Memorial Health has a new leader focused on keeping patients and staff safe. The health system has hired Ben Wooten as its new Vice President for Emergency Management and Safety.

Memorial Health President and CEO Mandy Eaton says safety is the organization’s top priority and Wooten’s experience will strengthen their ability to respond quickly in an emergency.

Wooten brings more than 15 years of experience in emergency management, including work with the State of North Carolina Department of Public Safety and several local agencies. He also helped lead Cone Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and established its Emergency Operations Center for real-time risk monitoring and coordination.

In his new role, Wooten will oversee security and emergency preparedness across Memorial’s hospitals and clinics in Springfield, Decatur, Jacksonville, Lincoln and Taylorville.

Wooten says he’s looking forward to helping Memorial staff continue to put safety first while caring for patients across all of its facilities.