LUTCHER — The Board of Commissioners of St. James Parish Hospital has appointed Mary Ellen Pratt as the hospital’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Pratt will begin working in the job position of COO at St. James Parish Hospital in early September, and will be named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the retirement of Joan Murray.

Pratt is presently Administrator of University Hospital and Clinics-Holmes County in Lexington, Mississippi. Previously, she worked at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center for 12 years as Assistant Administrator of Professional Support Services.

She received a Master’s of Health Administration from Tulane University in 1987 and a Bachelor’s of Arts from Newcomb College in 1983. She is a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Whitney Poirrier, Board Chairman, said &#8220Mary Ellen Pratt brings a wealth of hospital experience to this position. We believe that we have correctly chosen the next leader for our hospital and community, and we are lucky to find such a good match.”

Pratt states, &#8220I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join St. James Parish Hospital at such an exciting time in its history. I look forward to getting to know and working with the employees, Medical Staff, and Board and becoming an active member of the community. I know there are exceptional people that work at St. James Parish Hospital. From what I’ve seen already, this is a wonderful community which obviously cares about its local hospital.”

St. James Parish Hospital is a public, non-profit hospital that has been serving the people of St. James Parish and the surrounding areas with care and professionalism since 1955. Their 25-bed Critical Access Hospital offers an extensive range of in-patient, out-patient and emergency services for all ages.

The hospital is currently in the midst of construction for a new state-of-the-art hospital that will be complete in December, 2007.