Scott Street Resigns As CEO of El Dorado Hospital

Scott Street, CEO of the Medical Center of South Arkansas in El Dorado, is overseeing a $17 million capital infusion.

Scott Street, CEO at the Medical Center of South Arkansas in El Dorado, has resigned following two no-confidence votes by the hospital’s staff.

MCSA confirmed Street’s resignation, first reported by the El Dorado News-Times, in an email to Arkansas Business late Wednesday. The hospital said Street will move to a new role in northwest Arkansas with its owner, publicly traded Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tennessee, once the hospital selects an interim leader.

The hospital said the search for a new CEO will “begin soon.”

The News-Times report said “several health care workers” at MCSA cited Street’s leadership as the primary cause of staffing issues, pay disparities and policies that could have negatively affected patient care. MCSA Marketing Coordinator Lori DeWese declined to comment on the claims.

“It has been my honor to serve alongside MCSA’s staff and physicians and to support them in their work to provide compassionate care to each patient, especially during the challenges of a global pandemic,” Street wrote in an email to hospital staff obtained by Arkansas Business. “I am confident the MCSA team will build our successes and take the hospital to new heights in the future.”

“We extend our sincere thanks to Scott for his leadership and many contributions to our hospital and our community, and we wish him well in his new role,” Rob Robinson, chair of MCSA’s board of trustees, said in the email.

CHS hired Street in 2017. During his tenure, the hospital invested millions in renovations and an expansion of its clinical services, added specialists and “enhanced the quality of care at the hospital,” the email said.

The hospital’s plans to become a destination for care through a $17 million capital infusion were the focus of an Oct. 5 cover story in Arkansas Business. In March, MCSA won an Arkansas Business of the Year award in a category for businesses with 151 to 499 employees. Last year, it was among companies receiving high scores from employees in the Arkansas Business “Best Places to Work” awards. The hospital is an acute-care, level 3 trauma center with 166 beds.

MCSA ranked No. 23 by net patient revenue among the state’s largest hospitals and medical centers, according to Arkansas Business’ most recent list, published on Oct. 5. For the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2019, the hospital reported $8.9 million in net income on $102.7 million in net patient revenue. It had 750 employees.

DeWese declined to disclose any more details, including Street’s new position or how the hospital will find a permanent replacement.

Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH) has five other locations in the state, all in northwest Arkansas. They are: