The new CEO of the Santa Rosa Medical Center knows what leadership is all about.  He has 25 years of healthcare experience behind him, and is a former CEO of a hospital in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Phillip Wright, a former Escambia County resident doesn’t just want to shape the hospital into something better, he wants to bring medical care to the front burner in Santa Rosa County. 

“I want to continue to add services and recruit physicians,” said Wright, “I want people in Milton, Pace, and Navarre to be able to access the same medical care they get over in Pensacola.”

For Wright, a former UWF graduate, these changes mean renovations to the hospital, and potential growth in the community. 

“The goal I have is to create more awareness and aggressive marketing.  The key will be new construction, and I want to encourage our team to get involved in the community so they can be a part of things.”

The community is Wright’s key to success, and for now, his goal is to get a plan down for the next few years. 

“Right now I’m evaluating what they call ‘the master facility plan’, and setting my priorities.”

Wright drove down from his previous residency in South Carolina on Wednesday to meet and greet his new coworkers the following morning.  The drive, according to Wright was well worth it. 

“We did a build-your-own sundae party and on Friday we went to a Pelicans game.”

At the game, Wright was able to see first-hand how far the hospital has expanded it’s presence across the Panhandle community.  The Santa Rosa Medical Center is the new medical provider for the Pelicans, and recently designed a mascot to run alongside Scoop at the Pelicans games.

McScrubbs, the new hospital mascot is one example of how far the hospital has grown outside of the county, and a projection of where Wright hopes to take the facility. 

“I’m excited to expand the facility and grow the market.  I want people to come here and receive the care they need.”

That goal should be met according to Wright once the hospital gets involved in the community. 

“Healthcare is very local and very community oriented,” said Wright.  “It’s all about relationships, and we want to take care of people like they are our family.”

With three COO titles under his belt, and a motivation to revisit his roots in the Panhandle community, Wright says he thinks this hospital has great staff and great opportunities to spread its wings. 

The new responsibility is something Wright says excites him, and he wants to help every person out in there own way. 

“I plan to be very visible in the community, and I want to take care of people,” said Wright, “that is something I take very seriously.”