Cheri Barton has been named the next chief executive officer of Hillsboro Community Hospital, according to a Wednesday announcement by hospital owner HMC/CAH Consolidated, Inc.

Barton has been CEO for two years at Seiling Hospital, an HMC/CAH critical access hospital in Seiling, Okla., approximately 125 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, according to HMC/CAH chief operating officer Gordon Docking.

Barton previously served as chief administrator at hospitals in Oswego and Ironton, Mo., Docking said.

Barton replaces Michael Ryan, who had been CEO of the hospital since 2000. An interim administrator, Bill May, who provides executive oversight of nine of HMC/CAH’s 12 hospitals, including HCH, has been working at the hospital since Thursday.

Reached by cell phone Monday, May indicated his stay at HHC would be brief.

“We’ve hired a full-time CEO and that person will be in a week from today,” May said.

Docking confirmed Barton’s first day on the job at HMC will be Monday.

May said there would be no changes during his brief tenure that would impact patient care.

“I told our management team when I met with them we have patients to take care of and we need to keep doing it,” May said. “I’m actually there on a daily basis until a week from today.”