ealthcare Trustees of New York State (formerly Hospital Trustees of New York State) was established in 1981 to address a growing need for governance education among New York's health care trustees and to provide trustees new opportunities to participate in health care advocacy.
The 1970s was a challenging decade for New York State's hospitals, health systems, and continuing care providers. Health care trustees across the state and the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), then known as the Hospital Association of New York State, recognized that the challenges posed by New York's highly regulated health care environment demanded an even more knowledgeable and engaged group of health care trustees. These trustees would need more opportunities for tailored education and learning opportunities with their peers throughout the state. Under the leadership of then- HANYS' President George Allen, HANYS surveyed its members to obtain their views on how best to deliver valuable, relevant trustee education.
In 1979, HANYS' Board of Trustees established an Ad Hoc Committee on Hospital Governance. Founders of this group included trustees Andrew Craig from Buffalo General Hospital, Joyce M. Black from New York University Medical Center, James Kingsbury from Long Island College Hospital, Howard Howlett from Woman's Christian Association Healthcare System, and Arnold Cogswell from Albany Medical Center Hospital.
In September 1980, the HANYS Board of Trustees approved the final report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Hospital Governance, which recommended the establishment of an organization to help educate hospital trustees and to urge their participation in public policy forums. Hospital Trustees of New York State changed its name to Healthcare Trustees of New York State (HTNYS) in November 1996.
Through the years, education and public policy advocacy have continued to be HTNYS' focus. The mechanisms for promoting the education and public policy advocacy work of HTNYS over the years have included annual and regional meetings, audioconferences, Webconferences, customized board presentations, and trustee publications. HTNYS has contributed to many policy debates at the state and federal level and has promoted policy positions on uncompensated care, bad debt and charity care pools, medical malpractice issues, public ownership of hospitals and nursing homes, addressing the problem of the uninsured, state budget issues, and national health care reform.
The HTNYS mission states: "We shall assist voluntary health care trustees through education, communications, and advocacy to promote the delivery of quality health care to all communities in a cost-effective manner."
John Lane serves as a trustee at Winthrop-South Nassau University Health System. He is a retired Managing Director of JP Morgan & Co. where he worked in leadership positions in the corporate finance, private clients, lending, and investor services groups. He is currently a private investor.
A cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, Mr. Lane earned a Master's Degree with honors in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Stephen Jan Eberhard is the Board Chairman at Arnot Ogden Medical Center, is a member of the Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital Board of Directors in Bath, NY and an At-Large Member of the AHA Committee on Governance. Dr. Eberhard practiced pediatrics until his retirement in 2007. During that time, he served a term as President of the Medical Staff at Arnot Ogden Medical Center and was elected to its Board of Managers in 1998. He was also a Trustee and officer of Chapter I, District II of the American Academy of Pediatrics and served on the Boards of United Cerebral Palsy and Glove House.
Dr. Eberhard received a Bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University. After graduating from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, he completed a three-year residency in pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio and served two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.
Sharon Norton Remmer has been a member of the Board of Directors of Brookhaven Memorial Medical Center since 1995 and served as Chairwoman of the Board from 2008 to 2011.
Ms. Remmer is Vice President of Norton Brothers Dunn, Engineering and Surveying.
She received a bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
Sarah J. Schermerhorn serves on the Board of Trustees of Ellis Medicine in Schenectady and on the Board of the Ellis Medicine Foundation. She previously chaired both boards. Mrs. Schermerhorn also serves on HANYS' Board of Trustees. She is a member of the board of The Schenectady Foundation.
Mrs. Schermerhorn is a committed community volunteer who dedicates her time and leadership to organizations throughout the Schenectady region and beyond. She serves on the boards of Visiting Nurses Association of Schenectady County, Oak Hill School, and Amsterdam Memorial Hospital. She previously served as President of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central Schools Board of Education.
Mrs. Schermerhorn received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Eric Allyn is Chairman of the Board at Auburn Memorial Hospital and has served on the Board of Directors of Welch Allyn, Inc., Hand Held Products, Everest-VIT, The Allyn Foundation (Chairman of Investment Committee), and the Gifford Foundation.
Mr. Allyn is an owner of the family company Welch Allyn, a manufacturer of Medical Devices based in Skaneateles NY where he now sits on the company's board. He began his career with Welch Allyn in 1982, working in a variety of roles including Sales Management, Business Development, Product Management, Marketing Communications, Product Development and Country Management, with two years living in the UK as Country Manager. He lived in Europe for five years (UK, Switzerland, France) and had sales responsibility in Japan and portions of Asia for seven years. Mr. Allyn led the transition of the company from the third to the fourth generation of leadership and ownership, culminating in his role as Managing Director of the Allyn Family Office from late 2007-2009, where he focused on keeping Welch Allyn family-owned for another generation. Mr. Allyn also has extensive industry knowledge in medical devices, health care delivery, and international business. His functional experience includes product development, sales, marketing, governance, finance, and estate planning. In addition, Mr Allyn works with a number of Financial Institutions managing the portfolios of various endowments, foundations, and trusts.
