Peter St. John, Chair of The Aroostook Medical Center’s (TAMC) Board of Trustees, and Michelle Hood, EMHS President and CEO, announce the appointment of Sylvia Sather Getman of Nantucket, Massachusetts, as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of TAMC. She will replace Dave Peterson, who will be retiring after more than thirty years of service at TAMC.

“I am pleased and excited to have the opportunity to work with the team at The Aroostook Medical Center to advance the organization’s vision of excellence in rural healthcare,” said Getman. “As a rural regional medical center, TAMC is well positioned to meet the needs of the people of Aroostook County, and I look forward to supporting and enhancing the great work that is being done. I am especially intrigued by the vision of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems – to be the best rural healthcare system by 2012 – and look forward to actively advocating for rural healthcare at the local, state, and national levels.”

Getman currently serves as President and CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital, a 19-bed hospital on the island of Nantucket and member of Partners Health Care. Prior to that, she was Chief Executive Officer of Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage, Iowa, and Vice President for Network Systems for Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa in Mason City, Iowa.

The nationwide search for a new CEO began last fall, when Peterson announced his intention to retire in 2010. The search process was led by members of the TAMC Board of Trustees and EMHS President and CEO Michelle Hood.

“We were fortunate to find a candidate of Sylvia’s caliber who had experience with the opportunities and challenges facing TAMC and rural healthcare in general,” said St. John. “I am confident she will quickly become a familiar face in the community. With the support of the TAMC team, I believe she will help the medical center become an even better healthcare resource for the people of our area.”

Getman will also serve as Senior Vice President of EMHS, a well-organized healthcare system serving all of central, eastern, and northern Maine. According to EMHS President and CEO Michelle Hood, Getman will help impact healthcare both in Aroostook County and across the region.

“We are very excited about bringing someone of Sylvia’s professional caliber to Maine,” said Hood. “Her leadership skills are ideal for TAMC, and I expect her to be an outstanding contributor as a senior vice president of EMHS and member of our Leadership Council. Sylvia’s experience and spirit of collaboration should ultimately benefit Aroostook County and the entire State of Maine.”

She will arrive in Aroostook County and begin serving in her new role in late summer or early fall. Getman, her husband Bill, and their family will be making their home in the Presque Isle area.

“Personally, my family and I are looking forward to becoming a part of Aroostook County and specifically the Presque Isle area, with its abundance of outdoor recreation and welcoming community spirit,” she said. “We are eager to arrive and settle in.”