News & Events
St. James Hospital Names Interim Chief Financial Officer
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
St. James Hospital has appointed Debra Michalek as interim chief financial officer (CFO), effective November 21, 2022. She follows Jim Wright, who served as interim CFO since May 2022.
Reporting to the CEO, Ms. Michalek will provide fiscal leadership for St. James Hospital including financial services, general accounting, and financial and statistical reporting activities. She also will provide guidance concerning investments and reimbursement matters.
Ms. Michalek brings extensive healthcare finance leadership to St. James, having served previously as market CFO at Steward Trumbull Regional Medical Center (Warren, OH); interim finance director at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo/Kaleida; CFO at High Point Treatment Center (New Bedford, MA); interim CFO at Homelife Companies (Herkimer, NY); and CFO at Orleans Community Health (Medina, NY).
“We are excited to welcome Debra to her interim position at St. James. Her wealth of experience will provide essential guidance as we continue to grow,” said Wendy Disbrow President and CEO of St. James Hospital. “We also thank Jim Wright for his service to St. James as interim CFO.”
A resident of Buffalo, NY, Ms. Michalek earned her MBA at Our Lady of the Lake University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Canisius College.
Shick Family Charity Golf Classic Raises $12,000 for St. James Foundation
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Twenty-two teams and members of the Shick family gathered at Hornell Golf Club on July 1st for the eighth annual Shick Family Golf Classic to support St. James Foundation. The event raised $12,000 which will be used to support programs and services for St. James Hospital patients.
The Shick Family Charity Golf Classic was founded in 2014 as a way to support the community in honor of Anita Shick, who proudly led the family upon the passing of her husband, William D. Shick in 1974 at the age of 45. Anita passed away in 2021, one week before the annual tournament.
“In total we’ve raised approximately $47,000 to benefit patients at St. James Hospital,” said Becky Shick, event coordinator. “This far exceeds our original expectations, and we are so grateful for the generosity of our family, friends and supporters.”
“The Shick family clearly is dedicated to improving the well-being of our patients,” said Wendy Disbrow, St. James Hospital president and CEO. “It was wonderful to see and feel the enthusiasm of everyone who participated in the tournament. Their contributions will have a positive impact on patient care at St. James.”
"Our family has a long history with St. James Hospital, going back to our aunt, who was part of the first graduating class of the St. James School of Nursing,” said Shick. “It is an honor for our family to be able to support the delivery of local healthcare services in this way."
Expanded Orthopaedic Services
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Orthopaedic treatment options have expanded in the Southern Tier with the addition of Ali Mansour, MD! An orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hand surgery, Dr. Mansour has training and expertise to treat hand, wrist, and upper and lower extremities trauma and fractures.
Dr. Mansour offers surgical and non-surgical treatment for upper extremity conditions including fractures, arthritis, carpal tunnel, trigger finger, and wrist injuries and instability. He will also treat shoulder injuries, as well as trauma to the hips and knees.
With over ten years’ experience as an upper extremity specialist, Dr. Mansour earned his MD and served his orthopaedic surgery residency at the American University of Beirut. His orthopaedic fellowship training included Hand Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery at the University of Louisville, Orthopaedic Pediatric Spine Surgery at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, and Combined Spine Surgery at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.
Starting in September, Dr. Mansour will see patients at Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and at St. James Hospital in Hornell on Wednesdays and Fridays. Appointments can be made by calling (585) 596-2054 in Wellsville or (607) 385-3740 in Hornell.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Mansour available to our community,” said James Helms, CEO at Jones Memorial. “As an orthopaedic hand surgeon trained in treating fractures as well as soft tissue and nerve injuries, he will expand the orthopaedic options for our patients.”
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Mansour to the Southern Tier and to St. James Hospital,” said Wendy Disbrow, St. James Hospital CEO. “He is a welcome addition to our growing Orthopaedics Department.”
Please join Jones Memorial and St. James in welcoming Dr. Mansour to the Southern Tier.
St. James Hospital Board Names Wendy Disbrow Permanent President & CEO
Thursday, June 23, 2022
The St. James Hospital board of directors announced today that Wendy Disbrow, MBA, RN, has been named permanent president and CEO effective July 18, 2022. She has been serving as interim CEO since mid-March.
“With her successful experience at St. James and elsewhere in rural healthcare, Ms. Disbrow was our strongest candidate,” said Shawn Hogan, St. James board chair. “She has proven her ability to integrate into our operation. She has quickly gained the trust and respect of medical staff and employees, and she understands the challenges of small community hospitals.”
