ABOUT US
A Century of Care
Delivering innovative healthcare. All for the community.
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
From humble origins located in a small facility just a few blocks away to now the 269-bed premier healthcare institution in the region, Cookeville Regional Medical Center has seen tremendous growth throughout the last 100 years.
It all began with one man’s vision. That man was Dr. William Howard, who was described as a “kind and unselfish citizen who only administers kind treatment to those who come in contact with him.” He was also described as a “man of vision, a man of action and a pioneer” when the Tennessee Academy of Family Practitioners named him General Practitioner of the Year in 1962.
It’s fitting that the founder of what would eventually become Cookeville Regional Medical Center is described that way, as compassionate care is at the center of everything we do.
His vision inspired many local surgeons who had seen the brutal results of World War II to come home to serve residents with needed medical care instead of having to travel what used to be four hours to Nashville for care.
When it came to the point that Dr. Howard could not keep the hospital open any longer, the citizens stepped up and asked the city to help.
All of this happened at a time when healthcare services were desperately needed, as contagious diseases, such as smallpox, typhoid, scarlet fevers, flu, diphtheria, whooping cough, meningitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis were going around.
Not much was known about those diseases at that time, but doctors still found innovative ways to get the citizens the best healthcare possible – all without leaving home.
After all, innovation is at the core of Cookeville Regional’s existence.
MISSION
Building Healthier
Communities
VISION
Exceptional Care to Every
Patient Every Day
VALUES
W
Working Together
We create a culture of teamwork where we value and nurture our greatest assets — our physicians and staff — and build an environment of mutual trust, respect and best practices.
E
Excellence
We consistently exceed expectations by representing the highest ethical and moral standards.
C
Compassionate Care
We put others first in a spirit of warmth and friendliness that respects the dignity of all.
A
Accountability
We remain financially strong and committed to ensuring sustainability as part of our community responsibility.
R
Regional
We lead our region’s healthcare with integrity, innovation, education and service.
E
Empowerment
We empower our physicians and staff to do the right thing.
Leadership
Administration: 931-738-2000
Buffy Key
CEO
Tommye Rena Wells
Chief Financial Officer
Luke Hill
Chief Legal Counsel
Bruce "DW" Johnson, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Amy Rich
Chief Nursing Officer
Joseph Jestus, MD
Medical Staff President
Tim McDermott
Chief Information Officer
Angel Lewis
Chief Human Resource Officer
For Media Inquiries
Hannah Davis
Marketing & Communications Director
Fiscal year 2022 highlights: July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022
Everything Cookeville Regional does is for the community.
As a city-owned hospital, there is no corporate enterprise dictating what services or specialties we can or cannot offer. CRMC is financially independent in that there are zero tax dollars issued to fund operations.
Cookeville Regional pays the City of Cookeville $700,000 each year in lieu of taxes and every dollar made goes right back into the hospital to fund new and improved services.
Supporting the mission of "Building Healthier Communities," Cookeville Regional has reinvested millions of dollars over the past five years back into the hospital to help meet the healthcare needs of the region.
Cookeville Regional is a 269-bed regional referral center that continues to grow, continues to invest in the best, state-of-the-art equipment and techniques with the ultimate goal of bringing the best healthcare to the residents of the Upper Cumberland. After all, it is the way we care.
Emergency room visits
47,794
Newborn deliveries
1,455
Inpatient admissions
12,331
Outpatient visits
186,031
Surgeries
10,390
Heart procedures
4,066
Charity/uncompensated care (charity care and uncollected debt for services)
$29,760,438
Salaries, wages and benefits
$205,037,966
Physicians
187
Employees
2,520
Board of Trustees
Cookeville Regional Medical Center is overseen by a board of trustees. They appoint the CEO, approve the budget and audit and purchases. Members are appointed by the city council, except for the Cookeville city mayor and the medical staff president. They meet the fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.
Ernest Buchanan, MD
Chairman
Cheryl Sandlin
Vice chairman
Laurin Wheaton
Mayor, City of Cookeville
Joseph Jestus, MD
Medical staff president
Carl Owens, PhD
Board member
Danny Rader
Secretary
Scott Copeland, MD
Board member
Alma Anderson
Board member
Randel Wallace
Board member