Chuck Mantooth is retiring as president and CEO of UNC Health Appalachian hospital, effective Jan. 1, according to system officials. He joined the Boone hospital in 1992 and has been CEO since 2017.
“When we began discussing his retirement in Fall 2023, we asked him to give us another year and continue through 2024 and he graciously agreed,” Jim Deal, chair of the hospital’s board, said in a release. “His vision, dedication, and commitment to improving healthcare for the communities of northwest North Carolina have left an indelible mark on the organization.”
In May 2022, UNC Health said it approved a 10-year management services agreement with Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, the main hospital system serving the Boone and High Country area. Financial details weren’t disclosed. Appalachian considered eight potential partners before selecting UNC Health, officials said at the time.
UNC Health includes 16 hospitals across the state, including its flagship site in Chapel Hill. Appalachian operates two acute-care hospitals and a behavioral health hospital and more than 20 clinics and outpatient sites.
During Mantooth’s tenure, the system opened the Watauga Medical Center patient care tower and advanced surgery center and developed a family medicine residency program. It also started various programs related to rural health, mental health services, and chronic disease management.
“I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together at UNC Health Appalachian,” Mantooth said in the release.”
A search committee has been formed to identify Mantooth’s successor.
