New chief approved for Southern Hills Hospital

Michelle Swafford

Thursday, March 10, 2005 | 11:07 a.m.

A new chief executive was approved Wednesday for Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center.

The HCA Inc.-owned hospital's board of trustees approved Stephen Dixon as the new administrator.

"We are delighted to have Steve manage the Southern Hills team," Board of Trustees Chairman Tom Manigone said in a statement. "He is a proven leader in the health care community and a seasoned hospital administrator with the experience to move Southern Hills' programs and service lines forward."

Dixon replaces Ken Armstrong, whose last day is Friday. Armstrong resigned March 1 and plans to relocate to Utah to enjoy retirement and time with his family, he told employees in a letter March 1.

Prior to relocating to Las Vegas, Dixon served as chief executive of HCA-owned San Jose Medical Center from 2001 to its closing Dec. 9.

The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reported Sept. 10 that the medical center closed "two years ahead of schedule because of mounting financial losses that total $42.7 million in the last five years, says medical center spokeswoman Leslie Kelsay."

From 1999 to 2001, Dixon served as CEO of Chino Valley Medical Center in California and before that as president and CEO of Martin Luther King Hospital and La Palma Intercommunity Hospital in Los Angeles County.

Dixon holds a bachelor's degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles and a master's of public administration -- with an emphasis in health services administration -- from the University of Southern California. He began his health care career as a lab technician and paramedic.