King Appointed to Community
Health Board by Governor (of Georgia)
From The Carroll County NEWS-LEADER - July 28, 1999
Huntingdon native Damon D. King was one of nine people selected recently by Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes to serve on the board which will oversee the state's new Department of Community Health.
Barnes signed the law creating the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) on April 19. The law consolidatcd four agencies involved in the purchasing, planning and regulation of health care in the state. The DCH will be responsible for insuring nearly 2 million individuals - 30 percent of
Georgia's population; administering a budget of more than $5 billion; planning for health insurance coverage of uninsured Georgians; administering funds from the tobacco lawsuit settlement; and coordinating all health planning for the state.
King brings a wealth of experience to the new board. He serves as president emeritus, of Central Georgia Health System, the parent corporation of The Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon after retiring as president and CEO in 1997 after 28 years in that position. During his tenure, he turned a troubled city hospital with a yearly budget of $9 miltion into a nationally recognized top 100 regional medical center and health system with a yearly budget of more than $500 million. He has also served on and chaired a number of health service boards over the years.
King is a 1953 graduate of Huntingdon High School, a 1957 distinguished military graduate of the Universily of Tennessee and a 1960 graduate of Georgia State University, where he earned a master's degree in hospital administration.
He was born in the Spanish Grove Communily of South Eastern Carroll County and is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. V.L. King of Huntingdon. King is married to the former Janet Hudson of Atlanta and the couple has three children and three grandchildren. They reside at 150 Oaks Drive, Macon,
GA 31210