Published: August 19, 2008 11:41 pm            

Windber hospital exec says he’ll retire Dec. 31

WINDBER — The man credited with moving the Windber’s hospital from a small community facility to a nationally recognized innovator and research center is retiring.

F. Nicholas Jacobs, 62, announced Tuesday he will retire Dec. 31 as president and chief executive officer of Windber Medical Center and Windber Research Institute.

“I’ve been working really, really hard for a long, long time, and I just wanted to get on to the next chapter of my life,” Jacobs said in his office at Windber Medical Center, 600 Somerset Ave.

Jacobs’ life has had many chapters. The IUP graduate started in 1970 as band director at Garfield Junior High School in Johnstown.

He went on to Westmont Hilltop School District, and led arts and tourism promotion groups before joining the former Mercy Hospital marketing staff in 1988. He became Windber’s president in February 1997.

Hospital board Chairman Ted Hollern and research institute Chairman David Klementik applauded Jacobs’ success and drive to lead Windber through growth and expansion into diverse areas of holistic health care and scientific research.

“Nick is unquestionably a great leader and an asset to Windber,” Klementik said. “He is going to be hard to replace.”



Hospital highlights



A few of F. Nicholas Jacobs’ accomplishments at Windber Medical Center:

2000: $4 million Medical Arts Building opens.

2002: $5 million Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center opens.

2005: $7 million Windber Research Institute building opens.

Jacob’s tenure also saw the hospital:

• Offer the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Heart Disease and the Planetree model of healing and nurturing body, mind and spirit.

• Break away from Conemaugh Health Care System.

• Move from financial losses to the two most successful years in its history.

        

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