Community members welcome new Oak Orchard Health leader
Provided photos: Mary Ann Pettibon, Oak Orchard Health chief executive officer, is pictured with Mike Andriatch, Vice President for Advancement for The College at Brockport during a reception for Pettibon on June 19 at the college.
BROCKPORT – The Board of Directors of Oak Orchard Health hosted the community at a welcome reception last week in honor of its new CEO, Mary Ann Pettibon. The event took place at the College at Brockport.
The reception allowed members of local, state and federal government, as well as business owners, other health care professionals, representatives from the college and Brockport Central School, and other community members to meet Ms. Pettibon and learn more about her and about Oak Orchard Health.
Karen Watt of Albion, chairwoman of the board, delivered opening remarks and educated the guests on the complex process of finding and hiring the right person to be the CEO of a Federally Qualified Health Center like Oak Orchard. Besides the standard hiring process, CEO candidates must pass federal requirements as well. Ms. Pettibon comes to Oak Orchard with outstanding qualifications, and the Board of Directors is delighted to have her as the new CEO.
Retiring CEO Jim Cummings introduced Ms. Pettibon to the guests, mentioning what a wonderful transition period they have had working together the last month and a half. He officially retires at the end of June.
Pettibon kept her remarks brief but expressed her delight at being chosen to lead the organization. “I am energized by Oak Orchard’s passionate Board of Directors and their experienced staff, and I look forward to moving the organization ahead to the next level.”
Oak Orchard Board Chair Karen Watt with guest, Lisa Franclemont, who is coordinator of Cancer Services of Genesee and Orleans.
Pettibon comes to Oak Orchard with an Executive MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, Katz School of Business, and almost 20 years of health care administration experience in Ohio and Pennsylvania – including roles as a CEO and COO in Federally Qualified Health Centers in Ohio.
Not only well versed in the management and operations of a multi-million dollar health care facility, Pettibon has also authored grants in which she secured almost $2 million in funding for her organization. Her experience includes primary medical care, dental care, and behavioral health care along with substance abuse and pharmacy operations.
Pettibon is drawn to health care in the rural setting because she knows how patients in the rural areas struggle with access to quality medical care.
“Caring for the whole person is critical,” she said. “We have to offer integrated, coordinated care, including transportation, assistance with housing, health education … and continue to work toward breaking down barriers to quality health care that our rural population faces.”
Oak Orchard Health is one of 1,250 Federally Qualified Health Centers in the country. These centers provide primary health care to over 30 million people.
At Oak Orchard Health, the organization saw more than 21,000 people with just under 66,000 total visits in 2017 to the Oak Orchard sites in Warsaw, Hornell, Albion, Lyndonville and Brockport, as well as the mobile dental unit that sees children in Orleans County schools. Oak Orchard staff also go to farm worker living sites for important screenings and inoculations, Watt said.
