From staff reports
ASHEBORO —
Randolph Hospital President Robert E. Morrison announced Thursday he plans to retire, but will remain through the transition of naming and seating a successor.
“After 19 years in the best job I’ve ever had, it is time for me to move along to other interests. There is much to be proud of at Randolph Hospital and although my part was small, with the heavy lifting being done by others, together we achieved many successes,” said Morrison.
The board of directors has established a Succession Committee to oversee the process of filling the position. Currently the committee is evaluating the criteria necessary to fill the position. Pending finalized criteria the committee will assess how to proceed with a search to fill the position.
During Morrison’s tenure, Randolph Hospital has undergone substantial change. The number of employees and physicians on staff has tripled since 1993, and the scope of state-of-the-art medical services provided to the community has expanded greatly.
“The board of directors of Randolph Hospital is grateful for the leadership Bob has provided to our hospital and our community," said Sam Cranford Jr., chairman of the Randolph Hospital’s board. "His vision of what healthcare should be and his tenacity in achieving those goals has taken Randolph Hospital to a level of excellence enjoyed by few other hospitals. His participatory management style has inspired his board, hospital staff and medical staff to continually strive to achieve even higher and more innovative methods of caring for the people in our community. On behalf of the board I would like to sincerely thank Bob for his leadership in our hospital and making our community a better place to live.”
Morrison joined Randolph Hospital in 1993 during a time in which the organization faced many significant challenges. Through his leadership, Randolph Hospital began its evolution into a nationally award winning medical facility.
“It was a real pleasure to work with Bob Morrison as president of Randolph Hospital,” said Ted Matney, former chairman of the board of directors of Randolph Hospital. "Bob had expectations of excellence from those who worked with him and of himself. He led the hospital through some difficult times. When other hospitals were closing or merging with a larger regional hospital, Randolph Hospital not only survived, but thrived. Bob will be as successful in his retirement as he was as president of Randolph Hospital. My very best wishes to him as he retires.”
Morrison said he found talented staff and physicians when he arrived at Randolph Hospital.
“Among my most important jobs were to get them to believe in themselves and to encourage people in the community to have high expectations of what we could achieve together," he said. "For us to succeed, we had to believe that our quality could match the best and then we had to prove it to ourselves. Now we have that confidence among our staff and community. We expect to deliver excellence and when we don’t, we work hard to improve. Once we began to raise our expectations, many things became possible.”
Retaining and empowering that skilled staff and recruiting additional highly skilled physicians was the first stage of Randolph Hospital’s transition under Morrison’s leadership. Morrison saw the need to increase access to quality physicians not just in Asheboro, but throughout the county. In 1994, Randolph Hospital created Randolph Medical Associates – a hospital-owned multi-physician practice including family practice offices in outlying areas such as Randleman, Seagrove and Liberty as well as internal medicine and pediatric practices in Asheboro.
After assessing initial community needs, Morrison worked with a collaborative group of physicians, staff and community leaders to implement a Community Alternatives Program and Home Health Services in Randolph County. The addition of these services allows Randolph County residents to remain in their homes as long as possible, maintaining their independence. Today, Randolph Hospital staff go into over 300 homes daily, providing much needed health services.
Because Randolph Hospital’s mission includes the promotion of health and wellness, Morrison saw the need to create a Foundation to aid in that effort. In 1995 the Randolph Hospital Community Health Foundation was created. To date, it has provided over $550,000 in grants to the community to address a variety of health and wellness initiatives.
Morrison’s continued focus on clinical quality and expansion of needed medical services led to the provision of full time cancer services through the creation of the Randolph Cancer Center in 1998. In 2000, a new $4.6 million Emergency Department opened that now accommodates more than 40,000 visits annually.
As health needs within Randolph County continued to evolve, Morrison responded through the addition of a free-standing MRI Center in 2006. In 2008, the hospital had its largest expansion under Morrison’s leadership when it opened its $32 million Outpatient Center and Randolph Cancer Center. The new Outpatient Center aligns most outpatient services in one location – providing state-of-the art services coupled with patient privacy and convenience. The new Randolph Cancer Center brings radiation therapy to its list of comprehensive services.
“Bob has always responded to the health needs of our community. As a result of his efforts toward clinical innovation and quality of care, Randolph Hospital has been recognized by the North Carolina Nursing Association for creating a positive work environment for its nurses with the Hallmark of Healthy Workplaces recognition and with the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer (CoC), making Randolph Cancer Center one of an elite few in North Carolina to receive this honor,” said Cranford.
In Morrison’s retirement announcement to Randolph Hospital’s Board, management, medical staff and employees, Morrison conveyed the following: “Everything Randolph Hospital has achieved during my time here has been achieved by a team of very talented people. We have a devoted Board of Directors, experienced and committed management team, dedicated medical staff, and talented employees who together will continue to ensure that Randolph Hospital meets the health needs of this community. I look forward to watching the continuing evolution of this fine organization.”
Morrison has actively served the community in many roles, including serving with such organizations as: The Asheboro-Randolph County YMCA, Hospice of Randolph County, the Community Foundation of Randolph County, Asheboro Rotary Club, the Asheboro-Randolph Chamber of Commerce, the City of Asheboro Strategic Planning Committee and Randolph County Schools Community Advisory Board.
He has also served on a variety of state-wide organizations including: the North Carolina Hospital Association, the North Carolina Health Care Reform Commission, the North Carolina Center for Nursing and the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research.
