LARNED — A director of marketing and physician recruitment at Ponca City, Okla. has been hired as the new Pawnee Valley Community Hospital administrator.
Eric Lybarger will begin duties Sept. 12, after serving 10 years at AllianceHealth Ponca City, the former Ponca City Medical Center. Lybarger will replace John Hughes, who has accepted a position in the Kansas City metro area.
“I’ve been impressed by the positive feedback I’ve received from community members, hospital employees and physicians about PVCH,” Lybarger said. “Everyone I’ve talked to is very positive about the direction the hospital is headed. My family and I are looking forward to relocating to Larned and getting involved with school and community activities. I am looking forward to joining the PVCH team and working to continue the momentum the hospital has experienced over the past few years.”
Lybarger has served as YMCA board president, Ponca City Main Street board president, Poncan Theatre board member and chamber of commerce member. He will relocate to Larned with his wife Sarah and daughters Victoria, 19, Emily, 16, and Olivia, 9.
“I’m excited about Eric becoming the new administrator at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital,” said Shae Veach, Hays Medical Center vice president. “We look forward to him coming to our community and we feel that he will be a good fit for our hospital.”
As director of marketing and physician recruitment person, Lybarger’s responsibilities included:
• Protecting the network brand by managing the use of logos, email signatures, colors and naming guidelines.
• Developing annual strategic plan with administrative team and create marketing plan/budget based on that document.
• Assessing the regional health-care landscape for new services, innovative approaches, and other developments in the field.
Lybarger served as communication specialist at Via Christi Oklahoma Regional Medical Center prior to his current position.
Lybarger earned a master’s degree in health care administration from Oklahoma State University. He earned a degree in mass communications from Southwestern College, Winfield.