Hospital names new CEO

A new hospital administrator out of Greenville, Ill., will soon take over for retiring administrator Jon Davis.

David Womack and his wife Julie are in Colfax today and tomorrow, scouting out a house for their move here in early December.

Womack has been the CEO of a small-town regional hospital, Greenville Regional Hospital, for the past four years.

“Our house is up for sale. We’ve even traded cars getting ready to come out there,” Womack said.

Womack was officially named last Wednesday after his earlier selection was approved by officials at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. His name had been forwarded to Providence after the local hospital board selected him from a list of finalists Oct. 8.

Womack will take over for Davis Dec. 1. Davis has headed the local hospital for seven years.

Davis plans to remain on staff through December to assist with the transition.

Womack spent the majority of his 25-year career in medical administration in the Air Force. He has served all over the U.S.

That included two years living in Spokane as the CEO of the medical group at Fairchild Air Force Base in the early 2000s.

The Fairchild assignment was his last stint with the Air Force before he retired and began his service in Greenville.

Womack said he and his wife fell in love with the Inland Northwest while here. When the job opened up at Whitman Hospital & Medical Center, he applied.

Womack said he has been offered positions elsewhere in the United States, but they decided to take the job here because it would get them back to the northwest.

“When you called, I was in the garage pricing stuff for a garage sale tomorrow,” he said with a laugh. “We are actively working on the move.”

Womack sees his role at Whitman as similar to his job in Greenville.

“It’s a rural farming community,” Womack said.

The town of 7,000 is nestled in miles and miles of cornfields and serves the surrounding county population of about 23,000.

Womack said the Greenville hospital and Whitman Hospital are both small, and may have a harder time supporting specialty services because fewer people need them.

“There’s not the opportunity to support a lot of high specialty services. It’s always important to have good partnerships and good linkages with the larger hospitals and have a good regional network,” Womack said.

Much of his early work will entail an assessment of the hospital’s ongoing needs, managing staff, and maintaining good working relationships with other regional medical services.

Womack said he has a bottom line on leadership.

“My three values are integrity, service and excellence. I try not to compromise those at any time.”

The Womacks have four adult children residing at different locations around the United States.

They bring with them no less than four Jack Russell terriers.

As far as personal interests, Womack said he and his wife enjoy settling down with good books. He just closed the last page on the Screwtape Letters, a novel by C.S. Lewis. He is also reading Team of Rivals, a book about Abraham Lincoln and his presidential cabinet.

Traveling also rates high on their list of favorites. Through his Air Force years, Womack and his family lived in Germany for three years, and spent a little time in Saudi Arabia and the Caucuses.

Womack said they are looking forward to traveling in Washington, maybe making it over to the Oregon coast or Banff, Alberta.

“We kind of consider ourselves goers and doers,” Womack said.