“Ms. Disbrow is a highly respected healthcare leader who has a solid track record as an administrator, strategist and clinician,” said Steven I. Goldstein, senior vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center who oversees UR Medicine regional hospitals, and also serves as president and CEO of Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals in Rochester. “We greatly appreciate the contributions she made during her interim status and are delighted she will be taking over the CEO role on a permanent basis.”
While serving at St. James Hospital, Disbrow continued in her role as vice president, physician network for Finger Lakes Health (FLH) on a half-time basis. FHL operates Geneva General Hospital (Geneva), Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital (Penn Yan), and community healthcare services. She will resign her leadership position at FLH to join St. James on a permanent basis. Her previous roles include chief administrative officer for FLH Medical P.C., a multi-specialty physician group, and administrator for Interlakes Orthopaedic Surgery, both in Geneva. She has more than 15 years of experience in nursing staff and nurse-manager roles.
“I am honored that the St. James board is entrusting me with this position and recognizes my commitment to the health of rural communities,” said Disbrow. “I am excited and eager to begin working fulltime at St. James Hospital with its outstanding and dedicated medical staff and employees. Together, we will enhance the quality and diversity of services that our local population needs, build stronger community relationships, and continuously improve the patient and family care experience.”
Ms. Disbrow is a Penn Yan native, and currently resides there with her husband.
Pain Management Returns to St. James Hospital
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Beginning in July, pain management specialist Dr. Chirag Patel will begin seeing patients at St. James Hospital one day a week. Dr. Patel is based at Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville. He is excited to expand that practice to include clinics at St. James Hospital and Jones Memorial Hospital.
“I am excited to be back at Noyes and also seeing patients in Hornell and Wellsville,” said Patel. “I will primarily be seeing patients with chronic pain. They come into the office to get a formal evaluation, then we develop the treatment plan from there.”
“We are incredibly grateful to have a pain management specialist of Dr. Patel’s caliber back at Noyes,” said Dr. Chad Teeters, president and CEO of Noyes Health. “Sharing his services with the Hornell and Wellsville areas will benefit a large population that otherwise would have to travel for pain management.”
Dr. Patel will be performing procedures in the operating room at St. James Hospital, Noyes Memorial Hospital, Noyes Health Services in Geneseo, and Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville.
“We are very happy to have Dr. Patel join our team and bring pain management back to our community,” remarked Wendy Disbrow, CEO at St. James Hospital. “Sharing his services with Jones Memorial and Noyes Memorial Hospitals will benefit a large population in the southern tier.”
With the opioid crisis, some are concerned with visiting a pain management physician.
“With everything that has been happening lately with the opioid crisis, my specialty is interventional treatments, explained Dr. Patel. “There are many avenues to help people that don’t involve medication. I am a proponent of physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. Sometimes simple exercises or injections can offer an incredible amount of relief.”
Dr. Patel works collaboratively with primary care providers, orthopedic surgeons, imaging, and other specialties to develop comprehensive plans to alleviate as much pain as possible.
“We don’t want people to be in severe pain, sometimes people will be in some sort of pain,” said Dr. Patel. “It is a part of getting older. But we don’t want anyone to suffer.”
He is also expanding to add a second provider so as the practice expands, patients don’t have extended wait times to get an appointment.
“We are trying to encompass a lot of patients who otherwise wouldn’t have anywhere to go to be seen or treated,” he said.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Patel at St. James Hospital please call the Specialty Clinic office at (607) 385 – 3820. For Noyes Hospital Dansville and Geneseo locations call (585) 243-0150, and for Jones Memorial Hospital call (585) 596-4093.
UR Medicine/St. James Hospital Primary Care Welcomes Catrina Noniewicz, FNP
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
UR Medicine/St. James Hospital Primary Care is pleased to welcome Catrina Noniewicz, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, on June 1.
Noniewicz specializes in family medicine and sees patients of all ages, from newborns to end of life. She has seventeen years of experience as a registered nurse and spent one year as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at Olean Medical Group.
A graduate of SUNY Alfred State College, Noniewicz received her Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN). She went on to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Chamberlain College of Nursing and completed her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Frontier Nursing University.
Noniewicz will be located full-time at UR Medicine/St. James Hospital Primary Care at 7309 Seneca Road North, Suite 109 in Hornell. New patient appointments can be made by calling (607) 385-3700.
Gretchen Regina Named Controller at St. James Hospital
Thursday, May 12, 2022
St. James Hospital has appointed Gretchen E. Regina, CPA, MBA as its new controller effective May 16, 2022.
