The Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) announces long-serving president and CEO James R. Castle will retire Dec. 31 after 23 years of service.
The executive talent-management recruiter Korn/Ferry International will administer national search efforts for Castle’s replacement. A search committee, assembled by OHA’s Board of Trustees and chaired by Fairfield Medical Center president & CEO and OHA Board of Trustees Chair Mina Ubbing, will conduct the selection process for Castle’s successor.
Since 1989, Castle has led the work of the association, which now represents 166 hospitals and 16 health systems.
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“Jim’s passion for continuing OHA’s legacy of safeguarding the best health interests of Ohioans is evident in his longstanding dedication to keeping the association strong and stable,” said Ubbing. “We’re grateful for his leadership and numerous accomplishments, and we wish him all the best as he moves into a new chapter in his life.”
OHA accomplishments under Castle include awards for hospitals’ collaborative quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, maintenance and expansion of the Hospital Care Assurance Program and establishment of a successful medical liability insurance company and hospital emergency preparedness programs, among others.
“Under Jim Castle’s leadership, the Ohio Hospital Association has led the nation in its commitment to patient safety and quality care,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, (D-OH). “Jim’s dedication will be missed but I’m confident that OHA will continue working to drive down health costs and improve patient outcomes.”
Castle’s Career Highlights
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- Successful administration of the Hospital Care Assurance Program to ensure resources for hospitals to provide necessary medical care for uninsured and indigent patients
- Enactment of tort reform legislation twice (1996 and 2005)
- Pioneered quality improvement and patient safety collaboratives, leading to the first multiple organization recognition by the Joint Commision with its Ernest A. Codman Award to Dayton hospitals in 2002
- Established several innovative and collaborative health care enterprises including the Ohio Patient Safety Institute, the Ohio Medical Quality Foundation, the Foundation for Healthy Communities, OHA Insurance Solutions and The Quality Institute of OHA.
- Worked with five Ohio gubernatorial administrations
“I have always considered it an honor and privilege to serve as the CEO of an organization that represents Ohio’s community hospitals and to work with those delivering health care to their communities,” Castle said. “The Ohio Hospital Association has a nearly 100-year history of leadership in health care, and I am proud to be part of that history.”
Before joining OHA, Jim served as president of the Maine Hospital Association for four years and worked for 15 years with the Michigan Hospital Association.
Castle’s professional appointments include serving as a founding board member of the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care and as a former American Hospital Association commissioner to the Joint Commission’s Board of Commissioners, a position he held for nine years and chaired for three. He is also board chair of the Ohio Medical Quality Foundation and of OHA Insurance Solutions. Castle is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a member of the Ohio and American Societies of Association Executives.
A native of Ludington, Mich., Castle earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Michigan’s School of Business Administration and a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from Michigan State University.
Castle and his wife, Cathy reside in Columbus. They have five children and 14 grandchildren.
Helping Ohio Hospitals is maintained on behalf of the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA). The OHA was established in 1915 and currently represents 166 hospitals and 18 health systems throughout Ohio. OHA is a membership-driven organization that provides proactive leadership to create an environment in which Ohio hospitals are successful in serving their communities. Visit OHA’s Web site. Follow OHA on Twitter. Become a Facebook fan of Helping Ohio Hospitals.
