APRIL 9, 2025 |
Photo – Kerry Ashment – Courtesy MHCC
Memorial Hospital of Carbon County has hired a new Chief Executive Officer. On March 31st, Memorial Hospital Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Hinkle announced that the medical facility’s Board of Trustees appointed Kerry Ashment as the new Chief Executive Officer.
The announcement specifically mentioned that Ashment will serve as the permanent head of the organization.
During the April 1st Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Ashment was introduced to the board. The new hospital CEO acknowledged that he joins a long list of predecessors and insisted that he will hold the position for a long time.
Audio PlayerIt is no secret that Memorial Hospital has faced numerous challenges finding and keeping leadership staff. The last permanent CEO, Ken Harmon, joined the medical facility in December of 2019, and lead the organization through the COVID pandemic.
In May of 2023, Harmon stepped down as CEO, attributing his departure to “mounting stress.” Later that same month, hospital administrators hired Rex Walk as interim CEO.
Walk was tasked with turning around the financially troubled medical facility. However, the interim CEO served for just over a year before the Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees voted to end his employment, citing a need for new leadership.
Following Walk’s termination last June, the hospital board brought Gerald Parton from Ovation Healthcare in as interim CEO until a permanent replacement could be found.
Parton’s tenure at the Rawlins hospital appeared to be short, as in December of 2024, the Board of Trustees announced that they had hired a new permanent CEO: Erick Twyman. However, Twyman was let go after roughly one week on the job. Hospital administrators discovered a discrepancy in Twyman’s background that resulted in him being fired.
Gerald Parton resumed his role as interim CEO until last week, when Memorial Hospital Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Hinkle announced that Kerry Ashment had joined the organization.
Speaking at the April 1st Board of County Commissioners meeting, Ashment promised the people of Carbon County that he will work to improve both the patient experience and financial situation of Memorial Hospital.
Audio PlayerAshment and his wife will be moving from Spring Valley, California, to Carbon County. At the April 1st board meeting, Ashment announced his commitment to settling permanently in Rawlins and leading Memorial Hospital as its CEO.
Audio PlayerIn her announcement, Chief Operating Officer Hinkle wrote that, “Expertise with turn-around management, including proven leadership, strong financial oversight, revenue enhancement, expense management, and employee satisfaction and retention, can be noted throughout Ashment’s 26 years of executive healthcare experience.”
Bigfoot99 has scheduled an interview with the newly appointed CEO of Memorial Hospital of Carbon County for next week.
