Hospital hires new president

On September 27, Sylvia Sather Getman will become the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Nantucket Cottage Hospital. She will replace current President Lucille Giddings who is retiring after 11 years to spend more time with her family on the mainland.

Sylvia Sather Getman Getman, who arrives approximately seven months into the official affiliation between Nantucket Cottage Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, was chosen by the NCH Board of Trustees from a pool of professionals found through a national search. Candidates were narrowed down to a small number of finalists and returned to the island mid- August for additional interviews.

Giddings, 60, who came to Nantucket on April 29, 1996 to assume the NCH presidency, was formerly vice-president for ambulatory care at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Conn. During her tenure on Nantucket, she was instrumental in helping the hospital develop its first comprehensive strategic plan with 15 initiatives, has remained dedicated to providing the highest quality health care available, was an important part of the process leading to the March partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital and assisted in formulating the newest strategic plan finalized in May 2006. She will join her husband Bill at the end of September at their home in Croton-on- Hudson, N.Y.

Hailing from Osage, Iowa, Getman has served since 2001 as CEO of the Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage, a $15 million organization that includes a hospital and four physician clinics. The center has a seven-member board of trustees, a staff of approximately 135 and a volunteer team totaling more than 200 people. As a group, those involved with the center developed a strategic plan to improve quality, manage costs, increase access, enhance customer service, value its colleagues and grow strategically.

Getman is also Vice-president for Network Systems for Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City, Iowa, and is project director for the Electronics Health Record Project for Mercy Medical Center, which includes eight rural health facilities.

Getman will move to Nantucket with her husband, Bill, and their sons Bill Jr., 20, Christopher,

17, and Jamison, 13. I