New CFO Hired for Retreat Healthcare

December 16 , 2004

Brattleboro, VT –John Blaha has joined the executive team of Retreat Healthcare as Chief Financial Officer.

Since 1998, Mr. Blaha served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Technology in Medicine in Holliston, MA, a company that provides biomedical equipment maintenance, repairs and consulting to healthcare organizations. Prior to that he was Chief Financial Officer for Charter Behavioral Health Systems, in New Hampshire and Milwaukee.

Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Blaha first worked in his career as a Field Auditor for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Other early roles included Manager of Finance with the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Financial Analyst for the 600 bed St. Luke’s Medical Center, Controller for First Hospital, a 50-bed psychiatric hospital, and later as manager of accounting for Hospital Corporations’ 250-bed North West General Hospital.

Mr. Blaha joins the Retreat Healthcare at a point of turnaround in terms of the organization’s financial health. The Retreat will complete 2004 with a positive financial margin again as it did in 2003, after ten consecutive years of operating losses. Mr. Blaha’s fiscal acumen will be particularly necessary to help maintain Retreat Healthcare’s financial stability in the face of imminent challenges, most notably changes in Medicaid reimbursement systems and dramatically-rising costs for employees’ healthcare insurance.

Retreat Healthcare, founded in 1834, is a not-for-profit, regional specialty psychiatric hospital and addictions treatment center, providing a full range of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages and their families. Nationally recognized for its premiere treatment in behavioral healthcare, Retreat Healthcare offers a high quality, individualized, comprehensive continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient treatment. For more information on Retreat services, call 1-800-RETREAT.