By News-Register staff • 

Willamette Valley Medical Center CEO leaving Mac hospital

##Michael Mulkey
##Michael Mulkey

Michael Mulkey, who has been CEO of Willamette Valley Medical Center since October 2022, will leave at the beginning of November to “relocate to be closer to family” in another state.

Mulkey has overseen numerous changes in his two years at the McMinnville hospital. WVMC completed a $9 million expansion of its H.R. Hoover Cancer Center; launched several workforce development programs designed to increase and retain staff, including nurse residencies and paid internships for young people; added is “Healthy Person Program” that uses artificial intelligence to track incidental findings and improve early detection; reopened its women’s center; and increased its staffing in family and internal medicine, general survey, OB/GYN and pediatrics.

In addition, WVMC was named Workforce Partner of the Year earlier this month by the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership.

The hospital also celebrated the 120th anniversary of medical care in McMinnville. Part of the celebration included dedicating a history wall that can by viewed by the public in the WVMC Wine Country Cafe.

“There have been many defining moments and milestones that have strengthened our facility for the future,” Mulkey said in a statement.

A native of Oklahoma, Mulkey served as an Army flight medic before joining the health care industry.

He worked for Noble Healthcare Corporation, where he was president and corporate chief operating office. He also was chief strategy officer of the Baptist Health System in San Antonio, Texas, and division vice president of cardiovascular services at TriStar Health.

He joined LifePoint Health, which owns WVMC. He led multi-disciplinary teams and demonstrated “a passion for culture and staff development,” said Sandy Podley, president of LifePoint’s Western Division when she announced his appointment to the McMinnville job in 2022.

In his statement about leaving the position, Mulkey said he is proud of what his team accomplished during his tenure.

“I know I’m leaving this community with a stronger hospital and in the best of hands with Tracy Autler, Chief Nursing Officer, Chris Brooker, Chief Financial Officer, and our outstanding director team at its helm,” in addition to the medical and support staff, he said.

Comments

CubFan

Too bad... He was genuinely interested in changing the culture at the hospital... to be more in touch with the community. Since the days of CEOs Rosemari Davis and Peter Hostetter there has been a revolving door of CEOs at WVMC.

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