For Gilli Hachey, Executive Director of the Foundation of St. Mary’s Healthcare, her job title can’t possibly tell the full story.

You see, her job goes far beyond overseeing fundraising efforts. It’s about forging meaningful connections and empowering the community to shape the future of their local hospital. It’s about
bridging the gap between donors and patients. And, it’s about ensuring that every donation, partnership, and event has a lasting impact on both the hospital’s growth and the care it provides.

Talk to her colleagues and they’ll tell you, Gilli does all this and more — all with a keen understanding of the hospital’s needs and an unwavering passion for its mission.

Born and raised in Johnstown, Gilli has a Master of Business Administration degree. The original plan was that she’d use that degree to go off to the big city and get a job in the entertainment industry. Then life took a turn. A childhood friend, with whom she’d stayed close with over the years, got in a car accident and sustained severe injuries. For Gilli, this tragedy sparked a profound shift in how she saw the meaning and purpose of her life. She took a job at Liberty ARC in Amsterdam, a non-profit that offers programs for those with developmental and intellectual disabilities. As their stewardship and development manager, she was provided the chance to help grow an organization that was doing important work, while giving back to her community.

“I realized the many ways I’ve been so fortunate, including where I’d grown up,” Gilli says. “I had decided to anchor myself here in this region, to do what I could to make this a better place for all of us.”

When the position opened at St. Mary’s to be Executive Director of the Foundation, Gilli saw it as a chance to do even more. “After six months on the job, I couldn’t be happier with the decision I made,” she says. “The leadership team here is supportive and engaged, which is so important as we work to build a culture that values and promotes philanthropy. The commitment this organization has made to remain a community hospital, focused on quality care, is real and deep.”

What’s most meaningful to Gilli is knowing that the work she’s doing to create strong partnerships, based on trust and mutually shared goals, is for the benefit of the hospital and the communities that rely on this hospital. There are so many needs the Foundation works to fulfill, from capital infrastructure to technology, from the expansion of programs and services to financial assistance for patients and hospital associates.

The hospital’s two signature fundraising events, the Gala in August and the Golf Classic in October, also provide the opportunity to raise money and enjoy time with hospital supporters.
Historically, these events have raised money to help support Urgent Care services and career development for hospital associates.

“These events celebrate the spirit of giving,” Gilli says, “while they strengthen the connection between our hospital and the people we serve.” They also reinforce for Gilli how thankful she feels to have the help of the generous, caring people of Fulton and Montgomery counties.

“We can’t do all that we do without the help of our community,” she says. “How lucky we are.”

She’s made it a goal to have more and more people in Fulton and Montgomery counties feel lucky to have St. Mary’s.

“We’re an independent hospital, completely dedicated to providing excellent care close to where our patients live and work. I think that’s a pretty big deal, and I’m so proud to be on this
team.”

To support St. Mary’s Healthcare, please visit www.smha.org/foundation.

This article was originally published by the Daily Gazette, written by Ashley Onyon February 19, 2025. 

There are always new opportunities and room for improvement in health care, according to Meredith Borak, executive director of quality and performance excellence and chief nursing executive at St. Mary’s Healthcare.

“Quality improvement is continuous quality improvement,” Borak said. “And even the ‘A’ hospitals have an opportunity for improvement, because health care is ever-changing. Rules and
regulations are ever-changing, and so we have to always be up to date and always looking at every process in the organization to see where we could do better.”

The vision of St. Mary’s President and CEO Jeff Methven to put the health care organization on the map as a premiere hospital providing compassionate, quality care in a community setting attracted Borak to the role roughly eight months ago, she said.

To her, joining the team felt like coming home, even though it’s hundreds of miles from where shegrew up on the south side of Chicago and where she spent much of her health care career
working in Illinois. She first moved to the region for an opportunity at Saratoga Hospital in 2021.

“I just absolutely love it here. It’s been an amazing experience with a great group of people,”Borak said of St. Mary’s. “Everybody here truly cares about this community, because it’s where they get care, it’s where their families get care, it’s where their neighbors get care. And so it’s special to them, and they’re 100% invested in making sure that that care is of high quality and safe.”

Infection prevention, risk management, patient safety accreditation, quality performance and managing complaints fall under the scope of Borak’s department. St. Mary’s has already “tweaked” a number of processes across various departments since she joined the organization.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but every day I feel successful here because every single day I come to work the engagement around quality improvement and creating a culture of safety is so evident, and the willingness to always want to collaborate with me and my department just is just such an amazing feeling,” Borak said.