Reporting to the interim chief financial officer, Ms. Regina will be responsible for managing the Hospital’s financial reporting and accounting systems, including the development and implementation of the annual operating and capital budget process. Other responsibilities include overseeing financial forecasting, annual audit, and organizational insurance requirements.
A certified public accountant, Ms. Regina most recently served for nine years as finance manager/controller at UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) campus in Wellsboro, PA. Previously she was director of accounting for Putnam Company/Acorn Markets, senior accountant at Baker Tilly, and division controller at Casella Waste Management of PA. She also worked in finance and accounting at Corning, Inc. and Dresser-Rand in Wellsville.
“We are very pleased to bring someone with diverse healthcare and business experience to St. James Hospital,” said Wendy Disbrow, SJH interim CEO. “Gretchen is a proven professional and will provide excellent leadership to the accounting and finance team.”
A resident of Wellsboro, Ms. Regina obtained her MBA in accounting from Syracuse University and holds a BA in mass communications from Susquehanna University.
St. James Hospital Expands Urology Services to Fulltime by Welcoming Dr. Nitin Sharma
Monday, May 2, 2022
UR Medicine/St. James Hospital is pleased to announce that local Urology services are expanding to fulltime with the addition of Nitin Sharma, MD, who is joining the Hospital as a fulltime Urologist, effective May 2nd.
Dr. Sharma’s area of expertise is general Urology to treat conditions such as voiding dysfunction, benign and malignant prostate problems, elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA), bladder tumor, urinary retention, urinary tract infections, conditions causing blood in the urine, sexual dysfunction, and male infertility. He sees both adults and children and also specializes in minimally invasive percutaneous renal surgeries to extract kidney stones, and will do procedures at St. James Hospital.
Dr. Sharma received his medical degree from the University of Pune (India) in 2000. He then completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Delhi (India) and his residency in Urology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (India). With ten years of Urology experience, Dr. Sharma has also completed several fellowships: Robotic and Endourology at the University of Rochester (NY), Minimally Invasive Urology at Northwell Health (NY), and Renal Transplant and Renal Cancer Surgery at the University of Alberta (Canada).
Dr. Sharma will see patients in Hornell at the St. James Hospital specialty clinic, 7309 Seneca Road North, Suite 102, Monday – Friday. Urologist Dr. Divya Ajay will also continue to see patients at the specialty clinic. A referral is required. To make an appointment or for more information please call (607) 385-3831.
S. James Wright Named Interim Chief Financial Officer at St. James Hospital
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
The St. James Hospital board of directors has appointed S. James Wright as interim chief financial officer (CFO), effective April 2022.
Reporting to the CEO, Mr. Wright provides fiscal leadership for St. James including financial services, general accounting, and financial and statistical reporting activities. He also has administrative oversight of materials management, and provides guidance concerning investments and reimbursement matters.
Since 2015, Mr. Wright has served as chief financial officer for Accountable Health Partners (AHP), an entity associated with the University of Rochester Medical Center that integrates UR Medicine hospitals and physicians to improve quality outcomes. He also served as CFO at St. James Hospital for most of 2018. In previous positions he was chief executive officer of Canandaigua Medical Group, chief financial officer of Rochester Individual Practice Association, and controller at Preferred Care. Mr. Wright and Ms. Wendy Disbrow (SJH interim CEO) have also worked together on the Rochester Chapter of the Medical Group Managers Association for over ten years, both as board members and officers.
“Jim is very familiar with St. James and will provide essential guidance until a permanent CFO is named,” said Steven I. Goldstein, senior vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center who oversees UR Medicine regional hospitals, and also serves as president and CEO of Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals in Rochester.
A resident of Pittsford, NY, Mr. Wright is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo, where he obtained a bachelor of science degree in accounting.
Jodi Howe Steps Down as Chief Financial Officer for UR Medicine/St. James Hospital and Jones Memorial Hospital
Monday, March 21, 2022
Leadership at St. James Hospital and Jones Memorial Hospital today announced that Jodi L. Howe is stepping down as chief financial officer for both hospitals effective April 15, 2022 to pursue an opportunity at Alfred University. An interim CFO will be identified by UR Medicine and the two hospital boards.
“We are grateful for Jodi’s leadership at St. James during her tenure as CFO, where she led the implementation of a new accounting system and was part of the recent rollout of a new medical record system,” said Wendy Disbrow, St. James interim president and CEO.
