Mike Browder Named CEO of Essent Healthcare

Essent Healthcare’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that interim chief executive officer Mike Browder has been named permanent CEO of the eight-year-old hospital company.

Browder joined Essent as chief financial officer in 2001, shortly after Essent purchased its first hospital. He was named interim CEO in November 2007.

“This board has always been impressed by the enthusiasm and focus Mike brings to the table. We have been especially pleased with his leadership as interim CEO and are confident he will continue to lead Essent Healthcare in the right direction,” said Bryan Cressey, chairman of Essent Healthcare’s Board of Directors.

Before joining Essent, Browder served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for TMC healthcare, where he was responsible for all financial aspects of all TMC companies. From 1993 to 1999, he served as vice president of operations finance for Health Management Associates, Inc.

“Mike brings nearly 20 years of hospital management experience to the CEO position including seven years at Essent Healthcare,” continued Cressey. “No one understands Essent or its hospitals better than Mike. He shares our vision of what our hospitals can be and what this company can become. We look forward to an exciting future under Mike’s leadership.”

Browder earned a B.B.A Accounting from the University of Georgia’s J.M. Tull School of Accounting in 1984. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and an advanced member of Healthcare Financial Management Association.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead Essent Healthcare as we continue to focus our attention on investing in — and growing — our services and programs in each of our facilities,” said Browder. “Essent Healthcare has always been about operating hospitals that are essential to their communities. It is both humbling and energizing to be part of a company with such a strong vision.”

About Essent Healthcare

Essent Healthcare was founded in 1999 with the mission of acquiring community hospitals and providing them with the financial resources and the expertise they need to grow. Essent hospitals include Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, Mass., Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Conn., Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Mass., Southwest Regional Medical Center in Waynesburg, Pa., and Paris Regional Medical Center in Paris, Texas.