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Harlingen, TX --
James E. Eastham, FACHE, has been named President and Chief
Executive Officer of Valley Baptist Health System in Harlingen
and Brownsville, Texas. Mr. Eastham’s appointment was announced
by Robert Dunkin, Chairman of the Valley Baptist Board of
Trustees.
 Mr. Eastham previously served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief
Financial Officer and Executive Vice President for Valley
Baptist. Mr. Eastham, who joined Valley Baptist in 2002, said
that he looks forward to building on the accomplishments of the
past seven years and to Valley Baptist continuing to provide
high quality care to patients and families throughout the South
Texas region.
“I look forward to working with our board members, hospital
administrators, physicians, employees, volunteers and our entire
community in building upon the solid foundation already present
at Valley Baptist Health System,” Mr. Eastham said.
Valley Baptist, an 800-bed health system at the southern-most
tip of Texas, recently received national recognition after being
ranked number one in the entire United States in the treatment
of heart failure by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS). This was the second straight year that Valley
Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen placed first in the nation in
the government’s pay-for-performance demonstration project to
reward quality and performance among the nation’s hospitals.
Mr. Eastham has 37 years of experience in hospital
administration. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer
of Memorial Hermann Hospital, an 818-bed major teaching hospital
in the Texas Medical Center in Houston.
He also previously served as Chief Executive Officer and Vice
President of Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in southwest
Houston; Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at
St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas; Chief Executive Officer for
Mesquite Community Hospital in Mesquite near Dallas; and
Assistant Administrator for Financial Services at the Tarrant
County Hospital District in Fort Worth.
Mr. Eastham received a Master of Business Administration degree
in Management from Abilene Christian University-Dallas. He also
received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree in
Accounting from the University of Houston and is a Certified
Public Accountant. Mr. Eastham served in the Texas National
Guard Airborne Infantry.
Mr. Eastham has received many honors and awards, including the
American College of Healthcare Executives’ Regents Awards for
both the Houston and the North Texas areas. He was also named
the Sam Walton Business Leader of the Year by the Fort Bend
Chamber of Commerce in 1997.
Other awards received by Mr. Eastham include a Commendation for
Service with Distinction Award from the Dallas / Fort Worth
Hospital Council; the American College of Healthcare Executives
Forum Inaugural Award of Merit; the Paul Harris Fellow Award
from the Rotary International Foundation’s Dallas Chapter; and
the Follmer Bronze Merit Award for Outstanding Service from the
Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Mr. Eastham served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the
Texas Association of Public and Non-Profit Hospitals, a
state-wide organization. Mr. Eastham has also served on the
Board of Trustees for the Texas Hospital Association and as past
Chairman for the Texas Hospital Association Political Action
Committee (HOSPAC). He has also served as an Alternate Delegate
for the American Hospital Association House of Delegates; and on
the Credentials Committee for the American College of Hospital
Executives, both national organizations.
Born in Houston, Mr. Eastham has three children and seven
grandchildren. His wife, Marvene is a partner in the national
executive search firm of Witt / Kieffer.
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