Mr. Pope has led Scotland Health Care System as president and CEO since December 2023, guiding the organization’s mission to provide safe, high-quality, compassionate and sustainable rural health care in partnership with its board of trustees. Under his leadership, the system has launched 3D mobile mammography across its service region, adopted the da Vinci 5 surgical system and Mako 4 Robotic Arm surgical system, and opened the new family practice, urgent care and retail pharmacy. Scotland Memorial Hospital also completed a surgical services expansion featuring six new operating rooms and 21 pre- and post-operative rooms, and added a new hematology specialty clinic. Mr. Pope has built partnerships with community colleges and four-year nursing programs to expose students to healthcare careers through mentoring and job shadowing at Scotland Health. He was named the 2026 “Distinguished Citizen of the Year” by the Richmond Community College Foundation and received North Carolina’s 2025 “Community Star Award” from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. Before becoming CEO, Mr. Pope served as Scotland Health’s COO and senior vice president of operations. Scotland Health earned an “A” safety grade from the Leapfrog Group in spring and fall 2025 and was named a national finalist for the American Hospital Association “Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award” for 2026.
