NASHVILLE – After serving as president of the Nashville Health Care Council for more than ten years, Matthew S. Gallivan today announced he will step down at the end of the month. NHCC Vice President Caroline Young will serve as interim president while a national search for a new leader is undertaken. Under Gallivan’s leadership, Council membership has quadrupled to 160 Nashville-based and national health care companies and industry support firms. In that same time the Council has successfully implemented numerous educational, communications and economic development initiatives to secure its role as a leading industry association:
· Organization of numerous meetings and briefings with key government and industry leaders;
· Organization of six, high-level health care trade missions that have established ties between industry leaders from the U.S. and other countries;
· Creation of Leadership Health Care, an affiliate organization focused on cultivating the next generation of health care entrepreneurs in Nashville;
· In partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the development of a health policy think tank, the Health Care Solutions Group;
· Participated on economic development teams that facilitated a number of health care company relocations to the Nashville area in recent years.
“Over the last decade, Matt has been instrumental in working with industry leaders and government officials in developing the Council into the force it is today,” said Vanderbilt University Medical Center Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Harry R. Jacobson, MD, immediate past chairman of the Council. “He has been not only a leader and facilitator, but also an ambassador and an influential representative. We are grateful for his service.”
A special committee of the NHCC board of directors has been established to guide the Council’s search for a new permanent leader; members of that committee include Jacobson; Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce President Ralph J. Schulz, Jr.; Community Health Systems Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne T. Smith, current chairman of the NHCC board; and Healthways, Inc. Chairman Thomas G. Cigarran, also a past NHCC chairman.
“Nashville is home to the strongest and most far-reaching health care industry cluster in the country, representing a nearly $20 billion segment of the Middle Tennessee economy,” stated Schulz. “The Chamber is grateful for the tremendous contributions Matt has made to the NHCC. We are committed to building on his accomplishments as Nashville continues its dominance of the dynamic health care marketplace.”
Gallivan steps down to join Council member company Community Health Systems, Inc. Gallivan will lead the corporation’s state and federal government relations efforts in a newly-created position as vice president of government relations.
“We consider Matt’s skills and experiences a tremendous asset to both our company and our community,” said Smith. “We are very fortunate to have Matt join our team and we are pleased he will continue to represent Nashville health care interests in Washington and across the nation.”
About the Nashville Health Care Council:
Founded in 1995 as a program of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Health Care Council is an association of health care industry leaders working together to further establish Nashville’s position as the nation’s health care industry capital.
The Council fosters the continued growth of Nashville’s health care industry by creating a supportive operating environment for existing, start-up and relocating health care businesses. The Council also provides executives with information on operational and policy challenges facing health care companies, as well as networking and mentoring opportunities. For more information, please visit www.healthcarecouncil.com.