David L. Ramsey

Photo by Vandalia Health.

By Samantha Cart

The greatest influence on David Ramsey’s professional success is simply this: he enjoys what he does.

Ramsey’s career in health care administration has taken him across the country, and after moving to West Virginia in 2000 to serve as president and CEO of Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC), he believed he would be in the state for five years tops before moving on, as he had before.

“Twenty-four years later, I am still here because I have been blessed to find a job and organization I cherish,” he says. “I get to work with outstanding individuals every day and have made wonderful lifelong friends. Why would I leave?”

After helping navigate the merger between CAMC and Mon Health System in 2022, Ramsey now serves as president and CEO of Vandalia Health, which has grown to 17 hospitals and 190 outpatient locations in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio.

His journey began at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he received a bachelor’s degree in biology. He planned to pursue a Ph.D. in cellular biology afterward but quickly learned lab work was not for him. A chance encounter with a friend of a friend introduced him to hospital administration as a course of study, and he applied and was accepted at Washington University School of Medicine.

Ramsey completed an administrative residency at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center before taking his first position as a hospital chief operating officer at Montgomery County Medical Center in Conroe, Texas. He was recruited to a larger hospital in Baton Rouge, LA, and also served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Services. He later took on an administrative role for a health system in Memphis, TN, where he was eventually made president of their five hospitals in the Memphis region.

Today, Ramsey leads Vandalia Health in the significant challenge of providing health care in the rural communities of the Mountain State.

“Our goal is to provide health care services as close to home for West Virginians as possible,” he says. “Many of our patients are challenged to find a ride to the doctor or hospital. They may not have a car, gas money or a dependable ride, which makes it very difficult for them to access care. We are focused on bringing that care closer to home for our patients.”

Along with limited access, Ramsey works to help alleviate other issues in health care, such as cost coverage for patients and physician and nursing shortages, while also working to ensure Vandalia Health facilities are a great place to work and an asset to their communities.

“Hospitals are generally the largest employer in the community,” he explains. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of people depend on the hospital for employment. The communities then depend on the hospital employees to buy gas, grocery shop and generally support the local economy. It is very difficult for a community to grow and attract industry or expand employment without a hospital. Good hospitals are no different than good schools to a community.”

Ramsey doesn’t just talk the talk in this department—he walks the walk personally and professionally by serving in a variety of community service roles. He currently serves as a board member for the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, board of directors member and chairman of the finance committee for the University of Charleston and chairman of HealthNet Aeromedical Services. He previously served as a board member for the West Virginia Hospital Association, Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, Health Insights and Charleston Area Alliance.

Ramsey is proud that health care management has been his life’s work, and he is committed to finding ways to deliver outstanding care despite the many challenges.

“It is very rewarding to know you have been part of a team of dedicated professionals who care for tens of thousands of individuals annually,” he says. “I have learned not just in this position, but in my career, that health care is people taking care of people. Think about all the talented and dedicated people it takes to provide outstanding patient care. Yes, we need doctors, nurses, radiology techs, respiratory techs, lab techs, pharmacists and phlebotomists, but we also need outstanding individuals to prepare and serve meals, register patients, receive and distribute supplies for patient care, keep the facilities clean, security to keep everyone safe, talented people in information technology, wonderful volunteers, great people to work in the laundry and in finance and human resources—the list goes on.”