Cottage Health president and CEO Ron Werft announces retirement

Cottage Health president and CEO Ron Werft will retire in 2025 after 37 years with the company. 
 
Below is a press release on the announcement:Below is a press release on the announcement: 
 
Ron Werft has been the President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cottage Health for the last 24 years after dedicating 37 years of his corporate career to Cottage Health System and now plans to retire in 2025. 
 
“On behalf of Cottage Health’s Board, I want to express our gratitude to Mr. Werft for the many contributions he will make for generations of this community In the future,” Therefore, Steve Zola, the Cottage Health Board of Directors Chair. 
 
Cottage Health was incorporated in 1996 as a not-for-profit holding company for the of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Cottage Children’s Medical center, Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital, Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital. 
 
Thus, during the 4 decades in its existence, with Mr. Werft at its helm, Cottage has expanded into a regional healthcare system. In order to extend high grade solutions to more populace in the society, Cottage Health has broadened its services to incorporate specialties such as trauma, brain and spine, heart related complications, bones joint, children, mind and other recurring services of the region. 
 
Following Mr. Werft’s appointment, a new hospital was constructed in the former location of the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital buildings, although, it was a complicated 20-year project since the care for the patients was not interrupted and the construction had to be arranged in eight construction phases due to the new regulations concerning the hospital’s seismic stability. As for Cottage Health System, a new Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital was built :-) There are plans to relocating Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital to the new building on the Goleta campus, Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital is also developing the services by being recognized as the critical access hospital in United States of America. New departments such as the Cottage Center for Population Health and the Cottage Health Research Institute were developed, and new affiliations with regional colleges to promote the nursing and other health workers to support a healthier population who will receive better care;. 
 
Mr Werft lead the upward expansion of Cottage’s Out Patient services and clinics in an effort to increase care delivery, and with Mary and Richard Compton – sponsoring Cottage with a record $65 million – envisioned the Compton Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation to help enhance the people’s healthcare in the region. Cottage has adopted shared governance and best organizational values and beliefs such as excellence, integrity, and compassion to enhance the quality of care, patients’ satisfaction, and employees’ satisfaction. 
 
Before his working for Cottage Health, Mr. Werft served as a top manager in the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic. He is an alumnus of the University of California, San Diego; the University of Minnesota saw him gain a Master’s degree in Hospital and Health Care Administration. His voluntary association roles consist of being a trustee of the American Hospital Association, chairman of AHA’s Region 9 Policy Board of California Hospital Association, and of the Hospital Association of Southern California. For instance, he takes his seat in the board of partners in education, CenCal, Santa Barbara Fighting back, Vizient West Coast United Way and world Telehealth initiative. He was honored the 2013 CHA Award of Merit for extra ordinary efforts to the California healthcare society and the 2015 Walker-Sullivan Fellowship by California Health Foundation & Trust. 
 
“It has been and is still a pleasure, a privilege and a honor to be able to spearhead this Cottage Health. ” “It is a privilege to be the ‘Cottage’ President; every day, I am reminded that Cottage is an extraordinary organization; it comprises employees, physicians, executives, board members, donors, and volunteers working to make a difference in the community; this is the essence of cottage health care, which started 132 years ago. ” To lead the next phase of development, Cottage Health will initiate a national search for Mr. Werft’s successor who 
 
The About Cottage Health page | CottageHealth. org 
 
The Cottage Health is a not-for-profit organization aims at offering state-of-art healthcare services to the Central Coast community. Across the last year, Cottage Health’s Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley hospitals admitted 20,201 inpatients and treated 87,356 people in its emergency departments, and facilitated 1,772 births. Cottage Health has over 700 physicians, and many of them are medical subspecialists frequently seen only at university medical centers More specialized care incorporating Cottage Health is Cottage Children’s Medical Center, Level 1 Trauma Center, Neuroscience Institute, Heart & Vascular Center, Center for Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation Hospital. Other than hospitals, Cottage Health has primary care and specialty clinics, cottage urgent cares across the tri-counties, and cottage virtual care for common issues in English and Spanish 24/7. 
 
Cottage Health