HCHD reorganizes management team

Hospital District

The Hopkins County Hospital District (HCHD) Board of Directors approved a change in the organization’s management structure at a special meeting Tuesday. In a unanimous vote, the Board approved the appointment of Brent Smith as chief operating officer (COO) and director of EMS and Ron Folwell as CEO and CFO.

Smith has served as the director of Emergency Medical Services Operations since July 2007. He is very active in Texas EMS circles and currently serves as president-elect of the Texas EMS Alliance, chairman of the board of directors of the Northeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, and task force leader for the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force, which is responsible for disaster response.

“I am excited and honored to be named the chief operating officer for the Hopkins County Hospital District. Since I started working for the district in 2007, there have been many great accomplishments the district and Board of Directors have been able to achieve. I look forward to the new expanded role of COO to continue moving the operations of the district forward to benefit healthcare in Hopkins County,” Smith said.

Kerry Law, president of the HCHD Board of Directors said the District is very fortunate to have someone with Smith’s talents and connections in the Texas EMS structure serving as COO. Law also said the Board was very supportive when Ron Folwell suggested the District make this change to ensure Smith was placed in a position for continued leadership for years to come.

Folwell joined the District in October 2016 when the HCHD entered a joint venture with CHRISTUS Health and had to establish a new administrative operation after CHRISTUS assumed operational management of the Hopkins County Memorial Hospital, now CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital-Sulphur Springs. Folwell was instrumental in establishing the administrative functions of the District and serves as both CEO and CFO.

Folwell spent approximately 20 years in public accounting and has served as CFO for several organizations for the past 20 years. Law said the District has been blessed with an individual of Folwell’s talents and leadership and will continue to value his role as both CEO and CFO of the District.