Little Plans Big For Stones River Hospital

by KEVIN HALPERN


Little Plans Big For Stones River Hospital

NEW CEO AND CT: Bill Little, left, the new Chief Executive Officer of Stones River Hospital, shows off the facility's new CT Scanner along with Tammy Mollinet, Lead CT Technician, and Family Practitioner Micheal Thomas, M.D.
Getting to know you. That's the first priority of Bill Little, the new Chief Executive Officer of Stones River Hospital.

Little, who prior to coming to SRH was the Chief Operating Officer at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, says community involvement and input will play major roles in the future of health care services at the hospital.

"I believe it is of utmost importance to understand the community we serve and to listen to those persons who can help shape our understanding of current and future healthcare needs for Woodbury and Cannon County," Little said.

"I have started this process by introducing myself and listening to employees, physicians, volunteers, our Community Advisory Board, and certain members of the Chamber of Commerce. This is only a start and I will dedicate time for this on a continuing basis." Little may not be a doctor, nurse or medical technician, but he does see his role as being that of a care-giver, only his "patient" is Stones River Hospital itself.

"My vision is to ensure that our community has access to quality healthcare services and has trust and confidence in those persons providing the care. It is my commitment to provide our staff with the facilities, equipment, continuing education and administrative support to provide compassionate care," he said.

With healthcare reform legislation pending before Congress, and continuing efforts to bring down the cost of services to make them more affordable to patients, Little knows that planning for the future will be key.

"Healthcare will be undergoing many changes in the coming years," he said. "While we don't yet know what those changes will bring, our community can trust that we will do all we can to position our hospital to continue to provide quality inpatient and outpatient services."

The main strength of our hospital is the people who work here, Little said. They are very loyal and it shows in the way they care for their patients. Stones River Hospital is extremely proud that we are able to offer the same services as a large metropolitan city right here in Cannon County.

"As committed as I am to the continued success of this hospital, I recognize that this is a team effort. The community must be an integral part of the team if we are all to succeed," he said.

Little stresses that it is a tremendous asset for Stones River Hospital to be able to bring in highly respected specialty physicians from across Middle Tennessee representing such areas as cardiology, general surgery, podiatry, orthopedics, and many others

"This allows citizens of our community to receive quality specialized care without having to travel out of town. We are also proud to offer state-of-the-art MRI and CT scanners that are able to assist our medical staff in quickly and accurately diagnosing many illnesses. We are able to provide outstanding physical therapy and surgical services, among many other things. Our inpatient geriatric psychiatric program is only one of a few existing programs in the mid-state and helps to meet a much underserved need."

Little is a native of Smithville. He obtained his B.S. degree in Business Administration from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. Bill and his wife, Kelly, are the parents of three daughters, Marcey, Madalyn, and Meridith.