Dr. Nguyen leaves position as Doctors Memorial CEO

Doctors Memorial Hospital announced that Dr. Huy Nguyen decided to step down as chief executive officer effective April 1. 

“Dr. Nguyen is assisting the Board of Trustees with the transition process as he dedicates more time to his new venture at North Walton Doctors Hospital,” Doctors Memorial said in a news release. “Doctors Memorial Hospital appointed Rohan Anderson as Interim Chief Executive Officer and shall conduct a national search for a permanent CEO.”

Doctors Memorial Hospital CEO Dr. Huy Nguyen is among a group of area doctors who have been working to revitalize and reopen Healthmark Regional Medical Center on Highway 331 in DeFuniak Springs.

Under Dr. Nguyen’s management of Doctors Memorial Hospital, the Hospital started “new innovative services for the community and expanded access to critical healthcare services for the residents of Bonifay,” according to the announcement. 

“During the public health emergency, Dr. Nguyen and the full team at the Hospital engaged in innovative solutions to maintain high quality care that was proven to lead in the state in diagnosis, vaccination and treatment of Covid-19,” the news release said. “DMH provided more monoclonal antibody injection for the acute treatment of Covid-19 than any other hospital in the region.”

Nguyen’s efforts to expand services and recruit specialty physicians reportedly impacted the region. 

“He recruited a second general surgeon, an otolaryngologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a dental surgeon, and multiple emergency room physicians,” Doctors Memorial’s statement said. “Dr. Nguyen brought robotic surgery capabilities to the area, upgraded the mammography service to the latest 3-D technology, and brought back nuclear medicine capabilities, a service that had been discontinued for several 

Years.”

Nguyen also made it possible for Doctors Memorial  to purchase the Bonifay Rural Health Clinic, which has been said to be instrumental in providing needed healthcare services to the community. 

“During his tenure, the Hospital developed a mobile service that has reached out to the more remote areas of Holmes County, specifically Ponce De Leon, Westville, and Esto,” the news release said. “Dr. Nguyen was instrumental in launching a robust weight loss program that has assisted hundreds of people reach their health goals.”

Doctors Memorial’s announcement said Nguyen’s entrepreneurial vision for expanded services also supported the Hospital’s financial improvement. 

“The Hospital’s financial position has improved over his tenure,” the news release said. “In addition to the focus on financial sustainability, the Hospital was able to achieve the highest Google review scores in its history because of the continuous focus on customer service and experience.”

The Board of Trustees is said to be focused upon continuing to grow its service lines to support a financially viable hospital and promote access to healthcare services with quality customer service. 

“Doctors Memorial Hospital wishes Dr. Nguyen much success with his efforts to bring healthcare back to the DeFuniak area with the opening of the North Walton Doctors Hospital and thanks him for his service to Holmes County,” the Hospital’s announcement said.

Nguyen was born in South Vietnam during the middle of the Vietnam War and served eight years in the Navy as a physician, including at Naval Hospital Pensacola and in Iraq. He moved to the United States with his parents at a young age.

Publisher Carol Kent contributed to this story.