Three candidates have been selected as finalists in the search to hire a new CEO for Memorial Hospital and Manor.

Each of the candidates will spend a full day meeting with physicians, hospital staff, interim CEO Gregg Magers, local government officials and Authority members.

The visits are beginning this week and should conclude the first of next week, according to Glennie Bench, Chairperson for the Authority.

The finalist candidates have been identified as: David Cope of Nashville, Tenn. who currently serves as Division Client Administrator for Emcare, a national physician delivery service to for- profit and not-for-profit hospitals.

Clay Jones of Statesboro, Ga. currently serves as Assistant Chief Executive Officer/Regional Director of Operations for ERH, LLC, a hospital management company.

Jim Lambert of Conway, Arkansas, has served as President and CEO of Conway Regional Health System until becoming President of Arkansas Health Alliance in 2015.

The hospital began the search process in May following the decision not to renew the contract of then CEO Billy Walker in April. 

At that time Magers indicated the search could take anywhere from three to six months. It began by interviewing several search firms. Once that decision was made, the search firm began to provide a list of potential candidates. Preliminary interviews of the first groups began in September.

Bench indicated that once the candidate visits have been completed, the Authority hopes to extend an offer to one of the three the following week.

In the event a choice is made, it will coincide with the calendar outlined by Magers in May, of having a choice finalized by Thanksgiving.