HMH Announces Senior Leadership Realignment
The Harrison Memorial Hospital (HMH) Board of Directors announces new role assignments in HMH’s Senior Management Team.
HMH Chief Executive Officer Stephen Toadvine, M.D., who has served as CEO since March 2021, has expressed his desire to re-enter direct patient care as a Family Physician and will assume the role of a practicing primary care physician within the HMH Physician group. Dr. Toadvine will also continue administrative duties as Chief Medical Officer. In addition to supplementing staff for primary patient care, he will be responsible for medical staff services, physician recruiting, and serve as the administrative liaison between the hospital’s medical staff and senior management.
Kathy Tussey, DNP, RN, has been selected by the HMH board as the new Chief Executive Officer at Harrison Memorial Hospital, effective June 1, 2024. Dr. Tussey joined HMH in June 2022 as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and assumed the additional role of Chief Nursing Officer in late 2022. She has more than 27 years of experience in healthcare, initially beginning her career as a staff and charge nurse at Baptist Health in Lexington, KY. Dr. Tussey quickly moved into the role of Nurse Executive for Administrative Services at Baptist Health Lexington, with responsibilities across her career for facility design and development, clinical service lines, patient experience, emergency and ambulance services, strategic planning, budgeting, and quality. In her tenure at HMH, Dr. Tussey has led numerous initiatives including facility improvements, advancement in clinical quality, nursing leadership development, and acquisition of the Harrison County EMS service.
“Kathy is a natural fit for this transition. With her strong background in nursing administration and her ability to oversee large-scale projects, track revenue streams and collaborate with healthcare professionals from all areas of the hospital and beyond, we believe her leadership will help HMH move forward with the vision Dr. Toadvine has so effectively put into place,” said Harland Hatter, HMH Board of Director Chairman.
Dr. Tussey is a native of Nicholasville, KY. She received her Bachelor of Nursing degree from Midway College, Midway, KY, and then earned her Master of Nursing in Administration from Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY in 2016. And in 2023, Dr. Tussey obtained her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Eastern Kentucky University.
“Dr. Toadvine is at the pinnacle of his healthcare career. When he came on board as CEO of our hospital in 2021, he brought a clear vision and management expertise that has propelled HMH forward in numerous ways,” said Harland Hatter, HMH Board Chairman. “However, he has always maintained a desire to one day return to his roots of direct patient care. Today, with our need to supplement physician staffing in primary care, that day has come. And we, as a community, will be better for it.”
Hatter points out that adding an experienced family medicine physician to serve patients in Harrison and the surrounding counties HMH serves, while continuing to utilize his management expertise as well, benefits the hospital in multiple ways.
In addition to his many years of experience as a healthcare executive, Dr. Toadvine also has a very strong background in patient care as a family physician, having practiced in multiple settings, and serving as a faculty member in two family medicine residency programs. Board-certified as a family physician, Dr. Toadvine is a graduate of Northwestern University Medical School, Saint Elizabeth’s Family Medicine Residency, and the University of Pittsburgh-St. Margaret’s Family Medicine Fellowship.
