HENDERSONVILLE MEDICAL CENTER WELCOMES NEW COO

HENDERSONVILLE, TN (January 15, 2007) - Hendersonville Medical Center has selected Brian Cook as the facility’s Chief Operating Officer. Cook will lead all hospital-based, ambulatory and support operations of Hendersonville’s 110-bed, acute care community hospital.  Cook will also oversee operations at Portland Medical Center’s 38-bed acute care community hospital, which is a facility of Hendersonville Medical Center. In reporting to the CEO, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the hospital, managing departments efficiently and effectively to maximize quality of programs and services.

Cook joins Hendersonville Medical Center after serving as Chief Operating Officer for fellow TriStar Health System facility, Horizon Medical Center in Dickson, TN.  

"Brian brings a breadth of experience operationally that is ideally suited to meet the demands for hospital leadership in our current healthcare environment,” said Mike Esposito, CEO.  “HMC is very lucky to have an individual possessing Brian's level of expertise to help continue to grow this hospital as a local pre-eminent healthcare provider."

His accomplishments include the December completion of the $17 million project of the new Natchez Medical Park in Dickson, TN.  The project involved a new Sarah Cannon Cancer Center and an Outpatient Diagnostic Imaging Center.  He brings specific experience in strategic planning, business development, medical staff relations and medical campus design and construction. Cook will coordinate any construction and expansion projects in his operations role on the senior management team at Hendersonville Medical Center in the upcoming year.

"Brian is very passionate about quality care and patient satisfaction and very active in community organizations," said Esposito.  He also noted that Cook, along with others serving on the administration team at Hendersonville, "will all be working diligently to continue bringing new physicians, services and technology to our community."

Along with serving as Chief Operating Officer, Cook will also be both Hendersonville and Portland Medical Center’s Ethics and Compliance Officer.

"I am excited about the opportunity to serve the healthcare needs of this county," Cook said about his COO responsibilities. "HMC is growing and bringing in new services and new providers, so it is a great time to be part of the operations team to make this happen."

Cook has more than four years of healthcare experience, spending three at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, FL.  While there, he was directly responsible for a $18 million expansion of a new ICU and Telemetry floor, developed and opened a new Outpatient Wound Care Center, and implemented many medical imaging advances including PACS, new CT and MRI services.

His educational background includes an MBA from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL and bachelors degree in Accounting and Finance from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL.

Hendersonville Medical Center, part of the TriStar Health System, is a 110-bed community-based medical center with comprehensive medical and surgical programs including Obstetrics, Cardiology, Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery services.  Fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Hendersonville Medical Center remains the only Accredited Chest Pain Center in Sumner County.  Portland Medical Center, a facility of Hendersonville Medical Center, joined the TriStar Health System in April 2006 and together, we are proudly serving the healthcare needs of Sumner County.

For more information about the services offered and health plans accepted by Hendersonville Medical Center, Portland Medical Center or TriStar Health System, call MedLine at 342-1919, toll-free outside of Nashville at 1-800-242-5662, or visit the website at TriStarHealth.com