Mercy hires CEO for rehab hospital

Mercy has hired an out-of-state executive to lead its rehabilitation hospital under construction in southeast Springfield.

Duke Saldivar started Oct. 22 as CEO of Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Springfield, a $28 million hospital expected to be completed in April 2014. He is working out of the main hospital until the rehab center is complete. The exec was appointed after a nationwide search, according to Mercy spokeswoman Sonya Kullmann.

Saldivar comes to the Springfield hospital from Austin, Texas, where he served since 2007 as CEO of HealthSouth's rehab hospital.

In bringing Saldivar on board, Kullmann cited "his desire to positively affect access to rehabilitation services for those that need the services and his passion to serve in a faith-based health care ministry."

"He will be responsible for the daily operations of the hospital, as well as further developing relationships with all other health care providers and facilities to assist them with increasing access to needed inpatient rehabilitation services in the Springfield and surrounding communities," Kullmann said via email.

Officials broke ground this April on the 63,000-square-foot hospital near U.S. Highway 65 and Evans Road, adjacent to its recently opened orthopedic hospital. A partnership between Mercy and Brentwood, Tenn.-based Centerre Healthcare, the hospital would include 60 beds and provide inpatient rehab services for patients recovering from strokes, brain or spinal cord injuries, amputations and severe orthopedic injuries

Kullmann said Saldivar reports to a joint governing board from Mercy and Centerre. The three Mercy representatives on the board are Jay Guffey, chief operating officer of Mercy Hospital Springfield; Dr. Alan Scarrow, president of Mercy Clinic Springfield; and Scott Reynolds, vice president of finance for Mercy-Springfield.