Acker leaving Cole Memorial Hospital

David Acker

Leaders at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital have begun the search for a new chief executive officer, in the wake of CEO David Acker's resignation on Tuesday.

Acker announced Tuesday that he has accepted a similar position with a rural hospital in upstate New York. He and his wife, Linda, will be relocating to Potsdam, N.Y., in the coming weeks.

Charles Updegraff Jr., president of the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, said the outgoing CEO will be missed.

"David has been a remarkable, dedicated and

effective leader," Updegraff said. "We are grateful for D a v i d ' s commitment to excellence. He has provided the hospital dynamic and visionary leadership for many years, and we wish him well and offer our heartfelt thanks."

Ed Pitchford, currently chief financial officer at Cole, will serve as interim CEO while a search committee recruits a successor.

Acker, an attorney, has served as the hospital's CEO for 11 years. He left his Coudersport law practice to become more involved with the local hospital as general counsel in 1994, assuming the CEO position after the death of Ben Stimaker.

Ironically, Stimaker's predecessor, William Connors, also left Charles Cole Memorial Hospital to become CEO at the Canton-Potsdam Hospital, where Acker will take over on June 11.

During his years at Cole, Acker has seen the hospital through some challenging times, from the departure of medical professionals to the tightened economics resulting from inadequate state and federal reimbursements.

Revenues have grown and the hospital's workforce has expanded. Also during Acker's tenure, Cole Hospital has added a Women's Health Center, Rehabilitation Unit and Medical Arts Center, as well as a 12-bed geriatric psychiatry center, a wound care clinic and a sleep center.

Acker also initiated the first "hospitalist" program in rural Pennsylvania, involving a physician with specific responsibility for hospitalized patients.

In recent years, Acker has become one of the nation's leading advocates for rural health care. He has chaired the Rural Hospital Section of the American Hospital Association.

He has also been an executive board member and education chair of the Pa. Health Care Cost Containment Council.

Acker said he and his wife weighed numerous factors before deciding to move. Chief among them was the opportunity to continue his involvement with rural health care in a community with nearby cultural attractions and outdoor recreational opportunities.

"I have been associated with Charles Cole for more than 20 years and by far the most rewarding aspect of my job has been working with such a great team of people," Acker said. "While I will miss the personal and professional connections in the community we've called home for 25 years, I am looking forward to the challenges I will find in this new setting."

Acker will become president and chief executive officer of a 94-bed health system serving the St. Lawrence County area.

"David B. Acker demonstrates leadership attributes that are a good match, not only with our hospital, but with our community," said E. Stanley Howlett III, chairman of the board of directors at Canton- Potsdam.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital employs over 700 people at its main campus in Potsdam and four branches.