Architecture firm Taylor Design has named Kevin Hinrichs, LEED AP, principal at the firm. He will continue to be the director of Taylor Design’s office in San Francisco but will also operate as principal-in-charge. Hinrichs will oversee all aspects of the company’s Northern California operations, from business development to office management.
Maine Behavioral Healthcare has hired Stephen M. Merz, FACHE, as the new CEO. Merz has more than 20 years of experience as a health care executive in Connecticut. Most recently, he led the behavioral health service line of Yale New Haven Hospital, where he has spent the majority of his career overseeing more than 1,500 beds and 13,500 employees. During his time in New Haven, Merz worked on many initiatives that helped integrate mental health care into the larger health system and community.
Edmund M. Einy, FAIA has joined Taylor Design, a solutions-oriented architecture, environments and strategies firm. Serving as firm-wide director of architecture based in the company’s Irvine, Calif., office, Einy brings more than three decades of design and leadership experience creating forward-thinking structures and collaborative partnerships in health care, academic, government and commercial industries.
Tenet Healthcare Corporation announced that Eric Evans, CEO of the company’s Texas region, has been appointed president of Hospital Operations. Evans will oversee 79 acute care hospitals, more than 170 hospital-affiliated outpatient facilities and more than 700 physician practices.
Health care planning veteran Val Williams joined HDR, based in the firm’s Denver office. Williams will work with health care clients to design spaces that support and enhance health delivery now and in the future, while also assisting them to consider new ways of working to improve operational efficiencies and patient outcomes.
Memorial Hermann Health System Board announced the appointment of Benjamin K. Chu, M.D., MPH, MACP, as the system’s new president and CEO, effective June 2016. Chu has a four-decade-long career as a physician, administrator and policy advocate. He is currently the executive vice president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Inc., and group president of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Georgia.
Mercy Health in Toledo, Ohio has tapped John Starcher to become president and CEO of the $6 billion health care company, beginning next year. Starcher will be in charge of the 23 hospitals in Ohio and Kentucky that Mercy Health operates. He graduated from Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo College of Law.
Gary L. Bebow, CEO of White River Health System in Batesville, Ark., recently announced the appointment of Robyn Sweet, RNP, as director of White River Health System Rural Health Clinics. Sweet will be responsible for managing and monitoring daily office operations and maximize efficiency. She will coordinate with clinic providers and staff, manage clinic finances and general office planning in the Cave City, Drasco, Melbourne, Pleasant Plains and Strawberry clinics.
Los Angeles-based, CO Architects promoted Gina Chang, AIA from senior associate to associate principal. Chang joined the firm in 2007 and has more than 15 years of experience in architecture working as a project manager, health care architect and medical planner, and she has worked with many large teams on complex projects. Chang received a Bachelor of Arts in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and is certified in evidence-based design.
The Parkland Health and Hospital System Board of Managers welcomes Robert D. Martinez, who was appointed by Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia DDS, last month. Martinez is a litigator with experience in civil, criminal, arbitration and regulatory areas and is also a community leader with extensive board service including public speaking and general counsel roles.
