FLEMING ISLAND – With his work completed in Clay County, Baptist Medical Center Clay President Darin Roark will leave the hospital on Friday to tackle new challenges in New Hampshire.

Roark, honored by the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday for spearheading the completion of the $234 million, 102-bed hospital, will assume his new role as President and Chief Operating Officer of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover. He will start at his new job on July 24.

“It was definitely a tough decision,” Roark said. “I love living here in Clay County. We’ve built this beautiful hospital here and put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in it. We built something great here. It is hard to leave. But at the same time, it’s an opportunity to go to another area of the country where I feel that I can have an impact and make a difference in that community. It’ll definitely be different.”

In addition to directing the medical center’s approval, planning and construction, Roark coordinated the addition of three new satellite emergency rooms in the county.

“Darin’s extensive experience in health care management aligns perfectly with the mission and vision of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and Mass General Brigham,” said Dr. Gregg Meyer, president of Mass General Brigham’s community division. “With his strong leadership and collaborative approach, we are confident that he will further enhance the hospital’s ability to serve the community and provide exceptional care.”

Roark was the director of emergency services at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital (then known as Orange Park Medical Center) before becoming the vice president of Baptist’s oncology and emergency service lines.

“Fourteen years ago, I started at Orange Park Medical Center and came to Baptist. I heard from the community. They said we really liked the options for healthcare, but we would love a Baptist Health facility in Clay County. I heard that over and over and over again. My goal was to bring that hospital to Clay County, and we’ve done that. It’s a beautiful facility that I’m extremely proud of. I, at least, can leave knowing that I fulfilled my promise to the folks here in Clay County to give them a big beautiful Baptist Hospital.”

Roark said he still is driven to tackle challenging projects that improve lives.

“There’s a big calling to go there, a great health system,” Roark said. “It’s a very, very, very progressive health system. They do a lot of research and it’s an opportunity to really dive deep into clinical leadership and medicine and see where that takes us.”

Ed Hubel, a graduate of Orange Park High, will become the interim president at Clay. He currently is the president of Baptist’s Nassau facility.

“In a lot of ways, this is a coming home for Ed,” Roark said. “That’s super exciting that I can turn it over to someone who has roots in Clay County and knows Clay County and understands Clay County. It means a lot to me to turn it over to somebody who loves the county as much as I do.”