Mr. Allyn earned his Master of Business Administration degree at the Darden School at the University of Virginia, and is a graduate of Dartmouth College. He lives in Skaneateles, NY with his wife (Margaret O'Connell), and their three daughters (Meaghan, Kaleen and Julia).
Neboysha R. Brashich is Representative for Governmental Affairs and Immediate Past Board Chairman of Eastern Long Island Hospital, and the Region 2 Member of the American Hospital Association Committee on Governance.
Mr. Brashich is a retired Vice President of International Assets Recovery Services, Inc., where he directed contract projects specializing in matters relating to Africa, Central America, and former Eastern Bloc countries. He also served as Minister-Counselor for the U.S. Senior Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State, Agency for International Development. He was a special assistant to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Conference on Africa and an economic analyst for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland.
He has volunteered his time and talents to the Boards of Peconic Health Corporation, Southold Town Transportation Commission, Arts in Southold Town, North Fork Promotion Council, and East End Tourism Alliance.
Mr. Brashich received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and History from Trinity College and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Daniel E. Clark has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Alice Hyde Medical Center since 1980 and served as Chairman of the Executive Committee from 2001 to 2005. He remains an active member of several Board committees.
Mr. Clark is also the owner of King-Clark, Co., Inc. and co-owner of North Country Realty and Adirondack Quarry, Inc./Rainbow Quarries, Inc. Mr. Clark is an active member of the Malone Economic Development Corporation, a member of the North Country Workforce Investment Board, and a member of the Housing Council.
Mr. Clark is a graduate of State University of New York at Canton, where he earned his Associate's degree in Banking, Insurance, and Real Estate.
John Daly is the Chairman of the Board of St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam. As an advocate for St. Mary's Hospital, he has worked closely with the NYS Department of Health while working on the transaction to acquire Amsterdam Memorial Hospital. He assisted the hospital in securing a $20 million HEAL-NY Grant and helped to secure a $1 million EDAP Grant from Senator Farley, which were necessary to merge the two institutions.
Mr. Daly is active in community affairs. He is a member of the Amsterdam Rotary Club and was voted Rotarian of the Year in 1998. Mr. Daly is also a current member and past President of the Board of Directors of the Amsterdam YMCA. He is currently an active member of NBT Bank Corp. Advisory Board of the Capital District, and was active in completing a two and one half million dollar expansion of the adult home while serving as Board Chair. Mr. Daly has for the past 10 years worked with Boy Scouts of the Sir William Johnson District on their annual fund raiser. He was honored at their annual dinner with the Good Scout Award in 2006.
Mr. Daly has served as Campaign Chair for the United Way of Montgomery County and he and his wife have hosted the United Way's Mohawk Society Event. Mr. Daly previously was a member of the Board of Directors of Mohawk Community Bank, was a member and past Chairman of the Advisory Board of St. Mary's Hospital, President of the Board of Directors of Catholic Family Services of Montgomery County, and was a member and Chair of the Board of Directors for St. Mary's Hospital and Foundation Board of Hospice of Amsterdam. Mr. Daly has also served as a member of the New York State Commission of the Capital Region. He has served as a member of the Riverfront Foundation, Chair of Industries for Amsterdam, Board member of the Sara Sanford Adult Home, and served on the Fulton-Montgomery Community College Foundation Board. Mr. Daly has also served on the Montgomery County Catholic Charities Board for 12 years, three of those years as Board Chair.
Mr. Daly along with partner, Albert Heck established Alpin Haus, Inc., a recreation retailing business in Amsterdam, NY. He graduated from Wilbur H. Lynch High School and served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.
Dr. Arthur Dawson serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York Hospital Queens. He is Chair of the Major Modernization Committee and also serves on the Executive, Patient Safety, Finance, Real Estate, Risk and Claims, and Audit committees.
Dr. Dawson is retired from Becton, Dickinson and Company. He is serving his second term on the Borough Council of Glen Ridge in New Jersey, where he serves as Chairman of the Public Works Committee. He is a Founding Trustee and serves as Secretary of the Glen Ridge Education Foundation. He is a former Chairman of the North Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Dawson is also a member of the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association; the Royal Society of Chemistry; the Society of Plastics Engineers, and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a Doctorate in Organic Chemistry from Temple University.
Judith Foster is a Board Member of The Samaritan Medical Center and Samaritan Foundation. Ms. Foster also sits on the Board of Trustees at Clarkson University as well as the Boards of The Antique Boat Museum and The Northern New York Community Foundation.
