Baptist Medical Center appoints new CEO
Mar 28, 2022
Benjamin Richaud, CEO, Baptist Medical Center Benjamin Richaud is youngest to lead as president of a Baptist hospital
(San Antonio, TX) – Baptist Health System has appointed Benjamin Richaud to serve as CEO of its downtown hospital Baptist Medical Center. With a wealth of experience and accomplishments under his belt, Richaud is the system’s youngest hospital CEO. He joins Baptist Health System’s other five hospital CEOs who lead the system’s hospitals in San Antonio (Mission Trail Baptist, Northeast Baptist, St. Luke’s Baptist, North Central Baptist) and in New Braunfels (Resolute Health Hospital).
Baptist Medical Center, located in the heart of downtown San Antonio at 111 Dallas Street, continues to grow along with the area to better serve those who live and work in the downtown and surrounding community. In 2019, the hospital completed $22 million in renovations that enhanced its Emergency Room and ancillary services. Most recently, the hospital invested $3 million to add a new stroke treatment unit and the latest in bi-plane brain imaging technology. The new additions in stroke care provide swift access to high-quality treatment the system already has available at its other facilities in the medical center and in the northeast sector.
Young professionals moving into and working downtown and older generations in the area will require care in diabetes, cardiovascular services, neurovascular, emergency services, geriatric behavioral health and others -- areas in which Baptist Medical Center is strong.
“Continuous improvements to our downtown hospital signify our commitment to the communities we serve, Richaud said. “I am excited to be a part of a team that cares for such a diverse and transformative part of town. The work our doctors, nurses and staff accomplish here will benefit our growing downtown community and our city as a whole for years to come,” he said.
Prior to joining Baptist Health System, Richaud most recently served as CEO of Community Health System’s Merit Health River Region, a 361-bed acute care hospital located in Vicksburg, Mississippi. During his nine years with Community Health, Richaud also served in executive positions within the company’s Tennessee hospitals.
Richaud has helped to drive hospital excellence with achievements in chest pain accreditation, acute stroke ready certification, improved Leap Frog scores, reduction of LWOT/AMA incidence, improved nursing satisfaction and reduced turnover. He is an active community partner having had affiliations with multiple chambers of commerce and the Economic Development Foundation among others.
He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Richaud holds a Master of Science degree in Health Administration as well as an M.B.A. from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. He earned a B.A. in Communications from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.