SCHENECTADY – The Ellis Medicine Board of Trustees and President and CEO James W. Connolly jointly announced today that Mr. Connolly will retire as President and CEO of Ellis Medicine. The Board of Trustees has appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Paul A. Milton as Acting President and CEO.

 

“My time at Ellis, working with exceptionally talented physicians, nurses, staff and community leaders, has been one of the most professionally challenging and rewarding experiences of my career. I am very proud of what we have built together: A strong, integrated, financially secure, forward-looking healthcare system accessible to the entire community,” Mr. Connolly said.

 

Mr. Connolly joined Ellis in 2007 and led the Ellis senior management team in the historic remaking of Schenectady’s healthcare landscape after a state commission recommended that Ellis, St. Clare’s and Bellevue Woman’s hospitals be consolidated and their services streamlined under Ellis. 

 

Mr. Connolly and the senior team led the renovation of Bellevue Woman’s Center, the region’s only inpatient facility dedicated to serving women and infants; the conversion of the former St. Clare’s Hospital into a medical home providing outpatient and primary care for the sickest patients; the creation of a new emergent care center in Clifton Park, and the development of a new emergency department on the Ellis Hospital campus. 

 

Most recently, Mr. Connolly and his team championed the creation of a new, innovative partnership with St. Peter’s Health Partners and the Capital Region’s first accountable care organization — the Innovative Health Alliance of New York, LLC — under which the two organizations will collaborate but maintain independent operations.




“Jim Connolly has been an excellent leader for Ellis Medicine and our community,” said Deborah Mullaney, chair of the Ellis Board of Trustees.  “He has led transformative change in our local healthcare landscape, with an unwavering focus on delivering the very best care in the most efficient way and creating a healthier community. His efforts to ensure Ellis’ financial strength and to establish close relationships with our community will benefit the people we serve for years to come.”

 

Ms. Mullaney said Ellis Medicine was fortunate to have in Paul Milton a talented, hands-on leader who has deep healthcare experience and an excellent working relationship with physicians, staff, patients and the community. Mr. Milton will oversee a staff of 2,800 people and a budget of $350 million. 

 

“I am grateful for the confidence of the Board of Trustees and the opportunity to lead an outstanding team of physicians, nurses and senior leaders in providing our community with the outstanding healthcare and services it deserves and has come to expect from Ellis,” Mr. Milton said. 

 

Mr. Milton joined Ellis as Chief Operating Officer in 2008, after more than two decades’ experience as a senior healthcare leader. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of The Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut, a 328-bed teaching facility and level II trauma center; Chief Operating Officer of Northeast Health, in Troy, where he played a key role in the merger of Albany Memorial and Samaritan hospitals; Vice President of Administration at Middlesex Hospital, Middletown, CT; and Vice President of Operations at The Stamford Health Care Corporation, Stamford, CT.



 

Mr. Milton served as a community healthcare coordinator with the U.S. Peace Corps in Malawi, Africa, earned a master's degree in health services administration from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor's degree in business administration from Miami University, Oxford, OH. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

 

                                                                                               

###

About Ellis Medicine: Ellis Medicine is a 438-bed community and teaching healthcare system serving New York’s Capital Region. With four campuses – Ellis Hospital, Ellis Health Center, Bellevue Woman’s Center and Medical Center of Clifton Park – Ellis Medicine provides a lifetime of care for patients.  Follow Ellis Medicine on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.  Learn more at www.ellismedicine.org