CEO at CMH sets retirement

Photo provided by Citizens Memorial Hospital

Gary Fulbright is scheduled to exit the health care system at year's end.

Citizens Memorial Hospital CEO Gary Fulbright is retiring from the Bolivar health care system after leading it for two years.

Fulbright, a CMH employee for nearly 40 years, is scheduled to retire Dec. 31, according to a news release. He started in 1982 as controller and was promoted to chief financial officer in 2003 before succeeding longtime CEO Donald Babb in January 2020.

"It’s been amazing to see the progress that we’ve made and all the new services we’ve added over the years," Fulbright said in the release. "CMH has a wonderful future ahead and I’m so grateful to have been a part of its growth."

During Fulbright's tenure as CEO, CMH broke ground on a $3 million, 8,300-square foot medical center in Willard that's slated to open in November this year. The company also added a urology surgical clinic.

The boards of directors for CMH and the CMH Foundation, of which Fulbright is executive director, currently are forming a search committee to find his successor. A timeline was not disclosed.

“Gary was the third employee hired at CMH and has been an integral part of its growth over the years,” said Dave Strader, CMH Foundation board president, in the release. “CMH’s advancements and its long list of achievements are due in part to Gary’s financial talents enabling the organization to thrive even during periods of uncertainty like the recent COVID-19 pandemic.”

CMH in 2020 won its category of 30-74 years in business for Springfield Business Journal's Economic Impact Awards. The health care system reported $515 million in 2019 revenue and 2,157 employees.