Riverside Community Hospital welcomes new Chief Executive Officer

Riverside, CA – Riverside Community Hospital, an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, announced today Peter Hemstead has been named Chief Executive Officer effective June 17, 2024.

Peter previously served as Riverside Community Hospital’s Chief Operating Officer in 2020 through 2022 until his promotion to CEO at West Marion Hospital in Florida.

Peter’s tenure with HCA Healthcare has been marked by excellence in the areas of physician and patient engagement. Under his leadership, West Marion Hospital ranked #1 in quality across the enterprise for four months and in the top ten for 15 months. During his tenure, the hospital also garnered Healthgrades’ top ranking in Florida for orthopedic surgery, surgical services and spine surgery. In addition, Peter was instrumental in launching West Marion’s 36-bed new inpatient rehabilitation unit and he also helped facilitate the addition of 42 new patient beds, slated to be completed by early 2025. Through Peter’s leadership, the hospital is also adding additional OR capacity, set to be completed later this year.

Peter first joined HCA Healthcare in 2015 as the corporate director, clinical excellence for the Facility Interface Team.  He served as assistant administrator at Brandon Hospital in Tampa before being named COO of Sarasota Doctors Hospital in 2019. He joined Riverside in April 2020 where he oversaw the construction start of our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 35-bed expansion, a new 24-bed inpatient unit and 20-bed emergency room expansion. Peter was also vital in implementing several operational protocols and policies around COVID-19 and the patient surges RCH experienced during the pandemic.

Peter holds an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and has served as part of a Helicopter Search and Rescue team for the U.S. Coast Guard. Peter, his wife Lisa, and their two kids are excited to return to Riverside, a community they found to be friendly and welcoming.