© 2024 Blue Ridge Public Radio
Blue Ridge Mountains banner background
Your source for information and inspiration in Western North Carolina.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Harris Regional Hospital CEO starts new role as COO of Pardee UNC Health Care

Courtesy of Pardee UNC Health Care
Steve Heaterly was CEO at Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital before taking on the job of COO at Pardee UNC Health Care.

The CEO of Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital, Steve Heatherly, has moved on to a new role in Henderson County.

Heatherly started as Chief Operating Officer at Pardee UNC Health Care on October 11th.  

“The addition of a healthcare executive with the professional experience and knowledge of Western North Carolina that Steve possesses will be a tremendous asset to Pardee,” said Jay Kirby, president and CEO, Pardee UNC Health Care in a press release. “Pardee has tripled in size over the past 10 years. As our reach continues to expand throughout our region, and our hospital becomes increasingly busy, we will rely on Steve’s broad experience to help us manage the increasing demands of a high growth healthcare organization that remains deeply committed to our community.”

Pardee is a not-for-profit health care system that was founded in 1953 and is managed by UNC Health Care.

A Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital spokesperson thanked Heatherly for his 9 ½ years at the hospital.

In that time, Harris Regional and Swain Community were purchased by Duke LifePoint in 2014. Then in 2018, LifePoint Health was purchased by RCCH Healthcare which operates in 12 states and is owned by private equity firm Apollo Management Group.

“We appreciate his service to our hospitals and communities and wish him all the best in his new role. The recruitment process for a new permanent CEO is underway, and we will keep our community informed when a new leader has been identified,” said a hospital spokesperson.

Harris Regional Hospital Chief Nursing Officer LaCrystal Gordon is currently serving as interim CEO. 

Heatherly received his Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from the University of North Carolina Asheville, a Master of Business Administration from Western Carolina University and a Master of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He has served as Chairman of the Western North Carolina Health Network and is currently a board member of the Great Smokies Health Foundation and Crescent Health Solutions.

Lilly Knoepp is Senior Regional Reporter for Blue Ridge Public Radio. She has served as BPR’s first fulltime reporter covering Western North Carolina since 2018. She is from Franklin, NC. She returns to WNC after serving as the assistant editor of Women@Forbes and digital producer of the Forbes podcast network. She holds a master’s degree in international journalism from the City University of New York and earned a double major from UNC-Chapel Hill in religious studies and political science.
Related Content