MOULTRIE, Ga. — After serving on the Colquitt Regional Medical Center Hospital Authority for six years Maureen Yearta, Ed.D., has now taken over the reins as chairman of the Hospital Authority.

Yearta is retired from the Colquitt County Board of Education and is the first female to serve as chairman of the Colquitt Regional Hospital Authority. She has been an active member of the authority, previously serving as chairman of the Quality Assurance subcommittee. Under her leadership Colquitt Regional has continued to receive “A” hospital safety ratings from the Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety watchdog.

“Dr. Yearta has been a tremendous asset to our board,” said Colquitt Regional President & CEO Jim Matney. “She brings fresh ideas to the table and is a real motivator for our staff. She is absolutely committed to making sure Colquitt Regional is a safe place for patients. We are grateful that she is willing to serve as chairman of the board. Her leadership and desire to always improve has a tremendous impact on our hospital.”

Yearta’s term as chairman began in October when Richard Bass completed his term. Bass continues to serve as a member of the Hospital Authority.

“I fully recognize and appreciate how important this hospital is to the overall health, both physical and economic, of this community,” said Yearta. “It is an honor to be able to serve in this capacity and be a part of the continued growth and expansion of high-quality health care in Southwest Georgia. These are very exciting times for us with the addition of PCOM and the new influx of medical students that will be on and around our campus. We are also expanding our services and hope to be able offer patients radiation oncology within the next two years.”

Other recent changes to the leadership team include the appointment of Dr. Michael Brown as chief medical officer. Brown practices at Sterling Group Pulmonology and is board certified in pulmonology, critical care, and internal medicine. Also providing leadership to the Hospital Authority are Richard Turner, serving as finance chairman, and Kirk Friedlander serving as quality assurance chairman.

New medical staff officers were also announced recently. Serving as chairman of the medical staff is Dr. Justin Baker. Baker is a board certified primary care physician at Sterling Group Kirk Clinic. He is also a member of the Sterling Center Bariatrics team. Chief of medicine is Dr. James Huffman of Sterling Group Internal Medicine, and Dr. Cheau Williams, FACOG, was named as chief of surgery. Williams is a board certified urogynecologist practicing at Sterling Center Surgery & Medicine.

Colquitt Regional received its ninth “A” Hospital Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group last fall naming it as one of the safest hospitals in the nation at which to receive medical care.