NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 6, 2016 – HCA (NYSE:HCA) today announced the appointment of Troy A. Villarreal as president of HCA’s Gulf Coast division effective June 20, 2016. Villarreal replaces Maura Walsh who recently announced her retirement after a nearly 30-year career with HCA. As Gulf Coast division president, Villarreal will have responsibility for 16 hospitals and a number of other free-standing facilities serving communities in Greater Houston, Corpus Christi and south Texas.

“Troy is a talented hospital operator with executive experience in multiple communities served by HCA,” said Jon Foster, president of HCA’s American Group. “He is a proven leader who embodies HCA’s culture and shares our continual commitment to improving clinical quality and the patient experience. We are pleased to welcome him to the Gulf Coast division.”

A 23-year veteran of HCA, Villarreal has served as chief executive officer of HCA’s Medical City Dallas Hospital since 2013. Med City Dallas is a full service tertiary care center with more than 660 beds and 1,150 affiliated physicians and is the flagship hospital of HCA’s North Texas Division. Prior to this role, Villarreal was CEO of HCA’s Medical Center of Plano for five years, where he oversaw a major facility upgrade, significant growth, and increased patient, physician and employee satisfaction. Before that, he was CEO of HCA’s Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth. He joined the company in 1993 as a hospital administrative resident and held a number of hospital leadership positions, including chief operating officer of Med City Dallas from 1999 to 2003.

Villarreal earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Texas A&M University and a Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Business Administration at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, Texas. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Villarreal has a strong history of community service. He is a graduate of Leadership Plano Class 27 and formerly served on the Executive Committee Board, Strategic Planning Committee, and Alumni Committee of Leadership Plano. He also has served on the board of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, as Campaign Cabinet Chair for Collin County in 2009-2010, and as a member of the Advisory Board of the United Way of Greater Dallas.

Walsh has been with HCA for twenty-nine years, serving in a number of different executive capacities. She held seven different executive positions including COO of West Houston Medical Center, COO of Bayshore Medical Center, CEO of Doctors Hospital of Little Rock, CEO of Rosewood Medical Center, CEO of Mainland Medical Center, CEO of Bayshore Medical Center and president of HCA’s Gulf Coast Division, a position she has held for 12 years.

“We are fortunate to have people like Maura who have dedicated long careers leading our hospitals and serving our communities,” said Foster. “We appreciate her many contributions, and we wish her the very best in retirement.”