MEDICAL CARE FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Brenda Crowder, MD, was the very first female gynecologist in the Tri-Cities, and has been practicing in our region for more than 30 years. Before joining Medical Care in 2020, Dr. Crowder practiced gynecology for several years at Johnson City OBGYN, alongside Dr. Jeffrey Hinton, who has also joined Medical Care. As a healthcare provider, Dr. Crowder's primary goal is making gynecological visits less stressful for her patients. She works to place her patients at ease, so they feel comfortable addressing their gynecological needs.
When Dr. Crowder is not at work, she enjoys baking bread and cakes. She is very proud of her son Will, who works with 911 in Chattanooga, and she has a wonderful labrador retriever at home, named Coco.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Treasurer
- Chief Financial Officer at Medical Care
Dewey Whaley is the Chief Financial Officer at Medical Care, PLLC. Dewey provides strategic leadership for the practice's business operations and oversees the company's finances. He also plays an integral role in helping to ensure compliance in the various value-added contracts by providing data retrieval and analytics.
Dewey began working part-time at Medical Care 2003 before becoming a full-time employee in 2004. Since then, he has gained valuable experience in finance, business operations, and strategic planning. While in his current role he has taught himself to program in C#, SQL and Python in order to make him more efficient.
Prior to Medical Care, Dewey was a teacher. He taught various math courses at Unaka High School from 2001 - 2004.
Dewey currently resides in Elizabethton, TN with his wife, Jenny. When he is not in the office, he can usually be found at a ballfield rooting for one of his children.
Dewey graduated from East Tennessee State University with a B.S. in Mathematics in 1999 and again with an M.S. in Mathematics in 2005.
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Chief Technology Officer at Medical Care
Don Hembree is the Chief Technology Officer at Medical Care, PLLC. Don is responsible for the development and execution of the technology business plan for Medical Care PLLC. He also serves on the Security Team, Executive Team, and Managers Team at Medical Care.
Previously, Don was the Director of Information Technology for Unicoi County Memorial Hospital and served on a variety of leadership teams throughout his time there. He joined Medical Care PLLC in 2007 and has over 20 years of experience in Healthcare IT.
Don currently resides in Johnson City, TN, with his wife, Susan. He has two children and two grandchildren. He is a member of Heritage Baptist Church. When he is not in the office, Don enjoys hiking and attending sporting events.
Don graduated from Northeast State Community College in 2003 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Science. In 2015 he earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from King University, and in 2022, he graduated from Western Governors University with an MBA in Information Technology Management.
Jeffrey Hinton, MD, is a board-certified gynecologist now practicing medicine at Medical Care in Johnson City and Elizabethton. Before joining Medical Care in March of 2020, Dr. Hinton practiced gynecology for several years at Johnson City OBGYN, alongside Dr. Brenda Crowder, who has also joined Medical Care. Dr. Hinton has 3 adult children, and a rescued chihuahua mix named Nemo. When he is not at work, Dr. Hinton enjoys spending time outdoors, and working in his garden. Dr. Jeffrey Hinton is accepting new patients and appointments now. Please call or text (423) 929-2584 for more information.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director
- Medical Director, Johnson City
Jeffrey Hopland, MD, began working at Medical Care in 1986. Dr Hopland received his medical degree at ETSU's Quillen College of Medicine in 1994. In 1997, after the completion of his residency with ETSU Family Physicians at Bristol Regional Medical Center, he transitioned into his current role as a physician.
Dr. Hopland now serves as Medical Director for Medical Care. He has spoken on several occasions at the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) national meeting on use of electronic medical records systems. He has been principal investigator for multiple pharmaceutical clinical research studies.
Dr. Hopland is also the Medical Director for Amedisys Hospice, Amedisys Home Health, and Prestige Aesthetics. He currently resides in Johnson City with his wife Wendy.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director
- Medical Director, Elizabethton
Kenneth Hopland, MD grew up in Elizabethton Tennessee. He graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1998 and attended ETSU James H. Quillen College of Medicine Graduating with honors in 2002. He obtained his residency training at ETSU Family Physicians in Bristol, Tennessee. During that time, he served as both chief resident of Bristol family practice and chief resident of all ETSU family practice residencies.
Kenneth completed his resident training in 2005. Since completion of his family practice residency, he has been practicing full-time at Medical Care PLLC. He is board certified in family practice and is an active member of the A.A.F.P. His daily job duties include direct
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
Rebecca Morris, FNP-BC is the Chief Operations Officer at Medical Care, PLLC. She oversees the day-to-day operations and works closely with the CEO, CFO, CTO and Medical Directors to coordinate necessary changes to best accommodate patients and employees.
Rebecca began working with the Medical Care nursing staff in 2007. She is a member of the provider team as well, and joined the management team in 2011. She has played an essential part in expanding Medical Care's quality-of-care programs and has introduced many patient-centered initiatives.
Rebecca worked as a floor nurse with Bristol Regional Medical Center prior to becoming part of the management team at Medical Care.
Rebecca graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2011 and was awarded a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Carson-Newman in 2018. She currently resides in Elizabethton, TN. When she is not working, you can find her spending time with her husband Zak and their two children.
Rebecca strives to be an advocate for patients as well as Medical Care employees and her goal is to leave every situation in a better condition than she found it.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- CEO of Medical Care
Steven Hopland is the CEO of Medical Care. Steve earned his commercial pilot's license and flight instructor rating in 1986 and worked as a flight instructor and corporate pilot for several years. He completed his degree in marketing from the University of Tennessee in 1990. He then opened and managed a used auto dealership, finance company, and auto repair facility.
Steve earned his Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating and became chief pilot and director of operations for Extended Technologies, a fast-growing medical research and development firm. Steve joined with his father and brother to incorporate Medical Care, LLC and started as CEO in 1997. Mr. Hopland is responsible for the management of day-to-day operations as well as the overall direction of the company. He continues to oversee the growth and development of the Medical Care.
Steve has spoken at the national HIMSS conference on several occasions on healthcare technology and population health topics. He currently serves on the United Healthcare advisory board. Steve is active in his community and serves as a member of the Carter County health council and Carter County Drug Coalition. He also serves on the advisory board for Medinformatix and a board member of the Medical Care Foundation. Steve is an active member in the national, state and local Medical Group Management Association.
Steve Hopland is married to his wife Julie and they are the proud parents of four successful adult children.