Jim Wesson Named CEO for VBMC-Brownsville; Leslie Bingham Named Chief Operating Officer

Jim D. Wesson, FACHE, who has 20 years of experience in the health care industry, has been named the new Chief Executive Officer for Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and looks forward to implementing improvements to benefit patients and the community in the Brownsville area. Leslie Bingham, formerly CEO of Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital in San Benito, has been named Chief Operating Officer for VBMC-Brownsville and will assist Mr. Wesson in bringing enhanced patient care to the Brownsville hospital.

Mr. Wesson had served as the Chief Operating Officer at VBMC-Brownsville since July, when Valley Baptist’s purchase of the Brownsville hospital (formerly Brownsville Medical Center) went into effect. As the new CEO, Mr. Wesson replaces Greg Harb, who has accepted a position at a Baptist hospital system in Tennessee.

Mr. Wesson and his wife, Susan, look forward to becoming very involved in the Brownsville community.

“We’re enjoying working with and getting to know the physicians and staff in Brownsville,” Mr. Wesson said. “The physicians and employees have been very receptive and supportive of the transition to Valley Baptist. We’ve been very impressed with the level of professionalism that we have found among the staff in Brownsville.”

Mr. Wesson noted that Valley Baptist is working to renovate the 243-bed hospital and make it more attractive, starting with the main entrance area, which recently received a new front desk, new furniture and other furnishings, an expanded gift shop and the addition of a coffee and snack shop for visitors and staff.

“We’re looking at additional renovations in the operating rooms and several other areas of the hospital in Brownsville,” Mr. Wesson added.

Mr. Wesson has been with Valley Baptist since Aug. 1997, having previously served as a Vice President at VBMC-Harlingen and as Executive Director for Valley Health Care Network, the Physician-Hospital Organization for Valley Baptist.

Prior to coming to VBMC, Mr. Wesson served as Assistant Vice President for CNA Health Partners, Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina and as Administrative Director for Respiratory Care Services at St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana, Arkansas. He started his career in health care in 1985 as a respiratory therapist at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He was also a registered respiratory therapist at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he used to fly in a helicopter with a neo-natal transport team.

Mr. Wesson received a Master’s of Health Services Administration degree from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from the University of Central Arkansas.

Mr. Wesson is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He and his wife Susan have two children, a 14-year-old son, Taylor; and a nine-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Leslie Bingham, Brownsville Resident, Looks Forward to Serving Community at VBMC-Brownsville

The new Chief Operating Officer for VBMC-Brownsville, Leslie Bingham, had previously served as CEO for five years at Dolly Vinsant Memorial Hospital in San Benito and seven years at Charter Palms Behavioral Health System in McAllen. Ms. Bingham, who started at VBMC-Brownsville Feb. 7, has 15 years of experience in healthcare administration.

Ms. Bingham has lived in Brownsville the past four years and is married to Narcisco Escareño, who manages a travel agency in Brownsville and whose family has lived in Brownsville for several generations. They have two children, Alexandra, 13, and John Layton, age 2.

“Brownsville is my home and I’ve always been very interested in improving the health care services for our residents,” Ms. Bingham said. “I am very committed to providing community-focused health care services by ensuring that what we do is meeting our specific local needs and improving the health of the community.”

Ms. Bingham said that the opportunity to join Valley Baptist at its hospital in Brownsville fits in “very nicely with my career and personal goals.”

“Joining Valley Baptist Health System feels like home … I’ve admired the leadership team at Valley Baptist so it’s an honor to be part of it,” she added.

Although she grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, Ms. Bingham moved to Texas in 1985 and considers herself “an honorary Texan.” She received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, as well as a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Mississippi.