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Elizabethtown Community Hospital raises starting wage to $15 per hour

The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital announced plans to raise its starting hourly wage to $15.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital Entrance Exterior
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Elizabethtown, NY – The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital today announced plans to raise its starting hourly wage to $15. The increase, which goes into effect October 4, benefits 130 employees.

“We want to take care of the people who help provide outstanding care for the community,” said Bob Ortmyer, president of Elizabethtown Community Hospital. “Each and every team member helps us do that, regardless of their role.”

The hospital is investing more than $330,000 to increase starting wages from $12.50 to $15.00 per hour across 36 job classifications, including environmental services, clinical assistants, medical assistants and clerical positions. The new hourly wage is higher than current federal and state rates.

According to Elizabethtown Community Hospital Director of Human Resources, Michelle Meachem, the move comes after a comprehensive assessment of competitive compensation for positions within the organization. “It’s clear that this is the right thing to do for our employees, for their families and for the future of our workforce. The $15 hourly starting wage will not only help us retain valued team members, it will also help us attract new talent,” said Meachem.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital employs 350 people at its two campuses in Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga, and its six health centers across Essex County. For more information on careers with Elizabethtown Community Hospital, please visit ECH.org.

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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 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.