Memorial Health Names New Vice President, Emergency Management and Safety

Memorial Health has hired Ben Wooten as vice president for Emergency Management and Safety.
“Safety is our first value at Memorial,” said Mandy Eaton, president and CEO. “It’s essential that our facilities are safe and secure and that we’re prepared to respond quickly in the event of an emergency. Ben’s expertise will help us in those efforts.”

Wooten has more than 15 years of experience leading emergency management programs, including responses to multiple hurricanes, tropical storms and winter storms with the State of North Carolina Department of Public Safety and other city and county agencies. In his previous role at North Carolina-based Cone Health, he helped oversee the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and established Cone Health’s Emergency Operations Center, which ensures 24/7 real-time risk monitoring and centralized coordination during emergency incidents.

Ben earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from North Carolina State University and a master of public administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

In his new role he will oversee security teams at all Memorial Health locations, as well as emergency preparedness functions.

Memorial Health operates hospitals in Decatur, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Springfield and Taylorville, as well as an extensive network of primary and urgent care clinics, behavioral health and home health services.

“Memorial does a great job caring for patients in a variety of different environments, from hospital rooms to clinics and beyond,” Wooten said. “I’m excited to help those teams make sure they’re able to put safety first and feel secure in their surroundings.”