2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 462

Commending Mark Merrill.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 20, 2025

WHEREAS, Mark Merrill has served with distinction as the president and chief executive officer of Valley Health, a nonprofit health system providing essential care to communities across the Commonwealth and Virginia, significantly enhancing the region's healthcare infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, during his 11-year tenure with Valley Health, Mark Merrill was committed to innovation, the expansion of services, and high-quality, compassionate care; he built much-needed replacement hospitals in four communities, made major improvements at Winchester Medical Center and Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, and opened numerous urgent care centers and other outpatient sites; and

WHEREAS, under Mark Merrill's leadership, Valley Health developed a robust robotic surgery program at Winchester Medical Center, attracting nine experienced providers in six surgical specialties within its first three years, and formed a strategic alliance in 2013 with INOVA to improve electronic medical record access and explore other areas of mutual benefit; and

WHEREAS, Mark Merrill supported physician services to maintain Winchester Medical Center's status as a Level II trauma center, played a key role in forging a public-private partnership to address the addiction crisis in the Northern Shenandoah Valley, and helped create a nonprofit coalition and the area's first drug treatment court; and

WHEREAS, Mark Merrill's leadership extended beyond healthcare as he led the United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley to secure a record $1.1 million in its 2016 campaign and to be named 2016 Large Business of the Year in the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber's Greater Good Awards; and

WHEREAS, Mark Merrill invested $300,000 in a three-year health career partnership with 12 Virginia public schools, launched programs at four hospitals to inspire youth to pursue health careers, fought for the viability of Critical Access Hospitals, and successfully advocated for Medicaid expansion in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Mark Merrill contributed to public service through his work on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, where he helped shape regional transportation infrastructure, ensuring safety and accessibility for residents; and

WHEREAS, Mark Merrill's combined contributions to health care, public service, and community initiatives have earned him the admiration of his colleagues, the citizens of the Commonwealth, and the communities he served, leaving a lasting legacy of excellence and leadership; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Mark Merrill hereby be commended for his outstanding service as president and chief executive officer of Valley Health, for his dedication to public service on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, and for his tireless efforts to improve the well-being of the region's citizens; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mark Merrill as an expression of the high esteem in which he is held by the members of the House of Delegates and the citizens of the Commonwealth.