News

AdventHealth CEO announces retirement

By Lightning Reports, Published: February 12, 2020

AdventHealth Hendersonville President and CEO Jimm Bunch, who has guided Park Ridge Hospital and its successor AdventHealth Hendersonville to expansion, new services and innovation over the past 14 years, will retire at the end of March, the health care company said Wednesday.

Bunch, who has been part of the AdventHealth organization for more than three decades, announced his decision to the AdventHealth Board of Directors and employees.

“I have prayed through this decision, and it has been a great honor to work in this community for almost 14 years,” Bunch said. “I have enjoyed working with every person on the AdventHealth Hendersonville care teams and seeing how this organization has prospered and been blessed, as we have endeavored to provide exceptional care to this community. I have truly loved being part of AdventHealth Hendersonville and know it will continue to be incredibly successful in the future.”

“During his time with AdventHealth, Bunch has consistently lived out our mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ both inside and outside the organization,” said Terry Shaw, AdventHealth President and CEO. “Over the past 30 years, his passion for people has been evident. I have been richly blessed by Jimm’s ministry and friendship. I know we will greatly miss his leadership, positive spirit and enthusiasm.”

Bunch and his family have made the mountains their home and will continue to be part of this community.

He will also maintain a presence with AdventHealth serving as a member of its new Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance team. In this role, Bunch will serve as a coach and mentor to members of leadership and leadership candidates across the AdventHealth system, which includes hospitals and care facilities in nine states.

President and CEO of the hospital since 2006, Bunch has overseen the acquisition or opening of nearly 10 multispecialty medical group facilities, including the construction of the AdventHealth Medical Group multispecialty complex in South Asheville. He oversaw the expansion of The Baby Place and Outpatient Surgery centers at the main hospital campus and expanded the Imaging Center with state-of-the-art CT and mammography technology. Most recently, under Bunch’s leadership, AdventHealth Hendersonville earned national recognition for an overall five-star rating in quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and established AdventHealth as a leader in orthopedic care through the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval for five orthopedic centers of excellence.

Bunch also served as market champion for the implementation and rollout of system-wide service standards through The Whole Care Experience, a foundational initiative to prepare team members for the brand unification to AdventHealth in January 2019.

Active with community partners, he has served as chair of the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce and on the board of the United Way of Henderson County and currently serves on the board of directors for Western Carolina Industries (WCI) and the Western North Carolina Health Network.

“I consider it an honor to join the AdventHealth team members who make it a priority to get into the community to serve, because we love our community and the people who make it such an incredible place to work and live,” said Bunch.

Bunch has also participated in international mission trips to Haiti and Lebanon to set the groundwork for the AdventHealth Clinical Mission Integration program, which empowers team members to live out the organization’s mission in the communities where they care for patients, and through domestic and international mission trips. Prior to joining AdventHealth Hendersonville as CEO, Bunch held executive leadership roles across the AdventHealth system including what is now AdventHealth Gordon and AdventHealth Manchester.

AdventHealth has begun the search for a new president/CEO of AdventHealth Hendersonville and expects to name Bunch’s successor in coming weeks. Founded in 1910, AdventHealth Hendersonville, formerly Park Ridge Health, is dedicated to meeting the health care needs of our growing communities, providing high-quality, compassionate care in a not-for-profit, Christian environment.

Park Ridge became a part of Adventist Health System in 1984. With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 80,000 skilled and compassionate caregivers in physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, wholistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health and a commitment to making communities healthier unify the system's nearly 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states.