Commencement Speaker

MR. JIM MATNey, PReSIDeNT AND CeO COLqUIT T RegIONAL MeDICAL CeNTeR MOULTRIe, gA

When discussions began about the possibility of locating a medical school in Moultrie, James L. Matney became one of the leading advocates. As Colquitt Regional Medical Center (CRMC) chief executive officer since August 2011, Matney has played a prominent role in improving healthcare quality in Colquitt County and throughout South Georgia. He was instrumental in helping PCOM establish its South Georgia campus and founding the Georgia South Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Programs at CRMC

Originally from Grundy, Virginia, Matney earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, and a master of health administration degree from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia

He began his career as a chief financial officer for HCA/HTI and Columbia Healthcare. During his 14 years with HCA, Matney served hospitals in Indiana, Virginia, and Tennessee before moving to Oregon and then back to Virginia, still serving as CFO. With a d esire to move up the corporate ladder, which required experience in operations, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to become chief operating officer for Phoenix Baptist Hospital.

Matney became chief executive officer of Valley View Medical Center in Bullhead City, Arizona, in 2006. He then began employment with Ameris Health, Inc., with whom he served as CEO of Jack Hughston Memoial Hospital in Phoenix City, Alabama, followed by CEO of Smith North View Hospital in Valdosta, Georgia. When Smith North View Hospital was sold in 2011, the Hospital Authority of Colquitt County contacted Matney to become the chief executive officer of Colquitt Regional Medical Center in Moultrie.

Colquitt Regional has experienced record growth under Matney's leadership He has continued to recruit additional specialists to the medical staff, invested in the latest technology for patient care, and most recently acquired a skilled nursing facility

In 2012 Colquitt Regional made advancements in technology with the purchase of the da Vinci robot, allowing surgeons to perform more complex procedures while making smaller incisions. e following year Vereen Rehabilitation Center officially opened, and the most significant expansion and renovation project in the hospital's history began

Colquitt Regional Medical Center received an A grade for its hospital safety score in 2014. is is based on how well hospitals protect patients from errors, injuries, and infections. It is compiled under the guidance of the nation's leading experts and administered by the Leapfrog Group, an independent industry watchdog To date Colquitt Regional has received 16 consecutive "A" hospital safety scores and is consistently named a "Top Rural Hospital."