Stephens Co. Hospital Administrator To Retire in 2015

Stephens County Hospital’s Administrator for almost three decades is calling it a career next year.

Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell announced Tuesday that he would be retiring from Stephens County Hospital as of December 31, 2015.

Gambrell said he feels this is a decision he needed to make.

“As many people know, I have a muscle disorder that has slowed me down and it really impedes my ability to get around the hospital as much as I need to and as much as I should,” said Gambrell. “I get tired very easily.”

He went on to say that by making the decision now, it will give everybody time to plan for the future.

“I am giving approximately 14 months notice,” said Gambrell. “That will give the Authority and myself time to find a suitable replacement.”

Gambrell has served as the Administrator at Stephens County Hospital since October 1, 1987.

That is a period of 27 years.

Stephens County Hospital Authority Chairman Mark Wilkinson said that makes Gambrell the longest-tenured hospital administrator in the state as of today.

Wilkinson said the Authority wishes Gambrell was not retiring, but understands the decision.

“It is a sad time for all of us,” said Wilkinson. “I think it is a sad time for Stephens County. The hospital has been one of the bright points in the history of Stephens County. We have had some hard times, but have tried to work through them and continue to work through them. He will be missed and hard to replace.”

Wilkinson went on to say that the hospital has accomplished a lot under Gambrell’s administration.

He pointed to renovations and expansions throughout the hospital such as the Personal Care Homes, Emergency Room, and the EMS buildings, among others.

Wilkinson said that the Authority and Gambrell will work together to find the next administrator for Stephens County Hospital.

Gambrell said the search process will not be rushed.

“We will see what sort of interest there is both inside and outside the hospital and then probably in a couple of months, we will assess the level of interest and determine if we should use a recruiting firm or if we do not need to,” said Gambrell. “Right now, we are going to kind of sit back and let word get out to people.”

Gambrell said he feels there will be a lot of interest in the position and a lot of qualified people for the Authority to choose from.

Wilkinson said the Hospital Authority will likely try to hire the next administrator prior to Gambrell’s retirement date, so that everyone can work together on the transition.