When Dr. Don Gibson joined Mercy Community Healthcare 17 months ago as the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer, he wasn’t looking for a new position and told the recruiter who contacted him, “I don’t think I’m the right guy to be the CMO there.”
Then he met the staff at Mercy, they met him, and the rest was history. “The integrated care model, Mercy’s mission, and focus on patients is exactly what healthcare should be,” says Dr. Gibson. “I knew right away I wanted to be part of a faith-based culture that recognizes ones’ total health is dependent
on treating body, mind, and spirit.”
What began as a move from Alabama to Franklin over 20 years ago, for his wife Danielle Gibson, MD to complete her training in pathology at Vanderbilt, resulted in both embracing the Middle Tennessee medical community. Prior to joining Mercy, Dr. Gibson most recently served with American Physician
Partners in Clarksville as Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Tennova Healthcare Clarksville. The Gibson’s eldest son works in data analytics at Mercy, and his two younger sons attend the University of Tennessee. Danielle is a partner and CEO of Opus Pathology in Columbia, Tennessee.
Mercy provides comprehensive treatment for all ages, including adult and pediatric primary care, psychiatry, and counseling services. Dr. Gibson applauds Mercy’s Patient Support Department, noting, “Our Patient Support team embodies what Mercy is all about. In a complex healthcare system, they are
truly on the patient’s side helping with completing insurance applications, finding low-cost medications, arranging specialty appointments, and providing resources for transportation, housing, and legal aid.”
Mercy offers a sliding scale, self-pay program to help the uninsured and underinsured. He notes, “The patients we serve are the backbone of our community. They are small business owners, independent contractors, or work for companies that don’t offer health insurance benefits. We don’t believe a lack of
insurance should prevent someone from getting quality primary care and mental health services.” Says Dr. Gibson, “Mercy is funded by patient revenues, federal grants, and charitable donations. We are constantly managing our mission of affordable healthcare for all and the challenges of running a healthcare clinic that accepts everyone. We’re a mission-driven organization and a business, so every dollar must be managed effectively. We have a great group of donors, and this wouldn’t be possible without them. Every dollar donated to our clinic stays right here in our community to serve patients.” MercyTN.org