In the fall St. Mary’s increased its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) compliance with regulations for managing and treating sepsis to 100% in a single month. Compliance had been at roughly 50% in some previous months. The improvement followed the creation of a “more robust” process to review such cases and determine whether patients met treatment requirements. Borak said staff engagement is a “testament to patient outcomes.”

A new infection preventionist’s initial focuses have included hand hygiene, which is the leading way to stop the spread of infection, Borak said.

Enhancing communication between providers across disciplines to inform care plans is also an ongoing priority to strengthen patient experiences.

Inpatient falls are a current focus. Borak said monthly discussions at quality meetings have resulted in the introduction of a new way to identify patients at risk of falls through signage
outside of rooms. The measure ensures that staff can quickly assess at-risk patients while moving through hallways where situational awareness is vital. It’s a change from common practices of posting alerts in patient rooms or on their doors.

Improvement efforts extend beyond just clinical departments. Facilities management teams are closely monitoring open work orders to ensure they are addressed in a timely manner to prevent related delays to the delivery of care. Food services and nutrition audits of the delivery of trays from the kitchen to rooms within the 10-minute goal also support the patient experience.

“Quality performance excellence can impact every part of this organization,” Borak said. “The way that I look at quality differently than other hospitals is that they’re very focused on just the clinical piece of quality. Here at St. Mary’s our quality committee that meets monthly actually has representation from every discipline in this organization, because each one of us actually plays a part in the qualitative care that we’re delivering.”

Amid those initiatives Borak said that, moving forward, participation by St. Mary’s in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Safety Grade is a “big priority.” The organization will receive its first grade this spring through the voluntary program, which is used to inform and empower patients selecting care.

“We want our patients to know that when they come here it’s going to be safe care,” Borak said. “This is just a really great program that shows a hospital’s investment in providing safe care. It really looks at not only those clinical outcomes related to patient safety but it also looks at system structures that that organization has invested in to ensure that they’re delivering safe patient care.”

Although she is passionate about her profession and concentration, Borak said health care wasn’t her first career choice. She initially studied mortuary science, but about a year in found it wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life and instead joined the U.S. Army. She served as a medic on active duty for roughly five years in health clinics, ambulance support battalions and field hospitals in South Korea, Egypt, Louisiana and Alaska.

During that time Borak met her husband, who suggested she study nursing when she got out of the military based on the care she provided to patients.

“I went into nursing school and I never looked back,” Borak said. “It was the best decision I ever made.”

As her career progressed, Borak had an opportunity at an academic medical center in Illinois to work with a physician researching resuscitation performance to improve the delivery of care to
patients requiring such interventions. Her role was to transition the research to clinical practice.

That experience inspired her to move from her front-line role in nursing into quality and performance. She obtained a variety of certifications related to the discipline and a doctorate of
nursing with a focus on outcomes performance management from Loyola University Chicago.

“I think a light bulb went off,” Borak said. “If I could do this with resuscitation, what else could I do it with? And so that’s really what sparked my interest in moving to the quality department so that I could work on quality improvement initiatives more globally throughout an organization.”

Continuing education is important to Borak in staying current with evidence-based practices and supporting her expertise. She’s now pursuing a fellowship in the American College of Healthcare
Executives.

Although she misses being at the bedside as a nurse, Borak said she still interacts with patients regularly while walking through units and discussing workflows and opportunities with health
care providers. She even goes into patients’ rooms to answer call lights when she sees them, rather than sending other staff.

“There’s nothing better than having that special relationship with your patients and providing that one-on-one care, and having those conversations,” Borak said. “I never let go of that, and while I’m not in scrubs and I’m not taking patient-care assignments every day, the way that I could do this job well is that I never lost touch, or I never lost sight of that. And I’m out there in the trenches almost every day.”

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., March 4, 2025— Joshua Baker has joined St. Mary’s as director of pharmacy. He has more than 15 years of pharmacy experience, including in leadership positions at area hospitals.

Baker comes to St. Mary’s from the Albany Med Health System, where he served as pharmacy supervisor of ambulatory, hazardous and regulatory services. Previously, he was the pharmacy operations manager at Ellis Medicine in Schenectady, pharmacy manager at Walgreens Pharmacy in Amsterdam, and pharmacy supervisor at Tower Pharmacy, also in Amsterdam.

“Josh is experienced in overseeing complex pharmacy operations in hospital, retail and specialty settings,” said Trish Sanders, vice president of operations and chief operating officer at St. Mary’s Healthcare. “His expertise will help enhance the patient experience throughout our organization, including the hospital and our St. Mary’s Community Pharmacy in the Rao Outpatient Pavilion.”

