January 8, 2010
DPHHS Fills Montana State Hospital
Administrator Position
The Department of Public Health and Human Services announced today that John W. Glueckert has been hired as the Montana State Hospital administrator in Warm Springs.
Glueckert replaces Ed Amberg who retired as the hospital administrator in December of 2009. The 56-year-old Glueckert, of Polson, will begin his new job on February 1, 2010.
“I’m thrilled that John Glueckert will be the next state hospital administrator,” said DPHHS Director Anna Whiting Sorrell. “His extensive experience in hospital administration in multiple settings is one of the many reasons that make him a great choice for this position.”
“I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity and I’m really looking forward to the challenges ahead,” Glueckert said.
Glueckert was the chief executive officer of the St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson, Mont. for 19 years from 1990 to June 2009 where he managed $30 million budget and 250 employees. In addition, he was responsible for the operations of the corporation including all hospital operations, clinic operations, assisted living center and home health agency. During this time, he oversaw a 60,000-square-foot hospital addition and construction of a new assisted living center.
He was also the assistant to the president at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula supporting all hospital operations from 1983 to 1990.
Glueckert holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Montana and is a graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wa. where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
As the administrator for the Montana State Hospital, Glueckert will be responsible for:
- Providing leadership and direction in all Montana State Hospital services.
- Developing and implementing the Long Range Building Plan that includes
conducting research and assessing program operations to develop proposed
legislation and administrative rules. - Developing policies, procedures and standards in agreement with all state and
federal requirements. - Ensuring quality in all Montana State Hospital services, meeting the needs of
both patients and families.
Montana State Hospital is the only publicly operated inpatient psychiatric hospital in the state. It provides treatment to adults who have serious mental illnesses and who are referred from hospitals, mental health programs, and district courts from across the state. All admissions are governed by procedures established in state law.
The hospital maintains 174 hospital beds licensed and certified by the U.S. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), as well as eight transitional care (group home) beds. The hospital has 406 employees. The licensed capacity is 189 beds.
Montana State Hospital is one of 225 state psychiatric hospitals in the country. About 30 percent of the patient population at the hospital are admitted through criminal court proceedings to evaluate competency to stand trial or are diverted from a prison sentence. Nearly all of the others are admitted through civil involuntary commitment proceedings initiated by mental health professionals in local communities. This population includes many people diverted from county jails.
Glueckert and his wife, Nancy, have two grown daughters, Kristen and Erin. Nancy is employed at KPAX-TV in Missoula as an advertising sales representative, a position she has held for 26 years. Kristen and her husband, Jason, live and work in Spokane, Wa. where they are raising two daughters, Grace, 2, and Marley, six months. Kristen is an ICU nurse at Holy Family and is pursuing a nurse practioner credential. Erin is a research assistant at MD Anderson Cancer Research Hospital in Houston, Texas where she is involved in cutting edge smoking cessation research.
For more information call DPHHS public information officer Jon Ebelt at 406-444-0936.
Or visit the DPHHS website at www.dphhs.mt.gov.Page last updated: 01/08/2010
