News Release #13-023 October 8, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Krista A. Kittle (315) 785-4504

SAMARITAN SUMMIT VILLAGE ANNOUNCES TWO LEADERSHIP CHANGES

Watertown, New York ----- Officials at Samaritan Summit Village announced two leadership changes to the administrative team today. Dennis Casey, Interim Administrator of Skilled Nursing, has announced his retirement at the end of this week, and Elaine OBrian, Director of Nursing, is no longer with the organization. No other changes to the leadership team are expected. Barbara E. Morrow, Samaritans Assistant Vice President of Compliance, will assume responsibilities of Administrator until a search is conducted for a permanent replacement. Mrs. Morrow was instrumental in leading the Samaritan organization through its receivership of Mercys nursing home in October 2011. Her background, experience and leadership abilities helped to stabilize the Mercy organization until its closure in 2013 upon the opening of Samaritan Summit Village. Among Mrs. Morrows accomplishments was the significant improvement in Mercys quality of care and adherence to numerous regulatory requirements, ultimately resulting in the facilitys successful removal from the CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) watch list. Barbara Fargo, RN, MSN has been appointed as the new Director of Nursing for Samaritan Summit Village. Most recently, Mrs. Fargo served as Samaritan Medical Centers Director of Nursing Practice from 2003-2013, when her position was eliminated as part of the hospitals restructuring plan. During her tenure at Samaritan Medical Center, she held numerous leadership roles in nursing practice, education, and nursing oversight for the Joint Commission and Department of Healths regulations. With her experience and background, Mrs. Fargo was quickly identified to fill the Director of Nursing position at Samaritan Summit Village. These leadership changes were necessary in order to move the Samaritan Summit Village forward in the wake of the unprecedented change that is on the horizon with healthcare reform, explains Anthony Joseph, Vice President of Long-Term Care at Samaritan. These two very experienced professionals will help us navigate through these challenges to ensure that our Residents and the community have continued access to the exceptional level of care offered at Samaritan Summit Village.

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