Baker also has strong ties to the region. A graduate of Broadalbin-Perth High School, he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He and his family live in Perth.

“At St. Mary’s, I’ve joined an organization whose mission is to make sure high-quality care remains easily accessible in this rural community,” Baker said. “It was an opportunity I simply couldn’t pass up—especially since we serve the region I’ve long called home.”

 

About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

 

Contact:

Kristin Mosher

Director, Marketing and Communications

St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam

(518) 770-7505

kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., Feb. 24, 2025—Kristina Thomas has been named director of emergency and urgent care services at St. Mary’s Healthcare. She has a decade of experience in emergency departments and other acute care settings.

Most recently, Thomas was the clinical nurse manager of telemetry and neuroscience at Glens Falls Hospital. Previously she held nursing and supervisory roles in hospitals in Louisiana and northern New York. Thomas also was an adjunct professor at SUNY Adirondack.

“Kristina is an excellent fit for St. Mary’s,” said Julie Fenton, executive director of clinical operations at St. Mary’s Healthcare. “Her emphasis on the patient experience, and her commitment to a supportive work culture, will help St. Mary’s cement our position as the community’s first choice for healthcare and for employment.”

A registered nurse and U.S. Army veteran, Thomas has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and a master’s in nursing from Empire State University. She also is certified as a nurse executive by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Thomas is president of the Adirondack Chapter of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association and a member of the American Nurses Association, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, and the Emergency Nurses Association.

***

About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

Contact:

Kristin Mosher

Director, Marketing and Communications

St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam

(518) 770-7505

kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

Q: Why should I do a sleep study and what will it involve?

A: Poor quality sleep is a major cause of illness. Untreated sleep disorders can have consequences on physical and mental health. Studies have shown that poor quality sleep can cause more poor cardiovascular outcomes, diabetes, weight gain, and weakened immune systems.

A sleep study is a very common, non-invasive medical test which can help diagnose a variety of conditions that may reduce the quality of your sleep. These include obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, and narcolepsy.

A sleep lab is set up like a hotel room with a comfortable bed, recliner, TV, white noise machine, and private bathroom. You will be connected to several sensors that will monitor a variety of different factors throughout the night. But you will have full mobility. If you need to get up and use the restroom, you will be free to do so. The test is very comprehensive and provides a lot of information about the quality of your sleep and can help in determining the cause of your sleep issues.

Learn more about our Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine practice here.

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., Feb. 17, 2025—Macey Rorick of Broadalbin has been promoted to nursing director of women and family services at St. Mary’s Healthcare. She has more than a decade of nursing experience, including four years caring for mothers and newborns in the hospital’s Birthing Center.

Rorick has spent her entire nursing career at St. Mary’s. She joined as a registered nurse in a medical-surgical unit and gained additional experience in intensive care, progressive care, surgical care and maternity. She also has served as a preceptor for new nurses, helping them enhance their clinical skills and embrace the hospital’s culture of compassion.

“Macey is known for her dedication to exceptional care, her patients, and her colleagues,” said Julie Fenton, executive director of clinical operations at St. Mary’s Healthcare. “Her support for others and willingness to take on new challenges has earned the trust and respect of her team and the leadership at St. Mary’s.”

Rorick has a Master of Science in Nursing, with a specialization in nursing leadership and administration, from Capella University. She also has bachelor’s degrees from Capella University and the University at Albany. She is certified in electronic fetal monitoring and neonatal resuscitation.

***

About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

 

Contact:

Kristin Mosher

Director, Marketing and Communications

St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam

(518) 770-7505

kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 10, 2025

St. Mary’s Healthcare Names Nursing Director of Inpatient Behavioral Health

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., Feb. 10, 2025—Margaret Sullivan has been named nursing director of inpatient behavioral health at St. Mary’s Healthcare, a leading provider of behavioral health services in the Fulton-Montgomery region. The new position reflects the local independent hospital’s responsiveness to community needs and its longstanding commitment to quality behavioral health care.

A registered nurse, Sullivan has more than 33 years of experience, including two decades overseeing clinical care and operations in behavioral health units. She comes to St. Mary’s from United Health Services Binghamton General Hospital, where she served as interim director of nursing for the hospital’s behavioral health and emergency service lines.

Previously, Sullivan held behavioral health leadership and management positions in two Mount Sinai Health System hospitals in New York City; Montefiore Nyack Hospital in Nyack, New York; Belmont Behavioral Health Hospital in Philadelphia; and, locally, at Ellis Medicine in Schenectady and Samaritan Hospital in Troy.

