VHHA Board of Directors Elects 2019-2020 Officers at Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, Outstanding Health Care Leaders Recognized During Conference Focused on Social Determinants of Health

April 11, 2019

Newly Elected Board Officers Include Mary Washington Healthcare President and CEO Dr. Michael P. McDermott, Carilion Medical Center President and CEO and Carilion Clinic COO Steven C. Arner, and Clinch Valley Medical Center CEO Peter M. Mulkey

 RICHMOND, VA – The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) elected the 2019-2020 slate of officers to its Board of Directors during this week’s Annual Meeting hosted by the VHHA Foundation. The Board unanimously elected Mary Washington Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Michael P. McDermott, MD, as Chairman; Carilion Clinic Chief Operating Officer and Carilion Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer Steven C. Arner as Vice Chairman; and Clinch Valley Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Peter M. Mulkey as Secretary-Treasurer. Other Board officers include Valley Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Mark H. Merrill, the immediate past Chairman of the VHHA Board; and VHHA President and Chief Executive Officer Sean T. Connaughton.

The Annual Meeting held this week (April 10-12) in Williamsburg brings together hospital and health system leaders and other health care stakeholders from across the Commonwealth and beyond for a collaborative experience. The Annual Meeting aims to have representation from every Virginia hospital and health system; engage a wider audience, including early and mid-careerists; and reinforce the work being done at VHHA on behalf of its members. The theme of this year’s conference hosted by the VHHA Foundation is “Health + : Exploring the Social Influencers of Health.” This theme draws attention to the many social factors that can impact physical health, including educational opportunities and attainment, economic stability, environment, access to transportation, crime rates, and food insecurity. During the 2019 VHHA Annual Meeting, Virginia health care providers and leaders in attendance will gain insight about the role hospitals and health care institutions can play in educating patients about how environmental surroundings can impact physical health, and have an opportunity to explore strategies for collaboration on efforts to address these social determinants in Virginia. VHHA and its members are focused on population health in many ways, including work with the Virginia Department of Health on the “Partnering for a Healthy Virginia” initiative, among other strategic efforts oriented around advancing population health.

“Virginia’s hospitals have a profound responsibility to serve patients in local communities across the Commonwealth. Our collaborative efforts to expand access and promote health care quality and safety are some of the important ways we work to fulfill that mission,” said McDermott. “That work also includes a duty to be mindful of, and attentive to, the many factors that impact public health and well-being, including social conditions. As health care providers, we have an obligation to be prepared to meet the existing and emerging health needs in our communities by developing effective strategies to respond to such challenges. As the newly elected VHHA Board Chairman, I thank my colleagues for entrusting me with this important position and I look forward to our continued collaboration on improving public health.”

In addition to the election of new officers, recipients of VHHA’s Outstanding Service Awards are recognized at the Annual Meeting. This year, VHHA presented the Distinguished Service Award to Fred M. Rankin III, former president and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare; the Excellence in Governance Award to Alan S. Witt, Chairman of the Riverside Health System Board of Directors; the Meritorious Service Award to Donald B. Halliwill, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Carilion Clinic; and the Meritorious Service Award to Dr. Jose Oberholzer, MD, Director of UVA Health System’s Charles O. Strickler Transplant Center.

Emerging health care leaders who received awards in the “4 Under 40” category are also being honored. The awards recognize young health care leaders who demonstrate passion in their work and inspire those around them. This year’s award recipients include Bon Secours Richmond Health System Forensic Nursing Services Manager Sara Jennings; Kari Lightner, Executive Director of Ambulatory Services at Bath Community Hospital; Sentara Obici Hospital Vice President of Operations Jessica Lowder; and Trent Nobles, the CEO of Southside Regional Medical Center.

