Forest Park Medical Center, which is expected to open in the second quarter of 2015, appointed John O'Neill as its CEO, hospital representatives announced March 18.

O'Neill has more than 28 years of experience in health care and has served as CEO of Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas. He has also served on health care boards including the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce and PediPlace, a nonprofit pediatric health clinic in North Dallas. His education includes bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Loyola University and a Master of Science in health systems from Rush University.

Forest Park Medical Center is a hospital system owned by physicians. Construction on the hospital—located on 8.5 acres of land on the south side of SH 45 N between MoPac and I-35—began in August 2013. The medical center will encompass approximately 150,000 square feet and cost about $90 million to build.

Upon completion, the hospital will have Leadership Energy and Environmental Design certification, which less than five percent of hospitals in the country have obtained, O'Neill said.

"We will use 40 percent less water and 40 percent less electricity than a typical hospital our size," he said. "I think that is very important to be a good community partner."

O'Neill's responsibilities as CEO of Forest Park Medical Center in Austin include overseeing hospital operations and working with physicians and staff. This summer, Forest Park expects to begin the hiring process for leadership positions such as chief financial officer, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer, he said. The hospital system expects to hire about 175–200 people.

"When it comes to leadership positions, I want to get the best and the brightest from everywhere," he said.

Forest Park Medical Center has locations in Dallas, Frisco and Southlake. In addition to Austin, the health care entity also has facilities under construction in Fort Worth and San Antonio.