Roy Tempke Heads Up New Holly Springs Hospital

Roy Tempke To Lead New Holly Springs Hospital

Since 1992 when he became a physical therapist at UNC REX, Roy Tempke has held several positions within the organization. Now he’s taking on inarguably his most challenging role — Chief Operating Officer of the new Holly Springs Hospital.

“I applied because this is an opportunity for me to build something from the ground up, which is very rare in healthcare,” Tempke says. “My career has been built on going into new departments or areas where there may be some dysfunction and working to fix that. In this instance, I’m responsible for funding the departments, building the leadership team and ensuring the construction is completed on time. I have responsibility for every aspect of this project.”

The new facility in southern Wake County is slated to open in 2021 with 50 beds. It has a capacity for 74 beds and is expected to serve people in Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Apex, Lillington and even as far away as Fayetteville.

“We will brings jobs, obviously,” Tempke says of the facility’s economic impact. “We’re looking at roughly 400 new jobs, with a minimum base salary of $15 an hour. The jobs will come with good benefits. Of course as we recruit physicians, hopefully that will cause a boon to the real estate market…”

Tempke is excited about stepping into the COO role at the new Holly Springs Hospital and very grateful for the opportunity.

“Throughout my career, each and every time I was ready and asked to do more, they engaged me and allowed me to grow,” he says. “At REX there’s constant planning about developing our leaders, whether through internal training or leadership classes.”

For Tempke, life at home is equally full of various activities. He shares that he loves cooking all types of cuisine and making his own sauces. In fact, when he manages to get home by 7, he cooks the family meal. He also enjoys running, including participating in an occasional 10K to keep fit.

Lately, however, most of his time is spent planning for the opening of the new Holly Springs Hospital, to which he brings an impressive skill set. He has lead departments in pharmacy, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, respiratory therapy, case management and social work — all of which are heavy in operations.