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ABOUT US

A Century of Care

WHERE IT STARTED

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.

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

CEO Buffy Key

Buffy Key

Interim CEO

Tommye Rena Wells

Chief Financial Officer

Luke Hill

Chief Legal Counsel

Bruce "DW" Johnson, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Amy Rich, Chief Nursing 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 headshot

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 headshot

Randel Wallace

Board member