Ms. Foster received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Smith College.
Peter Hamilton is Chairman of the Board of Directors of O'Connor Hospital. He is also a trustee of Bassett Healthcare as well as a member of the Bassett Quality Improvement Committee, Executive and Finance Committee, and the Bassett Audit Committee.
Mr. Hamilton is a Director of Bassett Regional Corporation and Regional Vice President of the philanthropic organization, The Friends of Bassett. He is the owner and President of Delhi Motor Company.
Mr. Hamilton is a graduate of the State University of New York at Delhi and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University.
Richard H. Hawks Jr. serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Thompson Health in Canandaigua N.Y. He has served as a Board Member and Officer of several of the Thompson Health System Subsidiary Corporations. He is a board member and Immediate Past Chairman of the Healthcare Trustees of New York State and a member of the HANYS Board of Trustees and its PAC committee. He is the Senior Vice President and Chief Fiduciary Officer for the Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. in Canandaigua N.Y.
Mr. Hawks is very active in the community, serving on numerous boards as chairman or board member including The United Way, YMCA, Ontario County Historical Society, Finger Lakes Council Boy Scouts, Canandaigua Rotary Club, and the Naples School District Board of Education. He has served on the board and as President of the Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce and in 2002 was named "Mr. Canandaigua".
Mr. Hawks is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology and several professional banking schools including Wharton's Executive Development Program in Trust Banking and ABA"s National Graduate Trust School. He serves as a member of several Planned Giving Councils for Not- for- Profit Organizations.
Susan R. Holliday has been a member of the board of the University of Rochester Medical Center since 1994, where she chairs the Nominating committee and serves on the Executive committee. Ms. Holliday also serves as vice-chairman of the 2020 Performance Commission of the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency.
Ms. Holliday is President and Publisher of the Rochester Business Journal, the leading source of business news and analysis in the greater Rochester, NY region.
Ms. Holliday serves on a number of community and publicly-traded boards. She is vice-chairman of the Rochester Business Alliance, and she is a member of the boards of Financial Institutions Inc., Complemar Partners, Inc., Rochester Institute of Technology, and United Way of Greater Rochester. She is a past chair of the board of the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
Ms. Holliday received her Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University and an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Howard T. Howlett, Jr. is the Chairman of the Board of Southern Tier Health Care System. He is also Chair of Starflight MedVac Helicopter Corp.; is on the Board of Corporators of Hamot Hospital of Erie, Pennsylvania; and is a Board member and past officer of Chautauqua County Health Care Network, WCA Hospital, WCA Group Inc., and WCA Foundation. He has served on HANYS' Board of Trustees, the American Hospital Association Committee on Governance and was chair of the Advocacy Committee, and is a past HTNYS Chair/Founder. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Mr. Howlett has often been a speaker on Governance and Trustee Advocacy. He has received awards including the Buffalo Business First "Healthcare Hero" Award, the New York State Association for Rural Health's Rural Health Volunteer of the Year Award, and Healthcare Trustees of New York State's Trustee Advocacy Award. Mr. Howlett also served on the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century. Mr Howlett was also State Commissioner on the Berger Commission.
Mr. Howlett attended Denison University and Ferris State University and graduated with a degree in Advertising and Printing Management. He was an executive of General Motors Chevrolet Motor Division and had dealerships in Ohio and New York. Currently he is President of Three Circles, a consulting firm in Lakewood, New York.
Brenda J. Ireland is Vice Chair of the WCA Hospital Board of Directors. She owns J. Edwards Insurance Agency, Inc., and is a member of the Board of Chautauqua Patrons Insurance Company and Vice President of Alpha Associates, Inc. She served for 11 years as the Town Clerk for the Town of Harmony.
Ms. Ireland received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Alfred University.
F. J. McCarthy is a Trustee and a member of the Executive Committee of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. North Shore LIJ is a health system comprised of 15 hospitals, 4 nursing homes and multiple other business units. He also serves as Chairman of Southside Hospital, a 425 bed community hospital that is owned by North Shore LIJ.
Mr. McCarthy also is a Trustee of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Rockville Centre where he serves on the Development Committee. He is also a Board Member of the Tomorrows Hope Foundation where he serves on the Executive Committee.
Mr. McCarthy is founder and President of the Site Selection Advisory Group, Inc., a Long Island, N.Y. based real estate development and investment firm. The firm specializes in the development and investment of retail and multi-family properties. Mr. McCarthy oversees all aspects of the development from site identification, entitlement, construction, and financing through project completion. He also oversees the investment process from property identification through closing. In addition, on a selective basis, he consults and brokers transactions for local and national users of real estate. He has represented CVS Corp., McDonalds Corporation, Wendy's International, Dunkin Donuts, KinderCare Learning Centers, and King Kullen Supermarkets, among others.
