Community Health Systems Announces That Chief Financial Officer Thomas J. Aaron Will Retire at End of the Year

Community Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CYH) announced today that Thomas J. Aaron, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will retire from his executive management position on December 31, 2019. Aaron joined Community Health Systems in November 2016 as Senior Vice President of Finance and has served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer since May 2017. Upon his retirement, Aaron is expected to enter into a two-year consulting agreement with the Company, under which he will advise the Company’s management team on its margin improvement programs. In addition, Aaron has recently joined the board of directors of a publicly traded company.

Kevin Hammons, who currently serves as Senior Vice President, Assistant Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, will be appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer immediately following Aaron’s retirement, effective January 1, 2020. Hammons joined Community Health Systems in 1997 and has held numerous financial leadership roles during his more than 20-year tenure, including overseeing accounting and financial reporting, SEC reporting, budgeting, design and implementation of financial systems and processes, capital market transactions, corporate finance and treasury management functions, and the Company’s divestiture program. Hammons was appointed Assistant Chief Financial Officer in 2017 and has served as the Company’s Treasurer since 2018. He has also previously served as the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining Community Health Systems, Hammons served for ten years in various positions in the Assurance and Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young, serving both public and privately held companies. Hammons holds a bachelor of arts degree from Malone University, where he also serves as a member of its Board of Trustees. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Commenting on the announcement, Wayne T. Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Community Health Systems, Inc., said, “When Tom Aaron joined Community Health Systems, we were in the midst of a transitional period with numerous strategic initiatives underway, and Tom has been instrumental in advancing this work, including significant accomplishments in refinancing Company debt to provide the Company with more flexibility and opportunities to advance in our markets. Tom also played a major role in our divestiture program to create a stronger portfolio of markets and has led internal optimization efforts to improve margins, increase efficiencies, and enhance the value of the organization. Our Board of Directors and management team are deeply grateful for Tom’s meaningful contributions and look forward to working with him in his new role as a strategic consultant to the Company.”