Elizabethtown, NY – When Stephanie Wagoner’s husband, Jim Kloiber, woke up in the middle of the night feeling “off,” neither of them realized how quickly things would become life‑threatening. By late afternoon that day, Wagoner knew something was terribly wrong. Kloiber had grown weaker throughout the day, and then he collapsed in their kitchen.

“He dropped to his knees and fell back, and I said, ‘I’m calling 911,’” Wagoner recalls. First responders arrived quickly and rushed him to University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital’s Ticonderoga emergency department. The team moved quickly to stabilize him.

A Race Against Time

At the hospital, providers immediately recognized the signs of a dangerous gastrointestinal bleed, which is a sudden internal bleed that can cause someone to lose consciousness without warning. Wagoner remembers how focused and steady the team was while her husband passed out multiple times.

The emergency team stabilized Kloiber, started urgent blood treatment and prepared him for the next steps in care that were provided at University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital.

“They were absolutely fabulous from the nurses to the physicians. They knew exactly what they were doing and kept both of us calm,” Wagoner says.

Because the bleed was identified early and treated quickly, her husband survived an event that can often be fatal if care is delayed. Today, Wagoner’s husband is back to nearly all his normal activities.

“He was basically restored to 95 percent of his health,” she shares. “They saved his life.”

Emergencies can happen fast and minutes matter.

Wagoner says she is speaking up in hopes that others won’t second-guess themselves when something doesn’t seem right. If you or someone you love is experiencing sudden bleeding, fainting, chest pain, severe stomach pain or any symptom that feels alarming, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away. Getting care quickly can save a life.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital, Ticonderoga EDs Continue Focus on Patient Experience

For Wagoner, one of the most meaningful parts of the experience was how the team treated her husband.

“They didn’t rush him or treat him like a task. They treated him like a human being who mattered. I’m so grateful,” she says. Wagoner also praises the communication and reassurance from the care team throughout the process, explaining they kept her informed, answered every question and always took time to listen.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital’s emergency departments in Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga each recently received the 2025 Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award, which is given to organizations that perform in the top 5% nationwide for patient experience.

“Elizabethtown Community Hospital is showing what it truly means to deliver compassionate, person-centered care,” says Patrick T. Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Press Ganey. “The hospital’s deep commitment to both patients and caregivers is creating a culture where empathy drives action – and where people feel seen, heard and supported.”

Patient Thanks Care Team at Elizabethtown Community Hospital ED After Hike Gone Wrong

Lynn Sudak’s life wasn’t in danger, but she needed urgent attention when she came to the emergency department in Elizabethtown after a bad fall during a hike in Lake Placid left her with a broken wrist.

“From the minute I walked into the emergency room, I felt that I was in good hands. They totally put me at ease,” she remembers, describing everyone from the nurses to the technicians as friendly and efficient. Sudak also praises two physicians from the ED for their kind, easygoing and professional manner that put her at ease as they explained her injury and treatment.

“When we tell friends about that day on Cobble Hill, we tell them about the incident itself, my husband’s great skill at making a splint and the adventure of hiking down. However, the very next thing we talk about is the incredible care we got in Elizabethtown. We are grateful to everyone involved,” Sudak says.

University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
75 Park Street
Elizabethtown, NY 12932

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About Elizabethtown Community Hospital

University of Vermont Health – Elizabethtown Community Hospital is a not-for-profit critical access hospital with locations in Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga and six community-based primary care centers serving Essex County and the Adirondack Park region. As part of a rural academic health system serving Vermont and northern New York, we provide essential emergency, inpatient, rehabilitation and specialty care close to home. Together, we deliver access to leading-edge technology, advanced treatment options and the highest level of compassionate care while addressing the critical needs and unique challenges facing our patients, their families and our employees.

About University of Vermont Health Network

University of Vermont Health Network is a rural academic health system with more than 100 years of service to small towns and cities across Vermont and northern New York. We are deeply committed to reimagining rural health in ways that will benefit our communities for generations to come and keep exceptional care close to home. Our system includes an academic medical center, two community hospitals, three critical access hospitals, a children’s hospital, a cancer center, a multispecialty medical group, 154 outpatient sites and care beyond the hospital through home health, hospice care, four skilled nursing facilities and other support services. Our care is informed by an essential partnership with University of Vermont’s The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Together, as a health system serving a rural area, we are tackling health care’s biggest challenges — supporting the communities we serve and investing in our employees by addressing housing affordability, quality childcare and professional development needs. To learn more, visit us at www.uvmhealth.org.