Former Medical Center CEO Damon King dies in Macon
When Damon King moved to Macon in 1968, the run-down Macon Hospital was struggling.
Federal regulations were leading to changes in integration, and also in Medicaid and Medicare payments.
In his nearly three-decade tenure at the helm of what is now The Medical Center, Navicent Health, King oversaw advancements in technology, expansions and renovations that helped transform it into a regional health care facility.
King died Monday at the same hospital he led to become one of the best in the nation.
He was 81.
Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, the hospital's president and CEO, described King as a "pioneer in the field of hospital administration" in a statement issued Monday.
"He set the standard for health care administrators that would follow in his footsteps, not only in Macon, but throughout the industry," she said.
Former Macon Mayor George Israel described King as being "very determined" and a "visionary" who seemed to know where health care was heading.
"He just had a doggedness and a stubbornness. He would just persevere ... and he forced everybody else to do that, too," Israel said.
King was a person "imbued with natural qualities that caused others to follow him with vigor," Peter Solomon, a former board chairman of the Macon-Bibb County Hospital Authority, said in a news release issued by Navicent Health.
"I was privileged to call him a friend, and he will indeed be missed," Solomon said.
Mayor Robert Reichert also issued a statement Monday, saying "King's vision and leadership are major reasons why we're a hub for health care in the region and the state."
"He will be truly missed, but he leaves behind a strong legacy of doing what's best for our entire community," Reichert said.
KING'S LEGACY
King retired as the hospital's CEO in 1995, but he stayed on as CEO of the facility's then-parent organization, Central Georgia Health System, until his full retirement in 1997, according to the hospital.
He remained active as a consultant, given the title "president emeritus," until 2002.
Don Faulk became CEO of the hospital in 1995 after working in an office adjacent to King as an assistant administrator and later the associate administrator.
Faulk described King as being a leader who could be "tight with the purse strings" but also able to listen when employees had ideas.
King helped bring about new initiatives such as urgent care centers and The Wellness Center.
Under King's leadership, the hospital expanded from the original 1954 building to include the east and west towers, Faulk said.
Units were established for neonatal intensive care and open-heart surgery. Three floors were added to the existing hospital, including a Cancer Life Center. Also, under King's watch, parking decks and doctors' office spaces were built.
King was instrumental in the 1973 founding of The Medcen Community Health Foundation, now known as the Navicent Health Foundation, to raise funds for local charitable, medical, educational and scientific purposes, according to the hospital news release.
The foundation was one of the first of its kind in Georgia.
King often reminded staffers that the foundation's aims weren't just fundraising, but "friend-raising," said Ellen Terrell, interim chief development officer for the foundation in the release.
"The foundation has become a force of good within the community," she said.
Saunders also said she's grateful to King for his "quiet efforts to bring integration to Macon."
"Were it not for his perseverance in this area and the strong organizational foundation that he established, even in the face of criticism, I dare say I would not have had the opportunity to lead this hospital today," she said. "Many of our most valued employees would not have had the opportunity to provide care in this setting."
'A MAN OF QUIET GRACE'
Faulk described King as a "family man" who also valued his "hospital family."
"He was equally as comfortable with the front line as he was with the board and the medical staff," Faulk said. "He was big on personal relationships."
King built a "family atmosphere" that allowed for the assembly of a stable management team that helped the hospital thrive, he said.
His philosophy was to "surround yourself with good people and create the right environment for them to succeed," Faulk said. "And that's what he did."
King "was a man who led by example," Rhonda Perry, the hospital's chief financial officer, said in the hospital's release.
"He allowed employees to express themselves, and he listened to and valued their opinions," she said.
Perry said King was "a man of quiet grace, commanding respect long after his retirement."
Hart's Mortuary is in charge of funeral arrangements, which were not complete Monday afternoon.
Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398 or find her on Twitter@awomackmacon. Writers Liz Fabian and Jennifer Burk contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Former Medical Center CEO Damon King dies in Macon ."