkansas native as its first CEO.
Lori House has been selected to head the new hospital starting June 1, said Board Chairman Steve Cole. House currently serves as Director of Revenue Cycle at Healthy Connections in Mena with 18 years of experience in medical administration.
House was chosen out of more than a dozen applicants for the CEO/Administrator Cole said.
"We are excited to have Lori coming on board June 1st to be our very first CEO. Lori shares the same vision and drive of the Sevier County Medical Center Board of Directors and community as a whole as she wants this hospital to be the absolute pinnacle of health care in Southwest Arkansas," Cole said.
As CEO, House will be responsible for the day-to-day administrative duties as construction proceeds on the new hospital and once it opens next spring.
Cole said House brings the perfect blend of health care experience and those intangibles you have to have within you to be successful.
"We feel this combination will make for a hospital that provides a patient experience like none other," Cole said. "This hospital is truly going to be a breath of fresh air for our communities and Lori is the perfect person to achieve our mission."
The hospital, whose funding was approved by Sevier County voters through a 1% sales tax passed in October 2019, will be located on the east side of U.S. Highway 71, a few miles north of De Queen.
The site is about 18 acres, and plans are also being made to cut trees on the land and design a visually appealing campus for the hospital.
The hospital is expected to be about 42,000 square feet and includes an outpatient rehab facility. It should employ about 105 people.
The county's former hospital closed in 2019 after a series of financial setbacks.