New president named for St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland

Fifteen years to the week after leaving his home in the St. Louis area, John Ludwig got the news he’s going to return.

Hospital Sisters Health System announced Thursday that Ludwig, a registered nurse who had most recently been serving as chief operating officer of two hospitals in Maine, has accepted an invitation to serve as the president at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland.

“It was time to return to my roots,” said Ludwig, who will begin his new role in Highland on Sept. 19.

“With more than 28 years of successful healthcare management experience, John’s leadership will advance our state-of-the-art capabilities at St. Joseph’s-Highland, and expand access to compassionate care throughout the surrounding areas,” said Mary Starmann-Harrison, Hospital Sisters Health System president and CEO.

Ludwig most recently was the chief operating officer of Bridgton and Rumford Hospitals, both 25-bed critical access hospitals in Maine. Bridgton Hospital was ranked a Top 20 critical access hospitals, and Rumford Hospital was named a Top CAH, by iVantage Health Analytics.

Ludwig said he was interested in the job at St. Joseph’s for two reasons.

“No. 1, it’s a faith-based organization,” said Ludwig, who is Catholic.

The other reason was St. Joseph’s reputation.

“I know from readings and other things that have been done that it’s a high-quality organization,” he said.

Ludwig grew up in upstate New York, but lived in the metro-east before. His parents moved to the St. Louis area in the early 1980s when his father changed jobs. An Air Force nurse, Ludwig’s last post was also at Scott Air Force Base.

“I actually flew Air Evac the last six years in the service out of Scott Air Base,” Ludwig said.

His mother, who is 80, still lives in St. Charles, Mo.

“She prayed very hard for me to have this job,” he said.

His son Aaron’s family also lives in the St. Louis area. Ludwig said he and his wife, Cindy, are excited to be closer to their family, including their four grandchildren.

Prior to his COO roles, Ludwig was the chief nursing officer at Bridgton Hospital, and the administrative director at St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake St. Louis, Mo., an affiliate of SSM Health. He also worked at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

He holds a master of science in healthcare administration from Lindenwood University and a bachelor of science in nursing from St. Louis University.

As for his plans for St. Joseph’s, Ludwig said he is just looking “to continue to provide excellence in quality of care that’s already being done, with good patient outcomes and good patient experiences.”

Beth Govero, chief nursing officer of St. Joseph’s Hospital, had been serving as interim CEO since Jan. 18, when former president and CEO Peggy A. Sebastian left Highland to become president and CEO of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville, a fellow Hospital Sisters Health System facility.

While Govero was serving as interim CEO, Carrie Erlinger had taken on the role of interim chief nursing officer in Highland. Both will return to their previous roles once Ludwig assumes his duties.

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 11:45 AM with the headline "New president named for St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland."