Baptist Hospital Names Rick Blackwood to Board of Directors

MIAMI - March 26, 2014 - PRLog -- Baptist Hospital has named Rick Blackwood, lead pastor for Christ Fellowship in Miami, to its Board of Directors. The Board is comprised of individuals who volunteer their time, serving without compensation for the 680-bed, not-for-profit hospital.

         At Christ Fellowship, Pastor Blackwood has seen the congregation's attendance grow from 950 each weekend to nearly 10,000 across six campuses. He has strengthened the children and youth ministries and created a counseling center. He also launched a “Caring for Miami” program that provides food, job training and medical resources to the underserved. Prior to joining Christ Fellowship in 1996,  Pastor Blackwood served as senior pastor for McKee Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Rick Blackwood is a respected leader who is deeply committed to his congregants and South Florida,” said Bo Boulenger, Baptist Hospital CEO.  “With his background in helping the underserved, he will support our mission of providing compassionate healthcare services to all members of the community.”

Pastor Blackwood earned a B.S. from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo.; an M.A. from Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, Ala.; a M.Div. from Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, Ga.; a Ph.D. from California Graduate School of Theology in Glendale, Calif.; a D.Min. from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind.; and an Ed.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He and his wife, Rhonda, have two daughters.

Baptist Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region. It also includes South Miami Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Mariners Hospital, Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Baptist Outpatient Services and Baptist Health Enterprises. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities affiliated with Baptist Health. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net and connect with BaptistHealthSF on Facebook (http://facebook.com/baptisthealthsf), Twitter (http://twitter.com/baptisthealthsf) and YouTube (http://youtube.com/baptisthealthsf).