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Covenant Health has announced that Gordon Lintz, current president and chief administrative officer of Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System, will join Claiborne Medical Center as its president and chief administrative officer effective Aug. 5, 2024. Lintz will also continue to oversee Morristown-Hamblen.

“I look forward to working with the Claiborne Medical Center team and learning about the Tazewell Community,” said Lintz. “I know there will be best practices at Claiborne that can be shared at Morristown-Hamblen and vice versa. Both hospitals will be stronger by working more closely together.”

Lintz succeeds Patti Ketterman, who has retired after serving as CAO of Claiborne since 2015. She also held other leadership roles within the Covenant Health system.

“Gordon has done an outstanding job of leading and growing Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System for 12 years, and I look forward to supporting him in his additional leadership role,” said Mike Belbeck, executive vice president of operations of Covenant Health.

Claiborne Medical Center, located in Tazewell, Tennessee, joined the Covenant Health system in 2014. The 85-bed facility is accredited as an Acute-Stroke Ready hospital and has received national accolades for high-quality care and patient safety. Its services include emergency and medical care, stroke treatment, and diagnostic and imaging services. Its long-term care facility, Claiborne Health and Rehabilitation Center, holds a 5-star rating from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Lintz’s current CAO responsibilities at Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System include managing operations of the hospital, which consists of emergency services, comprehensive acute-care and ancillary services, and rehabilitative therapies. It also includes specialty services like cancer care, cardiac care, women’s care, and wound and hyperbaric care. Additionally, he oversees Morristown-Hamblen West, an outpatient care facility with a free-standing emergency department, a diagnostic center, a breast imaging center and a primary care office.

Prior to being appointed CAO at Morristown-Hamblen in 2012, Lintz joined Covenant Health in 2008 as the president and chief administrative officer of Thompson Cancer Survival Center, the health system’s oncology service provider. There, he oversaw the center’s growth, including the addition of new technologies, the expansion of patient support services, and the implementation of systems for productivity, quality and patient satisfaction. He also previously worked with Covenant HomeCare and Hospice. Before joining Covenant Health, he served in numerous nursing and leadership roles for over 20 years at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Lintz is licensed as a registered nurse and nursing home administrator. He holds a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also holds a nursing degree from Southwest Community College in Memphis, Tennessee.

Claiborne Medical Center is located in Tazewell, Tennessee, and is a member of Covenant Health, a community-owned health system providing comprehensive services in Tennessee. Claiborne Medical Center’s mission is to serve the community by improving the quality of life through better health. For more information about Claiborne Medical Center, please visit CovenantHealth.com/Claiborne.

Covenant Health is a Tennessee-based healthcare enterprise committed to providing the right care at the right time and place. As a not-for-profit health system, we are dedicated to being the region’s premier healthcare network through service, community and innovation. We provide patient-centered care that inspires clinical and service excellence, and strive to be the first and best choice for our patients, employees, physicians, employers, volunteers and communities. Covenant Health is the area’s largest employer and has more than 11,000 compassionate caregivers, expert clinicians, and dedicated employees and volunteers. Learn more at CovenantHealth.com.