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Elizabethtown Community Hospital Names New President

The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital announced the appointment of its new President, Bob Ortmyer.

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Headshot of new Elizabethtown Community Hospital president, Bob Ortmyer

Elizabethtown, NY – The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital announced today the appointment of its new President, Bob Ortmyer. He will formally begin his role on July 12, 2021.

Ortmyer has been with WellSpan Health System in York, Pennsylvania for 30 years, serving in a number of leadership positions. In his current role as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, he is responsible for a 141-bed acute care hospital within an eight-hospital system.

“Bob has the right mix of experience and skills to lead ECH as it continues to thrive and grow,” said John Brumsted, MD, president and chief executive officer of the UVM Health Network. “Equally as important, he shares the UVM Health Network’s commitment to ensuring outstanding health care is accessible and affordable for years to come in this region.”

As ECH President, Ortmyer will lead more than 350 employees, two hospital campuses, and six community-based primary care health centers in Essex County. “It’s clear that patients and the community are at the center of the care ECH provides,” said Ortmyer, “and I couldn’t be more honored to join their team.” He added that he is excited for the opportunity to serve the community and enjoy all that the region has to offer.

Ortmyer succeeds John Remillard, who has served in the role for more than five years and announced his retirement in 2020. The current ECH Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Matt Nolan, will serve as interim president from June 1 to July 11.

Steve Cacchio, chair of the search committee, said the committee’s recommendation was guided by input from hospital staff. “We knew the right fit for ECH would be someone who puts patients first and knows how to lead a talented team. That was foremost in our minds as we conducted the nationwide search.”

According to Cacchio, Ortmyer was recommended for the role after an extensive, four-month search and in-depth interviews with the search committee and staff. His appointment was approved on April 22, 2021 by the UVM Health Network Board of Trustees.

Al Gobeille, executive vice president for operations at UVM Health Network; Jerald Novak, chief people officer at UVM Health Network; and ECH board members Dominic Eisinger, Rolly Allen, Susan Allot, Megan Murphy, and David Shelmidine served with Cacchio on the search committee.

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About Elizabethtown Community Hospital

The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital is a designated critical access hospital and the primary health care provider serving the 39,000 residents in Essex County and northern Warren and Washington Counties in New York.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is transforming rural health care at its main campus in Elizabethtown, NY, at a new emergency department and outpatient center in Ticonderoga, NY, and at six community-based primary health care centers located throughout the region. The hospital is one of the community’s largest employers with 350 employees.

Across the Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga campuses, the hospital maintains two 24-hour emergency rooms, a 25-bed inpatient unit, physical therapy, laboratory, and digital radiology departments, and a variety of specialty physician clinics on a weekly and monthly basis.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and is licensed and certified by the New York State Department of Health and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

 

About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an academic health system that is comprised of six affiliate hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, and a home health agency. We serve the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. Our partners include:

Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our hospitals remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.