Lumia named new head of Sharon Hospital

SHARON — Kim Lumia has been named president and CEO of Sharon Hospital. The announcement was made last week by the hospital’s parent company, Essent Healthcare.

Lumia, 40, has been the acting CEO since July 2010, when President and CEO Charlie Therrien left to take a position at a hospital in Maine.

Lumia is a trained nurse but also has a Master’s of Business Administration degree. She was hired as the hospital’s chief nursing officer in March 2009. Previously she had worked at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven and the John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix, Ariz.

Lumia is a team-oriented leader, and as both CNO and acting CEO she has focused on bringing all voices to the table.

“It’s important to have shared governance,� she said in an interview with The Lakeville Journal last week. “We want to hear what people think and what they want. That’s the only way you have buy-in from all the parties involved. We work as a team.�

She has been an active and visible presence at the hospital but said she hopes to further increase her visibility by getting out into the community.

“I want to do more, get out there more, be very grass roots,� she said.

A priority for her will be to increase options for patients in need of a primary care physician. Overall, though, she said she intends to continue to run the hospital as it has been run, with “no big changes overall, other than continuing to grow to meet the needs of our community. This is a small hospital but we have to be prepared for anything that rolls in our doors. I feel confident that we can provide for the needs of everyone in the community, and will continue to do so. Our surgeons and physicians are top notch, and we’re able to provide expert care because we are so small.�

One advance she takes particular pride in is the elimination of the need for clinic staff “travelers.�

Jill Musselman, director of marketing for the hospital, praised Lumia for her work in Sharon over the past year.

“Kim is well-respected, dynamic and young,� she said. “And she’s been a great mentor to the women on our staff.�

Lumia is a resident of Wolcott, where she has served on several boards and commissions. She is currently on the Board of Education and is a U7 soccer coach.

“We want to congratulate Kim in her new role at Sharon Hospital,� said Essent Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Wylie. “We conducted a national search for this position and found the best candidate right here amongst us. Kim Lumia is the perfect fit. She knows Sharon Hospital and our community. She works closely with our medical staff, hospital staff and board members. The Essent Healthcare management team and I are very confident in Kim’s ability to take Sharon Hospital to new heights.