FRANKLIN—Sean Dardeau, chief executive officer at Southampton Memorial Hospital since 2004, is being transferred to be chief operating officer at a larger hospital within the same organization.

The move takes Dardeau, 38, back to Alabama, from which he was transferred to Southampton Memorial three years ago.

&uot;We love this community, my wife and I,&uot; Dardeau said Thursday. &uot;We’ve made a lot of friends here.&uot;

During his tenure at Southampton, the hospital added a $2.5 million wing, expanded its lab in a $200,000 project, added a $250,000 women’s suite, added a sleep lab and recruited 15 physicians in various disciplines. Orthopedics and urology care were also improved during his stay, Dardeau said.

His destination is the 540-bed Trinity Medical Center, a regional referral center in Birmingham, Ala., with a reported staff of more than 600 physicians representing 30 specialties and subspecialties. It is part of Community Health Systems, one of the nation’s leading operators of general acute care hospitals, according to its Web site.

The organization’s affiliates own, operate or lease more than 130 hospitals in 28 states, with an aggregate of nearly 18,700 licensed beds. In more than 65 percent of the markets served, CHS-affiliated hospitals are the sole provider of health care services, the Web site reports.

Dardeau said Trinity Medical has &uot;more advanced capabilities&uot; than SMH and serves as a trauma center for northern Alabama. Southampton Memorial, a 221-bed facility, does not serve that function.

&uot;It’s with mixed emotions that I leave the hospital,&uot; Dardeau said in a press release Wednesday.

&uot;I am proud of how the hospital has progressed during my time here and of our accomplishments. I believe the foundation we’ve put in place will continue to serve both the hospital and the community well in the future.&uot;

In the same statement released by the hospital, Edna King, chairman of the SMH board, said, &uot;Sean is a well-respected community leader and has been a valuable asset to both the hospital and community. We are sorry he will be leaving us, but we are happy about the professional opportunities that lie ahead for him.

The hospital has a great leadership team in place, and is well-positioned for continued future success.&uot;

Dardeau said the search for his successor is ongoing.

&uot;I will be replaced eventually,&uot; he said.

In the statement, &uot;The hospital has a strong leadership team, outstanding physicians and tremendous employees,&uot; said Dardeau.

&uot;I know it will continue making tremendous strides in the care it provides the community.&uot;

Dardeau’s departure will be effective the first week in January, he said Thursday.