News Release
October 9, 2023
Lafayette, TN – Macon Community Hospital announces the retirement of CEO Thomas Kidd effective January 8, 2024. Following his retirement, current MCH CFO Scott Tongate will succeed Kidd as CEO. In partnership with Ovation Healthcare, the MCH board has initiated a search to identify a new CFO following Mr. Kidd’s retirement.
“On behalf of the hospital and the entire Macon community, I want to thank Thomas for his years of service to Macon Community Hospital, and especially for his leadership during the tumultuous years of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has laid the groundwork for future successes of the hospital and to continue the creation of a culture of quality, accountability, and respect throughout the hospital organization. He has used his knowledge and abilities to make our hospital a better place to work and now it is known as a rural hospital that is a state-of-the-art facility,” said Radford West, MCH Board President. “He leaves a legacy of true commitment to our hospital and community.”
“I am proud of what we, as a team, have been able to accomplish here at Macon Community Hospital. It truly speaks to the dedication of the staff to be able to continue to advance our mission of providing high quality, compassionate and affordable healthcare for our community. I would like to thank, not only the hospital staff, but the Board of Directors, the Medical Staff and the community for their support over the years.” said Kidd.
Under his leadership, MCH has constructed a new emergency department and with the addition of new equipment and services, including a new sleep clinic, cardiac rehab, pulmonary rehab and a new therapy services building that brought therapy services back to the hospital campus. The hospital has profoundly improved patient care and expanded its range of services, keeping healthcare close to home for Macon County residents and surrounding communities. Part of this expansion included adding additional services in the hospital along with bringing additional specialty clinics locally.
Kidd’s leadership has also been critical in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. MCH worked closely with county and city leaders to establish vaccination and testing clinics throughout the community and became the only hospital-based laboratory between Nashville and Knoxville with the capability of performing antibody, rapid and PCR testing for COVID-19.
Kidd, a CPA, began his public accounting career in 1974 and became full time in healthcare in 1994. He came to Macon County in 2004 as the CFO and was named the CEO in April 2017. ” For years, Thomas has served the hospital and our community well,” said Mr. West.
In a statement, Tongate commented “I am excited to continue the vision and mission of Macon Community Hospital. Thomas’ leadership has left the hospital on an extremely solid foundation and I hope to continue to build on that foundation with the excellent team Thomas has developed over the years.”
Tongate started his career as a billing manager with Clay County Home Health in 1991 and has spent his entire career in healthcare serving in various leadership roles. He came to Macon Community Hospital in 2017 as the CFO.