Lifepoint Health Names Elmer Polite President of Eastern Division

BRENTWOOD, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lifepoint Health^®, a diversified healthcare delivery network dedicated to making communities healthier^®, has appointed Elmer Polite to the role of president, Eastern Division. In this role, Polite will provide operational oversight for Lifepoint’s acute care hospitals in Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Prior to his interim president role, he served as chief financial officer of the Eastern Division.

“Elmer is a dynamic and engaging leader who deeply understands the unique challenges and opportunities of the hospitals he oversees, and he is committed to improving their operations to ensure long-term success,” said Jason Zachariah, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Lifepoint Health. “I am excited to have him step into this role as we continue keeping quality at the center, driving growth and advancing our mission of making communities healthier.”

As part of his new role, Polite has assumed operational oversight of the 14 facilities that make up Duke LifePoint Healthcare, a joint venture partnership between Lifepoint Health and Duke University Health System.

“Our changing healthcare landscape presents many opportunities and challenges for our team and leaders,” said Thomas A. Owens, MD, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Duke University Health System. “Duke has been impressed with Elmer and his leadership as interim president of the Eastern Division working with Duke LifePoint, and we are excited about his permanent appointment. I am confident that Duke LifePoint will continue to benefit from Elmer’s knowledge, collaboration and engagement with our team and clear commitment to the communities we serve through our partnership.”

Before joining Lifepoint in 2021, Polite served as the chief financial executive of the Midlands market for Prisma Health in Columbia, SC. In this role, he oversaw the financial management and operations for six Prisma Health – Midlands hospitals. Before Prisma Health, he held positions as the system chief financial officer and chief staffing officer of Hospital Corporation of America’s Macon market, and also as the chief financial officer of the Georgia Market for Community Health Systems.

Polite earned bachelor’s degrees in accounting and agribusiness and economics from South Carolina State University and holds a master’s degree in finance from DeVry University. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and American College of Healthcare Executives.

About Lifepoint Health

Lifepoint Health is a leading healthcare provider that serves patients, clinicians, communities and partner organizations across the healthcare continuum. Driven by a mission of making communities healthier^®, the company has a growing diversified healthcare delivery network comprised of more than 50,000 dedicated employees, 62 community hospital campuses, more than 50 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals and more than 200 additional sites of care, including managed acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities. For more information about the company, visit www.LifepointHealth.net.