Baptist Health of Northeast Florida COO announces retirement

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John F. Wilbanks, FACHE, has announced his plan to retire at the end of the calendar year. Wilbanks joined Baptist Health as Vice President of Professional Services in 1986.

“It has been a privilege to serve at Baptist Health for 34 years,” said Wilbanks. “Over the years, I’ve worked with our Boards, administrative leadership, team members and physician colleagues on an amazing journey to better the health and lives of people in the Jacksonville community. I will be forever grateful.”

Wilbanks’ operational and strategic responsibility spans all five hospitals in the Baptist Health system, Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baptist Physician Enterprise, all outpatient care campuses, as well as capital and construction planning, business development and innovation, nursing, and home health care.

Matt Zuino, who has over 20 years of physician and hospital operations experience, will assume the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Baptist Health in early January 2020. Zuino joined Baptist Health in 2017 as the President of Physician Integration.

Over Wilbanks’ 15 year tenure as COO, the health system increased its market share with major hospital expansions including the addition of Baptist South, Baptist Heart Hospital, and several freestanding emergency centers for children and adults. In addition, he was a key member of the executive committee that facilitated the partnership between Baptist Health and MD Anderson, the No. 1 cancer center in the nation. Baptist Health has more than doubled its primary care network of more than 150 offices since Wilbanks assumed the COO role and in 2010, he oversaw the system’s joint venture with CareSpot, the state’s largest urgent care provider.

As a Division I basketball player in the 1970s, Wilbanks was the consummate team player, leading his team in assists and steals. Organizational success, not personal gratification, has been the hallmark of his career. A major focus of his time at Baptist Health was to create standardization across the system, the largest health care network in Northeast Florida. As COO, he plays an important role in ensuring all Baptist services deliver a consistently high quality of care at all locations.

After joining Baptist Health in 1986, Wilbanks was promoted to Senior Vice President in 1990. Beginning in 1998, Wilbanks served as the Administrator of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville where he introduced new services and laid the groundwork for meeting unmet needs in the region by recruiting a number of nationally known specialists for the medical staff, including groundbreaking endovascular neurosurgeons. In November 2004, Wilbanks was appointed to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Baptist Health.

In 2017 and 2018, he was named one of the Top 25 COOs in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine.

Wilbanks is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the 1993 Leadership Jacksonville class. Wilbanks has served on the FHA Policy Committee, Board of Trustees of Jacksonville University, Board of Governors of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trustees of United Way of Northeast Florida. A current passion is his role at his church, MissionWay Community Church.

Wilbanks chaired the Board of Directors of The Sulzbacher Center in 2015-2016, capping 14 years of board service. He served as member of Brooks College of Health Dean’s Council from 2007-2017, where he was chair in 2012 and 2013. He has also served on the Board of Duval Regional YMCA, Board of the Florida Hospital Association, South Jacksonville Club of Rotary International and is a past President of the Duval County Unit of the American Cancer Society.

Wilbanks holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas, where he received the Wall Street Journal Award and the Lou Hassell Scholar Athlete Award. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia before beginning his health care career at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta.

Wilbanks and his wife, Janet, have three adult children and eight grandchildren.

“John’s steady presence and wisdom gleaned from over three decades in this dynamic industry will be missed,” said Brett McClung, President and Chief Executive Officer of Baptist Health. “We know he will be watching our work from near and far with pride as we protect and extend the legacy of his work.”