Liberty Regional Chief Executive Officer, Mike Hester, recently submitted his resignation to the Hospital Authority of Liberty County. His last day to serve in his position at the hospital is set for March 29. Hester will be relocating with his family after accepting the position of CEO at a healthcare facility in North Georgia.
Regarding this resignation, Hester said, “I have had the great privilege of serving as Administrator of Liberty Regional Medical Center. With the strong vision of the Hospital Authority of Liberty County Trustees led by Chairman James Rogers, support of our county commissioners and citizens, and the tireless efforts of our staff and physicians in the last several years, we have expanded our health care services and provided greater access to healthcare in our community and surrounding counties. These efforts and results have laid the groundwork for the continued success and future growth of LRMC and will provide better care for our community. I will truly miss this community, the staff and all the friends that I have made. Thank you all for making me feel like family and for helping us to make a difference in the lives of so many people.”
“Liberty Regional will truly miss Mike Hester,” said James Rogers, Chairman of the Hospital Authority. “He has been a tremendous asset over the last three years, leading many great local health care initiatives. Under his direction, the hospital has added a Hospitalist Program, the construction of our Long County and Midway Primary Care campuses and the addition of our Walk-in Clinic at the hospital. Mike has grown our physician practices, while bringing in to those practices several experienced and respected physicians including Seth Borquaye MD of Liberty OB/GYN, Calin Badea MD of Liberty Family Medicine and Christina McCain, MD and Rebecca Coefield-Floyd, MD of Liberty Surgical Associates. He has been instrumental in planning our new Medical Oncology Infusion Center for which construction is scheduled to begin sometime this year. Mike also championed the initiative to bring back cardiology services with the reopening of Liberty Cardiology through a partnership between our hospital, Gary Elkin MD, Cardiologist and St. Joseph’s/Candler. These initiatives have helped to greatly improve the quality of healthcare provided by Liberty Regional Medical Center and Coastal Manor Long Term Care. His leadership has also contributed to a much improved financial position for the organization. We thank Mike for his service to Liberty and the surrounding areas and wish him continued success in his new position.”
A board committee has now begun the search and selection process for a new CEO.