MURRAY – Murray-Calloway County Hospital officially announces that president and CEO Jerry Penner, FACHE, is retiring in 2025 after 14 years of dedicated service. He will step down on March 31, 2025.
During his tenure at MCCH, Mr. Penner led many initiatives and successfully added new providers and innovative service lines, acquired new physician practices and led the construction and fundraising efforts of the Anna Mae Owen Residential Hospice House. He piloted the Hospital Incident Command System team through a once in a lifetime COVID-19 global pandemic all while establishing a new, highly successful Interventional Cardiology program that completed 300 procedures in 2020 and over 2,000 procedures to date. He spearheaded construction of the $15M Regional Cancer Center completed in August 2023 that has impacted so many people in Calloway and the surrounding counties.
Under Penner’s leadership, the hospital has set record numbers for organization-wide patient satisfaction (94), dramatically increased access to primary care and specialty services, and modernized equipment and facilities throughout the organization. Staff satisfaction hit its peak in 2024, climbing from the 29th to the 72nd percentile as the financial strength of the hospital tripled, raising days cash on hand from 67 to 200 days that further led to the highest historical bond rating of the hospital to BBB with a positive outlook.
Active with community and state organizations, Mr. Penner served with the Murray Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Angel’s Clinic Board, was a member and later president of the Murray State University Alumni Association and was trustee on the Kentucky Hospital Association Board closing out his tenure as Chair and Immediate Past Chair. On May 22, 2022, he was awarded the KHA Award of Excellence for his timely coordination and response to Mayfield’s hospital within minutes following the devastating December 2021 tornado. He has served his local fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, as advisor since 2012, and was selected as Pi Kappa Alpha International Advisor of the Year in 2016. For the past two years, he has served as a board member, Oaks Country Club, where he currently serves as President.
A 1978 graduate of North Hardin High School in Radcliff, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at Murray State University, a master’s in healthcare administration from Baylor University in Waco, Texas and an M.S. in strategic studies, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Penner previously served as the CEO of the U.S. Army’s Madigan Healthcare System in Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington. Penner retired from the United States Army as a colonel after 29 years of service. He now has 45 years in professional healthcare and has served as the MCCH CEO since April 1, 2011.
“MCCH has had a great run…I am profoundly grateful that Board Chair, Sandra Parks, and the 2011 hospital board took a chance on me to lead Murray-Calloway County Hospital as we built something that is truly special. Ultimately, it has been the MCCH family that helped us accomplish so many incredible goals — they are the best and I could not have asked for a better team of healthcare professionals. From housekeepers to doctors and nurses and everyone in between, their success is my success. I’m humbled to have served them,” said Jerry Penner. “The time has come for me to retire and make way for new leadership, but I am confident the values and work of MCCH will continue on.”
To find the next president and CEO to carry this important work forward, Amy Futrell, Board Member will chair the search committee. The organization has begun the official search to seek qualified candidates and will be accepting applications until August 31, 2024.
“We would like to thank Jerry for his many years of excellent leadership and service to our hospital,” said Steve Owens, Board Chair. “And we look forward to finding the next visionary leader who will build on our mission to serve the needs of our communities and the patients we serve.”
Murray-Calloway County Hospital is a 152-licensed bed medical center located at 803 Poplar Street in Murray, Kentucky. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the Western Kentucky area for over 100 years. Murray Hospital specializes in such major areas as women’s services, surgery, cancer, orthopedics, neurology, psychiatric services, emergency services and more. Murray-Calloway County Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.
