Enders steps down as Morehead Memorial Hospital CEO

From staff reports
Published: July 22, 2008

EDEN — Morehead Memorial Hospital President Bob Enders has stepped down as chief executive officer.

The Morehead Memorial Hospital’s board of trustees; the hospital’s management company, Quorum Health Resources; and Enders decided that it was in the best interest of the hospital for a change of leadership, a news release said. QHR and the hospital board have started a national search for his replacement.

An interim chief executive officer will be appointed to assume responsibility for the administrative function of the hospital while the search is under way.

It is anticipated that the interim CEO will be in place as early as the end of this week, the release said. Dan Elmer, the hospital’s vice president of finance, will be in charge of administrative responsibilities at the hospital until the interim CEO begins.

“We appreciate Mr. Enders’ service to Morehead Memorial Hospital during the past 25 years,” said board Chairman R. Martin Melvin. “He has led the hospital through growth and prosperity and has been actively involved in the community during his tenure. We wish him the best on his future endeavors.”

There is no current time frame for the CEO search to be completed, Melvin explained. “QHR’s management services provide immediate interim resources to minimize disruption within the hospital while allowing the board time to choose a CEO that can meet our needs, and fill the significant role Mr. Enders has played in the hospital and in the community.”

Under Enders’ leadership, the release said, Morehead Memorial Hospital has been twice recognized as an innovator among health care providers, first in 1994 as one of Thompson-Reuters Healthcare’s “100 Top Hospitals,” and this year as one of Data Advantage, LLC’s “100 Best Value Hospitals.”

He has served as president of Morehead since September 1987 and has led the organization through the acquisition of eight physician practices, a multispecialty clinic, and two major hospital expansion programs. The latest, a $36 million project completed last year, included the construction of a new Emergency Department and freestanding outpatient diagnostic center, and technology upgrades throughout the facility. 

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