Mercy Health Partners has named David Bunch, FACHE, as the new chief administrative officer at St. Mary’s Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Jefferson City, Tennessee.  Bunch has taken the post after the long-time head of St. Mary’s Jefferson Memorial Hospital, Mike Hicks, retired last year.

Bunch grew up in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, went to Clinton High School and attended Tennessee Wesleyan College.

 

Bunch said that community hospitals, like the 58-bed St. Mary’s Jefferson Memorial Hospital, play a vital role in healthcare today.  “Community hospitals provide access to quality healthcare without forcing people to travel for primary medical care.”

 “This access is an important key to early management of many chronic diseases that if not treated early, can lead to significant complications and more costly care. When I was a kid, my family had to seek medical care outside of Oliver Springs, and I know what a burden that can be on families,” Bunch said.

After getting to meet the physicians and staff at SMJMH, Bunch said there is a great team in place committed to using the latest in medical technology provided with compassionate care.

“The associates and leaders at the hospital are tremendous.  Furthermore, the hospital is blessed with an extremely talent medical staff.  Along with the strong base of primary care physicians, we are incredibly fortunate to have board certified specialists in areas such as orthopedics, cardiology and gynecology.  Additionally, it’s unusual for a community of this size to have such extraordinary facilities,” Bunch said.

The new CAO said that SMJMH has a bright future.  “As part of Mercy Health Partners, the doctors and staff are proud of our commitment to this community and are excited about the plans to continue investing in quality healthcare for the citizens of this area.”

“More specifically, we will be diligent in our efforts to ensure adequate access to healthcare as a full service, acute care facility for Jefferson and the surrounding counties.  This includes active recruitment of primary care physicians and specialists to our community,” Bunch added.

St. Mary’s Jefferson Memorial Hospital is a member of Mercy Health Partners. Mercy was formed by the merger of St. Mary’s Health System and Baptist Health System of East Tennessee in 2008. The new healthcare system has seven hospitals and many other healthcare facilities in 15 counties in East Tennessee.  With more than 1,000 of the area’s leading physicians and 5,700 associates, Mercy has centers of excellence in cancer services, heart services, women’s services, orthopedic services and imaging services.

For physician referral or service information, call Ask Mercy at 632-5200 (toll-free at 877-368-7362).  For a complete list of Mercy physicians, services and facility locations, visit the Mercy Web site at www.mercy.com.