Doctors Hospital of Manteca Names New Chief Operating Officer

Carmen Silva promoted to CNO/COO

MANTECA, Calif. – August, 11 2003 – Doctors Hospital of Manteca is pleased to announce the promotion of Carmen Silva to Chief Operating Officer (COO)/Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).  In this position, Carmen will continue to work closely with former COO, Katherine Medeiros, who was recently promoted to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). 

            Carmen began her career at Doctors Hospital of Manteca in 1990 as the Assistant Director of Nursing.  She assumed the roles of Director of Surgical Services in October 1990, Director of CDC/Healthworks in January 1997, and Director of Materials Management in 1998.  Carmen was promoted to CNO in 2001 and was recently named one of Tenet’s top CNOs in the country.

            As CNO/COO, Carmen will continue to focus on issues surrounding nursing and will assume operational responsibility for additional ancillary departments.  “I can’t think of a better candidate for this position,” stated Chief Executive Officer Katherine Medeiros.  “Carmen has the rare ability to combine extensive educational and clinical experience with unparalleled compassion and dedication.”

Carmen has a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing and a Masters of Science degree in Nursing Administration/Business.  She has a California Limited College Level Teaching Credential and a Public Health License.  Additionally, Carmen was a subject matter expert during the development of the Perioperative Program related to Anesthesia for Tenet Healthcare Corporation’s web based training program, .edu.  Carmen is currently a member of the newly formed Tenet Nurse Executive Council representing the LA/North Region and is an Advisory Board Member for Nurse World Magazine.

Located at 1205 East North Street, Manteca, Calif., Doctors Hospital of Manteca opened its doors in 1962 as a 28-bed, 41-employee, nine-physician rural community hospital in the heart of California's Central Valley.  Over the years, the hospital expanded services to keep pace with the needs of a rapidly growing community. A multi-million dollar addition and upgrade construction project increased the hospital's capacity to 73 beds.  One of the largest businesses in the community, Doctors Hospital now has more than 300 employees and a medical staff of 160 physicians.  While maintaining small-town comfort, Doctors Hospital offers many advanced services.  Patient rooms, solarium and expanded radiology, emergency, pharmacy, physical therapy, ICU/CCU and obstetrics areas are designed for the care and comfort of our patients. The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.  To learn more about Doctors Hospital of Manteca visit www.doctorsmanteca.com.

 Tenet Healthcare Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates 114 acute care hospitals with 27,765 beds and numerous related health care services.  Tenet and its subsidiaries employ approximately 116,500 people serving communities in 16 states.  Tenet’s name reflects its core business philosophy: the importance of shared values among partners - including employees, physicians, insurers and communities - in providing a full spectrum of health care.  Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com.

# # #

Certain statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements.  They are based on management’s current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.  Certain of those risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.  Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated.  We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.