“In addition to strong leadership and clinical skills, Margaret shares St. Mary’s dedication to compassionate evidence-based care—and to a supportive work culture,” said Jeff Methven, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare. “She is an excellent addition to our team as we continue to prioritize behavioral healthcare for our community.”

Sullivan earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and a master’s degree in nursing from Excelsior University in Albany. She is a long-time volunteer for GYRB-Get Your Rack Back.

***

About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

 

Contact:

Kristin Mosher

Director, Marketing and Communications

St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam

(518) 770-7505

kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

Q: I’m scheduled to have “robotic surgery.” That makes me a little nervous. Who’s doing the surgery, the doctor or a robot?

A: I understand how you might feel a bit nervous about a term like “robotic surgery.” But let me reassure you that your surgeon will be very much in control during the procedure.

In robotic surgery, the surgeon uses a computer-assisted robotic system to perform the surgery. This technology improves the surgeon’s capabilities by providing more precision, flexibility and control than the more conventional techniques.

Also, you should know that robotic surgery is not new. It has a proven track record over decades now. This kind of surgery is often associated with less pain, quicker recovery, smaller incisions, and reduced risk of infection compared to traditional surgeries.

If you have any more specific concerns, or need details about the surgery, it’s a good idea to discuss them directly with your surgeon. He or she can provide the best explanations and reassurances based on your specific situation and the type of surgery being performed.

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2025—St. Mary’s Healthcare is once again providing OB/GYN care in Johnstown, increasing access to women’s health services in Fulton County.

OB/GYN providers now see patients Monday through Thursday at the hospital’s Johnstown Family Health Center at 700 South Perry Street. St. Mary’s also continues to provide OB/GYN care at its OB/GYN Health Center on the main hospital campus.

St. Mary’s temporarily halted women’s healthcare services in Johnstown during the COVID-19 pandemic, in part due to staffing shortages. Additional providers have since joined the OB/GYN team. As a result, Dr. James Izzano, Physician Assistant Alisa Amell, Certified Nurse Midwife Stacy Arminio and Family Nurse Practitioner Taylor Fadrowski each provide care one day a week in the Johnstown office.

“We know that convenience makes an enormous difference in patients’ ability to access quality healthcare and realize the resulting benefits,” Dr. Izzano said. “As part of our commitment to our patients, we were determined to return to Johnstown as soon as staffing would allow. That time has come, and we are thrilled to be honoring that commitment.”

The practice is accepting new patients in Johnstown and Amsterdam. For an appointment, call (518) 842-0373.

***

About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

Contact:

Kristin Mosher

Director, Marketing and Communications

St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam

(518) 770-7505

kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Happy 2025! At St. Mary’s Healthcare, we begin this new year with pride in our recent accomplishments, determination to continue on our path of progress, and gratitude for the privilege of serving this community.

Unlike most hospitals, St. Mary’s remains an independent, locally based organization—by choice. We feel strongly that our community is better served by a hospital with deep local ties, a unique understanding of our region’s healthcare needs, and an unwavering commitment to meet those needs close to home. We hear, over and over again, from community members who feel the same way.

 

The current healthcare environment presents significant challenges for smaller community hospitals, requiring us to be more strategic and innovative at virtually every turn. On behalf of our Board of

Trustees, leadership team, and all our associates, I am pleased to report that St. Mary’s is rising to the occasion.

In 2024, St. Mary’s:

• Served more patients, including many who have now made us their provider of choice.
• Streamlined our hiring process, added more team members to accommodate our growth, and made strides in creating a culture of caring, collaboration, and inclusion.
• Forged partnerships with other local providers to ensure continued access to vital services right here in our region.
• Invested in technology, new services, and our people.
• Honored our longstanding commitment to caring for those who are underserved.
• Strengthened our connections with our community.

While these are promising results, we still have much work ahead of us. Like hospitals throughout the U.S., our expenses outpace reimbursement, and St. Mary’s must improve our financial position. What sets us apart, however, is our conviction that the way to achieve this is to focus on strategic growth. We are identifying, adding, and bolstering programs that our community needs and deserves to have locally.

Because St. Mary’s believes in transparency, I will not be shy about asking for your help. We need you to support your community hospital—to turn to us first for healthcare, recommend us to others,

and support our fundraising efforts. We also ask that you let us know when we meet or exceed your expectations and when we can do better.

In return, we pledge to continually strive to provide the exceptional personal care that is the hallmark of a community hospital. We view every interaction as an opportunity to continue to earn and maintain your trust. Thank you for choosing St. Mary’s and for contributing to our sustained growth and success in the coming year.

With best wishes,
Jeff Methven, President & CEO
St. Mary’s Healthcare