North Valley Hospital hires new CEO

The Daily Inter Lake

An Arkansas hospital administrator has been hired as the new chief executive officer at North Valley Hospital in Whitefish.

Jason Spring was chosen by the hospital board after a national search by Quorum Health Resources, the hospital's management company. He starts work on March 9.

Craig Aasved resigned from the top post at North Valley in July 2008 to take a job as chief operating officer at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. John Yanes of Lock Haven, Pa., served as interim administrator.

For the past five years, Spring has been the administrator of HealthPark Hospital, a 20-bed physician-owned hospital in Hot Springs, Ark. Prior to that he spent three years as chief executive officer for an 83-bed rehabilitation hospital system.

He also has experience from other positions that include regional director of development and managed care for the Arkansas health market; a vice president of network development for a 153-bed medical center; director of development/clinic operations for three start-up clinics; and clinic manager for a hospital-based orthopedic clinic.

Spring has been active in community organizations and has received recognition from various organizations and foundations. The Arkansas Health Executive Forum and Arkansas Business named Spring one of 40 people under age 40 most likely to have an influence on industry and politics in the future.

Spring earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration at Centenary College of Louisiana and a Master of Arts degree in Health Service Administration at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a prestigious national organization for health-care executives.

Spring and his wife, Angie, have two children: Emma Claire, 9, and Jack, 6.