Mr. McCarthy holds a degree in finance from Fordham University. He holds a designation as a Certified Commercial Member of the CCIM Institute in Chicago.
Ronald Milch serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Metropolitan Jewish Health System. Mr. Milch is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has served, and continues to serve, on various professional, community, and publicly traded company boards, including service as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey, and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jersey City Medical Center.
Mr. Milch has more than 40 years of leadership experience in health care management. His most recent position was that of President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Combined Coordinating Council, Inc. (CCC) in New York. CCC is the risk management advisor to seven New York City hospitals participating in the CCC program of insurance, self-insurance, claims, and risk management.
Before joining CCC, Mr. Milch served as President and CEO of Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and CEO of Beth Israel Hospital in Passaic, New Jersey. He also held senior administrative positions at Montefiore Hospital Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
George Muscato serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Eastern Niagara Health System. He is a general trial attorney for Muscato, DiMillo & Vona, LLP, and a member of the state and local bar associations.
Mr. Muscato received a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Akron School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Canisius College of Buffalo.
John Neubauer has been a member of the Putnam Hospital Board since 2000 and in 2006 became the Chairman of the Board. Since joining the Putnam Hospital Board, he has become involved in advocacy regarding the health care crisis in New York State.
Mr. Neubauer is the owner of AVP Business Products, an office machines business that is the largest copier dealer in Putnam County. He is a graduate of the University of Miami, State University of New York at Oswego, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Mr. Neubauer also served in the New York Air National Guard as a 2nd Lieutenant, Maintenance Officer.
In 2007, he was given the Trustee Advocacy Award by Healthcare Trustees of New York State for work on behalf of the Hospitals in the Hudson Valley, and with the Westchester County Association, and the Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association.
In 2010, Mr. Neubauer was designated as the first Government Liaison to act on behalf of the Health-Quest Hospitals, which include Putnam Hospital, Vassar Hospital, and Northern Dutchess Hospital with the intended purpose of using the skills obtained as a Trustee Advocate to improve communication with elected state and federal government representatives specifically regarding the funding of Medicare and Medicaid, as well as issues pertaining to the financial viability of hospitals in the Hudson Valley and New York State.
Later in 2010, Mr. Neubauer was awarded the Ruth Dain Voluntary Service Award by the Putnam Community Service Network for his leadership and dedication as a volunteer working toward the betterment of the health of residents of the Hudson Valley.
David Prince is the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Olean General Hospital and is an active member of the Olean Rotary Club.
Mr. Prince is President of Databranch, Inc. He founded the company in 1985 after identifying a growing need for information technology solutions in the Olean area. Mr. Prince holds numerous certifications, including IBM Professional Server Expert, Compaq Master Accredited Systems Engineer, Novell Master Certified NetWare Engineer, Microsoft Microsoft Certified Professional, and Citrix Metaframe Certified Administrator.
Mr. Prince received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Engineering from Dartmouth College, a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Thayer School of Engineering (Dartmouth), and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth).
John B. Robinson, Jr. has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Albany Medical Center for 20 years. He was Chairman of the Board from July 2006 through June 2009 and currently chairs its Strategic Planning and Horizon committees. He is immediate Past President of the Board of Trustees of The Doane Stuart School and has been involved in numerous other charitable and civic endeavors.
Mr. Robinson is a retired Managing Director of Government Banking of FleetBoston Financial. He received his undergraduate degree in economics from Fairfield University and was awarded a Master of Business Administration degree from Adelphi University.
Dr. Calvin Simons serves on the Board of Trustees at The Brooklyn Hospital Center and is the Chairman of the Quality Improvement Committee. He also serves on the Audit and Compliance and the Academic Affairs committees.
Dr. Simons served as Chief, Department of Community Medicine at The Brooklyn-Cumberland Medical Center from 1970 to 1977. He also served as Director, Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center from 1977 to 1991. He was awarded the Walter E. Reed Medal in 1995 by the Board of Trustees of The Brooklyn Hospital Center.
Dr. Simons served on the Board of Directors of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation and was Chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee. He served as President of both the Brooklyn Academy of Medicine and the Medical Society of the County of Kings. He also served as the Assistant Treasurer of the Medical Society of the State of New York. He continues as a Board Member of the State of New York Department of Health Board for Professional Medical Conduct.
Dr. Simons is a practicing physician in Internal Medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Concord Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and is a Senior Attending Physician in the Department of Medicine at The Brooklyn Hospital Center.
Dr. Simons received his undergraduate degree from City College of New York and his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Dr. Simons was Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, and Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.