New Milford Hospital CEO Departing In September

NEW MILFORD — On May 21, James Preston, chairman of the Board of Directors of New Milford Hospital, announced the resignation of Joseph P. Frolkis, MD, PhD, president and CEO, effective September 30. Dr Frolkis has served as the hospital’s chief executive for two years, following his recruitment from the Cleveland area to serve as director of the hospital’s Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program and vice president of medical affairs in 2005.

Describing his decision as both “personal and straightforward,” Dr Frolkis said he and his wife, Beth Overmoyer, MD, a breast cancer specialist and researcher, came to Connecticut four years ago with three goals in mind.

“We wanted to practice high-quality medicine in a hospital we were proud to be a part of, to live in a beautiful location, and most important, at this point in our lives and careers — to spend more time together,” Dr Frolkis said in a release from the hospital. “As my colleagues and coworkers already know, I have only achieved two of those goals. With the passage of time, my wife and I have found our arrangements more difficult, and we have come to the conclusion that we have to make a change.”

Now commuting to Boston, Dr Overmoyer is an assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr Frolkis will join her there next fall, where he has accepted the roles of director of Primary Care and associate chief of the Division of General Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).

Dr Frolkis will return to patient care, teaching and clinical research, while overseeing 12 primary care practices affiliated with BWH.

“New Milford Hospital will lose an exceptional talent when Dr Frolkis leaves our community. He has made a positive impact on the level and quality of patient care provided by the hospital, and we will be the beneficiary of his efforts for years to come,” said Mr Preston. “Until his successor is named, Dr Frolkis will continue to lead the hospital with the same enthusiasm and vigor that we have come to appreciate throughout his tenure.”

Dr Frolkis described the move as a “personal and difficult decision, and in no way reflects any diminution in my attachment to New Milford Hospital or my confidence in its future.”

To ensure an orderly and timely transition, Mr Preston said that the board will form a search committee within the next two weeks comprised of board members, medical staff, and administration to work with a search firm specializing in the recruitment of hospital executives.