Western Dental Announces Simon Castellanos as New CEO

ORANGE, Calif., Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Dental Services, Inc., a leading provider of dental services in California with affiliates in Arizona, Nevada and Texas, announced Simon Castellanos as its new Chief Executive Officer.

"Simon is an extraordinary leader with nearly two decades of expertise improving clinical outcomes and patient care," said Chairman Tom Erickson. "We are tremendously pleased that he will assume the key leadership role for Western Dental, and continue steps toward our vision to be the premier dental services company with affordable treatment costs."

Castellanos was most recently the President of Fresenius Medical Services (FMS), the largest US division of Fresenius responsible for dialysis treatment to over 160,000 patients at 2,060 outpatient facilities and 900 hospitals across the country. Under his leadership at FMS, overall quality outcomes including hospitalization and mortality rates improved substantially due to standardization of processes and protocols, and globally Fresenius was named a Most Innovative Company by Forbes for three consecutive years. Before that, he directed improvement in outcomes and overall results through national and international leadership roles at Fresenius, and at Gambro Healthcare International.

"I am very pleased to join and lead Western Dental and its affiliate Brident Dental & Orthodontics on their path forward," said Castellanos. "From my experience in medical operational and financial roles, I have learned that a focus on patient care and quality outcomes can ultimately enable growth and financial success for a medical organization. At Western Dental, we will lead with quality through excellence from our employees and processes, which will enable us to grow and serve more patients with exceptional and affordable dental care."

Castellanos assumes leadership of Western Dental in California, its affiliates in Arizona and Nevada, as well as affiliate Brident Dental & Orthodontics, which serves the State of Texas.

About Western Dental

Western Dental was founded in California over 60 years ago on the belief that high quality dental and oral care should be accessible and affordable to all. Today Western Dental has over 4,000 doctors, assistants, managers and other personnel across California, including affiliated offices in Arizona and Nevada, all of which are focused on furthering its mission to make lives better, healthier and more enjoyable through oral health. Western Dental's affiliate, Brident Dental & Orthodontics, provides administrative and business support services to affiliated dental practices throughout the State of Texas.

For more information please visit www.westerndental.com or www.brident.com, or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Western Dental