By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Hillsboro resident Mark Rooker, now chief operations officer and chief of information at El Dorado’s Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital, has been named chief executive officer for Hillsboro Community Hospital.

Rooker has not started duties at HCH. He is finishing his duties at the El Dorado hospital.

Rooker could not be reached for comment, but acting CEO Bill May said Rooker will take the helm at HCH Jan. 20.

“I’m probably going to be here with Mark a couple weeks,” May said.

May said he’s happy to have found a Hillsboro native to serve as CEO.

“We’re excited to be able to bring a local, hometown boy back to town,” May said. “We were very pleased when Mark applied.”

Rooker was introduced to employees Thursday morning, May said.

An open house is planned after Rooker joins the staff, but the date is not yet set, May said.

The hospital was put into receivership in January, soon after mortgage holder Bank of Hays filed a petition in district court seeking to foreclose the mortgage. Cohesive Healthcare Management and Consulting, acting as receiver, filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws in March.

HCH was purchased out of bankruptcy in November when a judge approved a $6.9 million bid from Kansas City, Missouri-based Rural Hospital Group Consolidated.

Officers of Rural Hospital Group, formed in 2017, previously ran Rural Community Hospitals of America, which formerly operated Hillsboro’s hospital.

May was appointed acting CEO Dec. 2.