New St. Mary Medical Center President Announced

Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center announced the appointment of Carolyn Caldwell, MHA, FACHE, to serve as its president and chief executive officer beginning in June. She will be joining St. Mary with 20 years of executive hospital leadership and more than 30 years of health care experience. She has a successful reputation for collaborating with key stakeholders to positively impact patient care while improving quality and satisfaction.

In her most recent role, Caldwell served as the chief executive officer at Desert Regional Medical Center (Tenet) in Palm Springs, a 385-bed tertiary acute-care facility providing care to the Coachella Valley. Similar to St. Mary, Caldwell led Desert Regional – a designated Level II Trauma Center, STEMI receiving center, an Advanced Primary Stroke Center and a partner for Desert AIDS Project. Caldwell recently expressed her belief that hospitals should be seen as a healthy part of the community, not just looked at as a place to go when sick or injured. This mentality will serve well in Long Beach, as St. Mary begins its expansion of its senior wellness program, with a Center for Integrated Care and continues to grow its HIV prevention program through CARE.

Caldwell is innovative and focused on accomplishing exceptional results with a proven track record of leading highly functional teams. She has extensive knowledge of campus improvement projects and capital expansions, which will benefit St. Mary as it embarks on its plans to nearly double the emergency department from the current 26 beds to 47 beds.

Caldwell is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). She received a master’s degree in health care administration from Texas Woman’s University and spent 12 years in clinical services with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Chemistry. She was recently recognized as a corporate leader with the Palm Spring Life 2016 Women in Business Award and the 2016 Steve Chase 100 Women Award.