This year’s successful conference has attracted a wide audience to the forum that presents an opportunity for learning and engagement. Annual Meeting keynote speakers include Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH, Director of the Disparities Solutions Center and Harvard Medical School Associate Professor of Medicine; Benjamin Anderson, the CEO of Kearny County Hospital; and Dr. Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH, a physician, author, and health care leader whose work focuses on developing novel strategies to improve health in resource-poor communities. Scheduled panel discussions during the Annual Meeting include sessions on bridging the gap between community benefit and community health needs assessments, addressing the root causes that impact population health, and a “MedTalk” speaker series featuring subject matter experts who will explore how different social determinants presents themselves in real world situations. The conference also serves as a venue for the election of new officers to VHHA’s Board of Directors. The new officers are:

Dr. Michael P. McDermott is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mary Washington Healthcare in Fredericksburg, Va. Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, regional not-for-profit medical system that provides emergency, inpatient, and outpatient care through more than 40 facilities in the greater Fredericksburg region. Mary Washington Healthcare operates two hospitals, Mary Washington Hospital, a 451-bed regional medical center; and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital. Mary Washington Healthcare employs more than 4,000 people and has more than 800 providers on its medical staff. In 2016, and 2017, McDermott was named one of the Top 112 Hospital and Health System Physician Leaders to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review. He is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology, a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a Baldridge Executive Fellow. McDermott received his undergraduate degree at Villanova University and his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He performed his Diagnostic Radiology residency and Interventional Radiology fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical System. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Steven C. Arner, the Carilion Clinic Chief Operating Officer and Carilion Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer, is the new Vice Chairman. He began his career at Carilion in 1996 as a Financial Analyst and has served as Budget Manager, Human Resources Compensation and Analytics Director, Hospital Administrator at Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital, and Senior Vice President of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Services, Surgical Services, Environmental Services, and Engineering and Maintenance. In addition to his work at Carilion, Arner was an associate in CIGNA’s HealthService Leadership Program from 2002-2003. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and Feeding America Southwest Virginia.

Peter M. Mulkey, the Chief Executive Officer of Clinch Valley Medical Center, is the new Secretary-Treasurer. A pharmacist by training, Mulkey has spent much of his accomplished career at Clinch Valley, where he began as a clinical pharmacist. Mulkey later served as Director of Pharmacy and a clinical instructor in the Medical College of Virginia’s Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics. At Clinch Valley, Mulkey has served as Director of Pharmacy Services and he has held several key leadership roles at including Assistant Administrator, Chief Operating Officer, and since 2013, Chief Executive Officer. Mulkey earned bachelor’s and doctorate pharmacy degrees from the Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy, and his Master’s degree in Health Care Administration from Trinity University. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Health Executives and in 2018 earned the designation of Certified Professional in Patient Safety after completing concentrated educational work with a national patient safety organization.

In addition to the Board officers, VHHA’s Executive Committee also includes Augusta Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mary N. Mannix, UVA Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Pamela M. Sutton-Wallace, and Riverside Health System President and Chief Executive Officer William B. “Bill” Downey.

VHHA and the VHHA Foundation extend thanks to the corporate partners and sponsors who have helped support the Annual Meeting. The VHHA Foundation’s corporate partners are VHHA Shared Services, Alteon Health, Lumeris, and US Acute Care Solutions. The Annual Meeting sponsors include Whiting-Turner (Awards Luncheon Sponsor), Hancock Daniel (Chairman’s Celebration Sponsor), Schumacher Clinical Partners (Welcome Reception Sponsor), and Witt-Kieffer (Welcome Sponsor). Exhibiting and support sponsors include Family Preservation Services, Meadows & Ohly, the Mary Baldwin University Murphy-Deming College of Health Sciences, RCM&D, SOUND Physicians, and the VCU School of Allied Health Professions.

About VHHA: The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is an alliance of 110 hospitals and 27 health delivery systems that develops and advocates for sound health care policy in the Commonwealth. Its vision is to achieve excellence in both health care and health. Its vision is through the power of collaboration to be recognized as a driving force behind making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Connect with VHHA through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and ISupportVirginiaHospitals.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Julian Walker
Vice President of Communications
(804) 297-3193 office
(804) 304-7402 mobile
jtwalker@vhha.com