by John Howser
Julian “Jay” Hinesley III, MHA, President of Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital (VWCH), is leaving his role with Vanderbilt University Medical Center to join the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) as Chief Executive Officer for MUSC Health’s Florence Division in Florence, South Carolina, where he will lead three hospitals located in Florence and adjacent communities. He will depart VWCH and VUMC on April 30.
Scott McCarver, MHA, Chief Operating Officer for VWCH, will assume Hinesley’s duties on an interim basis during a search for the hospital’s new president.
McCarver has been with VUMC since 2015 and was previously on the leadership team of Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital before joining VWCH in 2020.
A visible presence in the city of Lebanon and Wilson County, Hinesley has served as the leader of the county’s only hospital since 2017. Prior to joining VUMC in August 2019 when VWCH was acquired from Community Health Systems’ Tennova Healthcare, Hinesley served as the hospital’s leader for two years under Tennova’s ownership.
“Under Jay’s guidance VWCH has flourished, becoming an even more important part of the county’s health care landscape and an integral component of our health system,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System officer for VUMC. “I wish Jay the very best on his new role with MUSC as he and his family return to their roots in South Carolina.”
Since Hinesley joined VUMC, he has been responsible for successful integration of VWCH into the Vanderbilt Health system, leading the hospital forward. In turn, VUMC has invested substantially in the hospital since its acquisition by adding additional staffing, new equipment, programs and services.
Among other achievements, since 2019 VWCH has increased its overall bed capacity, been reaccredited by the Joint Commission, implemented EPIC/eStar, opened a Wilson County location of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, added full-time LifeFlight ground ambulance service at the facility, along with physician staffing from the Department of Emergency Medicine, and has played an important role in VUMC’s overall COVID-19 response.
Hinesley has also been responsible for the successful integration of the services of many of VUMC’s clinical departments into the hospital’s operations, adding to or enhancing the two-campus facility’s overall array of clinical services available in the community.
In April 2020, VWCH was part of a Unified Command Response, supporting relief efforts for a crisis in another community. The hospital accepted the rapid transfer of 25 residents from a nursing home impacted by COVID-19. In short order hospital staff were providing every patient the care and support they needed.
“My time at Vanderbilt Wilson County has given me some of the most rewarding moments of my career. It was truly an honor to join Vanderbilt Health, and I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished,” said Hinesley.
Prior to his service in Wilson County, Hinesley joined Community Health Systems in 2011 and served in four of its facilities, three of which as the CEO.
He has served as an ambassador for the hospital in Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, and Wilson County, frequently speaking at gatherings of civic organizations including the Wilson County Chamber of Commerce and the Noon Rotary Club.
He has also maintained a close relationship with the Wilson County Health Department, which is currently partnering with the hospital to offer walk-up COVID-19 vaccinations to the community.
Hinesley is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, and a master’s in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
