MIDDLEBURY— Tom Thompson, who has been serving as the interim president and chief operating officer of UVM Health Network Porter Medical Center since last February has been selected as the permanent President/COO of Porter by the UVMHN and Porter boards.
Thompson joined Porter last winter to help lead the organization through the implementation of the next phase of the Epic Electronic Health Record system and develop a three-year strategic plan for the organization. Soon after his arrival, the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and became an unanticipated and primary organizational focus.
According to Porter Medical Center Board Chair Sivan Cotel, even as the Epic and strategic planning processes moved forward, Thompson successfully helped lead the organization in its planning and preparations for the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To state the obvious, the world changed dramatically last winter with the emergence of COVID-19 and our priorities and areas of focus also shifted in order to prepare and execute new initiatives and operational changes to serve our patients and residents, while keeping our staff safe,” Cotel said. “As we continued to navigate through these difficult times, it became clear to our board and the UVMHN board that Tom’s leadership and experience were invaluable and going to be needed longer than we originally expected,” he said.
Although Thompson came to Porter with some very specific goals in mind last winter, he too quickly recognized that his work and time with Porter might need to be extended in order to complete everything he came to do. “Porter is such an incredible organization and an invaluable community asset, and right out of the gate I felt energized to help our organization accomplish some important short-term goals, including Epic implementation, but also work with Porter leaders to chart a strategic direction for the next 3-5 years,” he said. “Once COVID-19 hit and we shifted our focus to the pandemic, I knew that I would want to remain in this role longer and work with this amazing team beyond an interim role.”
UVM Health Network President and CEO Dr. John Brumsted agrees. “We are pleased to welcome Tom Thompson as the next President/COO of UVMHN Porter Medical Center. Even through the unanticipated and unprecedented emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tom has made significant progress on his original mission and we are confident that he is the right leader to help lead Porter into the future”, he said.
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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:
- The University of Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
- The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice
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.