By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

ALABASTER—After nine years as president of Shelby Baptist Health System, David Wilson announced his resignation, confirmed in a Feb. 25 email sent to Shelby Baptist employees.

In the email, Wilson said he accepted an offer to be president of North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Miss. His resignation from Shelby Baptist is effective March 27.

“This large 650 bed tertiary, regional referral center represents a significant career opportunity for me; however it will be difficult to leave the many relationships I have developed over the past nine years,” Wilson wrote in the email.

In his email, Wilson said BHS President and CEO Keith Parrott and Shelby Baptist management leaders and physicians will meet “over the next several days” to discuss plans for finding a new president.

“David’s last day with us will be March 27, 2015, which will allow us time to thoughtfully prepare for a transition,” Parrott wrote in a Feb. 25 statement. “I personally will meet with physician and management leaders at Shelby Baptist over the next several days to discuss next steps for identifying a new president for Shelby Baptist.”

Wilson’s resignation comes as Baptist Health System and Tenet Healthcare work toward a merger between Baptist Health and Brookwood Medical Center. Baptist Health System signed a non-binding letter-of-intent to form a jointly owned company with Tenet Healthcare in December 2014.

During an address to the Alabaster-Pelham Rotary Club on Feb. 12, Wilson said talks to finalize the agreement could begin as early as March, and a locally managed joint company could begin operation by early summer.

If the merger is finalized, it would unite Brookwood with Shelby Baptist, Citizens Baptist Medical Center, Princeton Baptist Medical Center, Walker Baptist Medical Center and 77 primary and specialty care clinics across central Alabama.