Leadership

Chief Executive Officer

Jim Russell is the chief executive officer at HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland. As an administrative leader, he oversees physician relations, business development and strategic planning for all areas of the facility.

Russell previously served as chief operating officer at HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, The Woman's Hospital of Texas and Medical City Lewisville. He also served in leadership roles at Denton Regional Medical Center and earned the distinction of board certification in healthcare management as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Russell earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and later graduated with a Master in Business Administration from Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas.

Chief Medical Officer

Nathan Deal, MD, joined HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake and HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland as the chief medical officer (CMO) in 2023.

Dr. Deal most recently served as executive vice president and administrator for Ben Taub Hospital as well as the Ben Taub outpatient specialty clinic tower, part of Harris Health System. During his five years with Harris Health, he achieved significant improvements in hospital throughput and efficiency, oversaw an expansion of the emergency department and operative suites, and enhanced a number of clinical services to address community needs.

Prior to his time with Harris Health, Dr. Deal served on the medical staff of Baylor College of Medicine, first as an emergency physician, then as medical director for the Ben Taub emergency center and finally, as associate chief of operations for the department of emergency medicine.

Dr. Deal received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Rice University in 2005 and his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in 2009. He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at the University of Chicago before returning to Houston. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He has a Certificate in Healthcare Management from Rice University and is currently working towards his Master of Business Administration.

Chief Financial Officer

Chase Redden, CPA, joined HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake and HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2022. Redden is responsible for the management of all financial departments, allocation of resources and preparation of the annual budget including accounting and health information.

He joined HCA Healthcare in 2014, and has served as CFO at HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe, Palms of Pasadena Hospital and as assistant vice president of finance at JFK Medical Center.

Redden earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting and a master's of professional accountancy degree from Murray State University. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), a member of the Conroe Family YMCA board of directors.

Chief Nursing Officer

Patty Howard, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, joined HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake and HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland as the chief nursing officer (CNO) in August 2023.

Howard most recently served as vice president of nursing operations for HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division, where she supported division facility CNOs with aspects of the nursing agenda, throughput and operations, and corporate project implementations.

She began her nursing career in 1999 at Bayshore Medical Center (now HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast). She later transferred to Mainland Medical Center (now HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland), where she started her nursing leadership career and helped lead the facility to obtain its primary stroke certification as well as Level IV trauma designation. She also served as CNO at HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe and HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood. Howard received her associate’s degree from San Jacinto College Central in Pasadena, Texas, her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and her master’s degree in nursing leadership and management from Western Governors University.