Ocala Heart of Florida CEO announces departure for Naples, Florida

When Coronary heart of Florida Well being Middle Jamie Ulmer first began on the job in 2018, the nonprofit well being middle noticed about 19,000 sufferers yearly. 4 and a half years later, there are 30,000 every year. 

In that point, the working price range has grown from about $12 million to $30 million, not together with a $35 million contract with the Marion County Sheriff’s Workplace to supply well being care to jail inmates, plus one other $2 million over three years to supply take care of county workers. 

“I feel we went from a small group well being middle to a formidable, powerhouse, prime quality major care middle for everybody,” he mentioned in his workplace on Friday. 

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Along with rising the variety of low-income and uninsured or underinsured sufferers HFHC sees, Ulmer has moved and improved the nonprofit’s headquarters, led the group by a pandemic and opened 4 pharmacies. 

With a rising checklist of accomplishments which have modified Marion County’s well being care panorama, Ulmer has determined to maneuver on and share his imaginative and prescient with one other group in southwest Florida, the place he hopes to proceed lowering gaps in well being care. 

Bridging the gaps in well being care

As a Federally Certified Well being Middle, HFHC offers care to underserved communities, providing inexpensive providers on a sliding price scale at a number of areas all through Marion County. 

Reflecting on 4 and a half years of service, his proudest accomplishment is bridging gaps in care for individuals who want it. 

“Well being facilities are identified for doing extra with much less,” he mentioned. “However what we did over the past 4 and a half years was past that. We needed to take a couple of steps backwards to take an entire lot of steps ahead, and it paid off. I feel we took some calculated dangers that have been very vital for our sufferers.” 

Most notable was taking primarily each penny that they had to purchase the brand new headquarters in 2020 within the outdated Albertson’s constructing at 2553 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. The advantages of the preliminary danger are seen every single day within the households who come for major care, maternity care, gynecology, dentistry, behavioral well being and pharmaceutical wants. 

“We have closed the gaps with individuals who haven’t got insurance coverage or who’re from an underserved inhabitants with a facility that’s simply as good or nicer than the place (millionaires and billionaires) go,” he mentioned. “That is what we do. We shut gaps in a group.” 

Making a staff of well being care ‘troopers’

That features main the group by a pandemic. His staff supplied over 50,000 vaccines, 20,000 COVID-19 checks and over 500 monoclonal antibody remedies. 

Ulmer can also be proud to have renewed HFHC’s relationships with Marion County, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners, the Florida Division of Well being in Marion County, the United Manner of Marion County, AdventHealth Ocala and HCA Florida Hospital Ocala. 

Although Ulmer has been a visionary and executer for the well being middle, he hasn’t carried out it alone. He’s happy with his “ride-or-die” workers who’ve put “literal blood, sweat and tears” into creating HFHC’s clinics. 

Having served in the USA Military for over 24 years, he in contrast his staff to troopers who deployed to a different nation and placed on their rucksacks for a mission to extend well being care.  

“He took us to the subsequent stage, and I feel the connection he’s constructed with every one among his management employees has been particular,” Advertising and marketing and PR Director Heather James mentioned. “(He) inspired us to consider in ourselves and our positions and what we do, and he desires the most effective for us personally and professionally.” 

Board of administrators will conduct seek for new CEO

Ulmer revealed that he can be heading to Naples to affix the Healthcare Community of Southwest Florida in Collier County, additionally a Federally Certified Well being Middle. 

“I feel God instructed me it was time for me to maneuver to a different group that had among the comparable struggles, and I consider it was that sort of faucet on my shoulder to say, ‘Hey, you’ve got carried out nice. It is time so that you can transfer,’ “ he mentioned. “I discovered that this group is simply much like Marion County in the case of gaps in care however on a bigger scale.” 

One other sign got here in a handful of awards that HFHC obtained within the span of every week just lately, together with the Marion County Kids’s Alliance’s 2022 Dr. Mike Jordan Award of Excellence, the United Manner of Marion County’s 2021 Neighborhood Affect Champions for Public & Neighborhood Providers Award and the Workplace of the Secretary of Protection’s Patriot Award. 

“To me, that was the message: ‘OK, you’ve got carried out your deed right here. You have carried out your good. It is time to apply that to a different group,’ ” he mentioned. 

Chief Working Officer Maria Torres, whom Ulmer describes as resilient and somebody who leads by instance, would be the interim CEO following his departure on June 24. 

“I count on that the board of administrators will rent somebody who’s very, very progressive, progressive and can proceed to maneuver the group ahead in a really optimistic means for this whole group,” Ulmer mentioned, noting he expects the board to conduct a nationwide search, or it could select to rent from inside. 

Along with thanking his employees, Ulmer expressed gratitude to his board of administrators. 

“They actually mentioned, ‘OK, Jamie, right here’s the helm. Go do what you do,’ “ he mentioned. “They by no means held me again. I might hope that they don’t maintain the subsequent CEO again. Allow them to go.” 

Ulmer will proceed to assist Coronary heart of Florida and different well being facilities

Although his time with HFHC is winding down, there are lots of issues on the horizon for the well being middle.  

The group could have the chance to supply well being care to The Villages and Sumter County sooner or later. In Marion County, lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} are going towards increasing the Dunnellon clinic. Dental care is coming to the Belleview facility. 

One space Ulmer hopes HFHC will proceed bettering is entry to specialty care, making it simpler for sufferers who in any other case don’t have the means. 

Although he gained’t be in Marion County anymore, Ulmer will nonetheless be part of “the group well being middle motion,” as he’s on a number of state and nationwide group well being middle committees and boards, such because the Florida Affiliation of Neighborhood Well being Facilities. 

“Once I’m sitting in these nationwide and state conferences, I’m all the time going to be making use of ideas and insurance policies that affect Coronary heart of Florida Well being Middle in a optimistic means on this group though I is probably not right here,” he mentioned. 

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.