“At Jones Memorial, Jodi provided vital direction and support during the launch of a capital improvement project as well as the full implementation of our new accounting and enterprise reporting systems,” said Jim Helms, Jones president and CEO. “Jodi has been a key financial leader for both of our organizations during the pandemic, and for that we thank her.”
Ms. Howe began her career at St. James Hospital in 2004 as a senior accountant and was promoted to reimbursement/budget analyst in 2006. In 2010 she joined Alfred University as a senior financial analyst and was promoted to controller in 2012. Seven years later she returned to the healthcare arena as director of finance for St. James Hospital and Jones Memorial Hospital.
“We appreciate Jodi’s willingness and ability to serve in this role and provide continuity and direction to both hospitals,” said Steven I. Goldstein, senior vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center who oversees UR Medicine regional hospitals, and also serves as president and CEO of Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals in Rochester. “We thank Jodi for her service and wish her all the best in her new endeavor.”
UR Medicine leadership will provide support and oversight for financial operations at both hospitals during the transition period, as well as assist in the search for a new chief financial officer.
St. James Hospital Board Appoints Interim President & CEO
Friday, February 25, 2022
The St. James Hospital board of directors announced today that Wendy Disbrow, MBA, RN, has been named interim president and CEO effective March 12, 2022. Disbrow is taking the position currently held by Bryan O’Donovan, who is resigning as of March 11.
“The St. James board unanimously approved the appointment of Ms. Disbrow as interim CEO,” said Shawn Hogan, St. James board chair. “She has extensive experience in rural healthcare and understands the challenges of small community hospitals.”
Disbrow currently serves as vice president, physician network for Finger Lakes Health, which operates Geneva General Hospital and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital (Penn Yan), among other community healthcare services. Her previous positions include chief administrative officer for FLH Medical P.C., a multi-specialty physician group, and administrator for Interlakes Orthopaedic Surgery, both in Geneva. She has more than 15 years of experience in nursing staff and nurse-manager roles.
“Ms. Disbrow has a proven track record as an effective healthcare leader,” said Steven I. Goldstein, senior vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center who oversees UR Medicine regional hospitals, and also serves as president and CEO of Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals in Rochester. “We are delighted she has agreed to step in to the leadership role at St. James during this time of transition.”
Ms. Disbrow will begin working with Bryan O’Donovan on February 28 to transition to her new position as interim CEO. This coincides with St. James Hospital's conversion to Epic, a fully integrated electronic medical record system, on March 5. She will continue to serve in her current role at Finger Lakes Health on a half-time basis.
“We are very grateful to Bryan O’Donovan for his invaluable service and contributions to the success of our new St. James Hospital during the last three and a half years, and wish him well in his new endeavor,” said Hogan. “Our board looks forward to working with Ms. Disbrow as St. James continues to provide high-quality health care close to home for residents of Hornell and Steuben County.
The St. James board and UR Medicine are collaborating on the search for a permanent CEO.
Wendy Disbrow, MBA, RN, has been appointed interim
President & CEO of St. James Hospital in Hornell as of March 12, 2022.
UR Medicine Affiliates Join System-Wide Electronic Medicine Health Record System In March
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Change Connects Patients Through My Chart Portal with Providers at 6 Hospitals and Affiliated Practices Across the Finger Lakes Region.
The multi-year integration effort was supported in part by New York State Health Care Facility Transformation Program grants to each individual hospital totaling $12 million. Leadership and staff at St. James, Noyes, and Jones worked with their peers at the University of Rochester Medical Center to secure the funding, and plan and implement the new system. UR Medicine contributed the remainder of the funding for the project.
UR Medicine affiliates Noyes Health in Dansville and Geneseo, St. James Hospital in Hornell, and Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville will adopt a new electronic health record (EHR) platform on March 5, 2022, the same EHR used at UR Medicine’s Strong Memorial Hospital and other affiliate organizations, Highland Hospital in Rochester and Thompson Health in Canandaigua.
For the more than 2 million residents of Rochester, the Finger Lakes region and the Southern Tier served by UR Medicine, the alignment of patient records and patient care activities on the Epic platform, known at UR Medicine as eRecord, and the expansion of its use in the health system is part of an on-going effort to increase access for patients to health care services throughout the region, strengthen and enhance patient safety and quality of care, and work more efficiently.
