Jared Smith Named Chief Executive Officer of Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West
MIAMI, FL – January 26, 2023 – Baptist Health South Florida today announced it has named Jared Smith as Chief Executive Officer of Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West. Together, these hospitals serve more than 100,000 patients in Palm Beach County each year. This will be effective on February 27 following the retirement of current CEO Nelson Lazo, who has served the hospitals as CEO since 2019, and has been with Baptist Health since 2006.
“As a visionary and accomplished leader, Jared’s focus and passion have been to lead strategy, business development and physician collaboration, while continuously improving quality, patient care, collaboration and culture,” said Glenn Waters, Baptist Health Chief Operating Officer. “His experience and dedication will serve our patients and employees well.”
“For the past 25 years, Jared’s career has been focused on the South Florida healthcare market, including eight years in the Palm Beach market and he has had great success in elevating the standard of care and leading engaged and high-performing teams like ours,” said Lincoln Mendez, North Region Executive for Baptist Health and CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. “He understands the unique needs of our community and is committed to delivering exceptional care and service.”
Smith comes to Baptist Health from Broward Health Coral Springs where he has served as Regional Chief Executive Officer since January 2018. While in this role, Jared has been responsible for overall strategic, quality and operational aspects of the hospital.
“With almost 30 years of finance and healthcare experience, Jared is an innovative thinker who has a proven track record of successful quality and safety initiatives,” said Jeff Pheterson, Board Chair of Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West. “He shares the values of Baptist Health and will be a great asset to our organization.”
“Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West are exceptional hospitals with caring, dedicated teams who give of themselves each day to care for our community,” said Smith. “I am excited and honored to work with this great team of employees, physicians, nurses, and staff to help carry out our important mission for our patients.”
Smith is active in many community and professional organizations including South Florida Hospital and Health Association, where he currently serves as Executive Board Chairman, South Florida Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee, and Coral Springs Economic Development Committee.
He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and his master’s degree in taxation from the University of Miami.
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About Baptist Health
Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 26,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence,Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.