FRANKLIN-David Fuller took over as chief executive officer at Southampton Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, and the 49-year-old native Mississippian said his first few days in Franklin will be devoted to &uot;getting my sea legs back under me.&uot;

After driving 12 hours from his Alabama home on Monday, temporarily leaving behind his wife and four sons, Fuller said his first order of business is to meet the hospital’s &uot;customers,&uot; meaning employees, patients and physicians.

He said plans at the 221-bed facility include adding to the medical staff. There are no plans to undertake major construction work, although he suggested that some of the existing facilities need upgrades.

Another of his short-range plans is meeting with others in the local medical community to &uot;make sure (the hospital and the community) are aligned properly.&uot;

Fuller said his house in Alabama is on the market and that his family will move to the area once his youngest son, who’s a seventh-grader, completes the school year.