The move to a standardized EHR means patients will be able to see information from their visits with providers at all UR Medicine-affiliated Urgent Care, primary care and specialty care practices through UR Medicine’s online patient portal, MyChart. Through the website, mychart.urmc.edu, or mobile app, patients can access provider’s appointment notes, medication lists and test results, appointment information and Urgent Care wait-times. They will also be able to request prescription refills and communicate directly with their provider’s office to ask questions and complete pre-appointment paperwork.
MyChart also allows patients easily to pay and keep track of their bills online, which will be presented as a consolidated summary of charges from four affiliate facilities: Noyes Health, St. James Hospital, Jones Memorial Hospital and Thompson Health. Anyone can sign up for a MyChart account at any time at mychart.urmc.edu.
“For the past ten years, our EHR has become an increasingly valuable tool in assessing the health care needs of the communities we serve,” said Steven I. Goldstein, senior vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center who oversees UR Medicine regional hospitals and president and CEO of Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals in Rochester. “With all of us working in the same EHR, we will be able to transition care more easily between local services and specialty care, with each provider and each location having a complete picture of the patient’s health and treatment needs.”
The multi-year integration effort was supported in part by New York State Health Care Facility Transformation Program grants to each individual hospital totaling $12 million. Leadership and staff at St. James, Noyes, and Jones worked with their peers at the University of Rochester Medical Center to secure the funding, and plan and implement the new system. UR Medicine contributed the remainder of the funding for the project.
“We are grateful to the New York State Department of Health and our state legislature for recognizing the importance of this kind of project which connects community-based and rural health care organizations with the specialty expertise of an academic medical center,” said Goldstein, “and to UR Medicine leadership who prioritized and enabled this project.”
“As a practicing physician, I know firsthand the value of eRecord. With all of us across the UR Medicine system on that one platform, our teams simply will be able to collaborate more effectively, both in terms of patient care and administrative oversight,” said J. Chad Teeters, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of Noyes Health. “That will lead to better patient communication, safety and satisfaction.”
“Our outpatient clinics have been on eRecord and their patients have had the benefits of eRecord and My Chart since we opened the new medical office building in Hornell three years ago,” said Bryan O’Donovan, M.P.A., M.S., St. James Hospital’s president and CEO. “Now, with all of our inpatients and hospital-based services on the same system, it will make it easier and more efficient to coordinate care.”
“The challenges of navigating the Covid pandemic as a health system validated the need for an integrated patient record system,” said James Helms, CPA, FHFMA, president and CEO of Jones Memorial Hospital. “This seamless and clear view of our patients’ health history will enable us to provide the best care, whether it’s here locally, or, if needed, at another UR Medicine affiliate offering more specialized care. Serving our patients and expanding the level of service to our community has us all excited for March 5th and beyond!”
Noyes Health and Jones Memorial Hospital joined Thompson Health and Highland Hospital as affiliates of the University of Rochester Medical Center and became part of the UR Medicine health system in 2016. St. James Hospital formally affiliated in 2018.
Bryan O’Donovan Steps Down as President & CEO of UR Medicine/St. James Hospital
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
The St. James Hospital board of directors announced today that Bryan O’Donovan is stepping down as president and CEO effective March 11, 2022 to pursue another opportunity. An interim CEO will be identified by UR Medicine and SJH board.
“The St. James board is deeply grateful for Bryan’s leadership and hard work over the last three and a half years,” said Shawn Hogan, St. James board chair. “When he joined us in 2018, we were embarking on a major transformation at St. James. During his tenure he opened a new medical office building and new hospital, expanded and launched multiple clinical service lines, recruited no less than twenty new physicians, and developed excellent relationships with the community, local businesses and colleges.”
“Bryan has made a very positive impact on the St. James operation and the quality of healthcare in Hornell,” said Steven I. Goldstein, senior vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center who oversees UR Medicine regional hospitals, and also serves as president and CEO of Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals in Rochester. “He took over the integration of St. James as a new UR Medicine affiliate, and successfully assimilated both cultures and resources to expand the breadth of specialist services available in Hornell. He also has demonstrated extraordinary leadership during the pandemic.”
UR Medicine leadership and the SJH board are working together to identify and appoint an interim CEO. Details of that appointment will be shared when available.
“We appreciate the many contributions Bryan made to St. James to improve the quality and access of services, and to help position our great hospital as the destination for local healthcare,” said Hogan. “He will be greatly missed, and we wish him well in his new endeavors and the opportunity to spend more time with his family.”
Bryan O’Donovan, St. James Hospital president and CEO since 2018, is stepping down as of March 11.
An interim CEO will be appointed during the search for a permanent chief executive officer.