HASC extends a warm welcome to Peter Hemstead, the new chief executive officer of Riverside Community Hospital, an affiliate of HCA Healthcare.
He previously served as Riverside’s chief operating officer from 2020 to 2022, before his promotion to CEO at West Marion Hospital in Florida.
Hemstead’s time with HCA Healthcare has been marked by excellence in physician and patient engagement. Under his leadership, West Marion Hospital ranked #1 in quality across the enterprise for four months and in the top ten for 15 months. The hospital also earned Healthgrades’ top ranking in Florida for orthopedic surgery, surgical services and spine surgery during his tenure.
In addition, Hemstead was instrumental in launching West Marion’s 36-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit; facilitating the addition of 42 new patient beds, slated for completion by early 2025; and adding additional operating room capacity, set to be completed later this year.
Hemstead joined HCA Healthcare in 2015 as corporate director, clinical excellence for the facility interface team. He served as assistant administrator at Brandon Hospital in Tampa before being named chief operating officer of Sarasota Doctors Hospital in 2019.
After joining Riverside in April 2020, Hemstead oversaw the construction start of a 35-bed expansion in a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a new 24-bed inpatient unit and a 20-bed emergency room expansion. He also played a key role in implementing operational protocols and policies around COVID-19 and the patient surges RCH experienced during the pandemic.
Hemstead holds an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and served with a helicopter search and rescue team for the U.S. Coast Guard.