Erlanger taps Florida executive as new COO

photo Robert M. Brooks

A 20-year-veteran of the health care management field has been tapped as the new chief operating officer at Erlanger Health System.

Robert M. Brooks is currently a hospital executive for Health Management Associates (HMA) which operates more than 70 hospitals nationwide, according to a news release from Erlanger. Brooks comes to Chattanooga from St. Cloud Regional Medical Center near Orlando, Fla., where he serves as chief executive officer.

"With his impressive background in both clinical and non-clinical leadership positions, Robert will be a tremendous asset to Erlanger's executive team, our academic mission, this community and those we serve," Erlanger President and CEO Kevin Spiegel said in the release.

Brooks is expected to begin his duties at Erlanger in mid-November.

Brooks is board-certified in health care management and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the news release stated. He obtained an MBA and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management from Youngstown State University in Ohio. He is also a registered nurse with a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Kent State University, as well as an EMT-Paramedic.

Before his CEO position in Florida, Brooks was the COO at Central Mississippi Medical Center, one of HMA's largest hospitals. He also served as vice president of operations and Centers of Excellence for Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, the teaching campus of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

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