Bruce D. Cummings, president and CEO of L+M Healthcare of New London for the past 11 years, today announced his plans to retire this year.
L+M Healthcare, a member of Yale New Haven Health, includes Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, Westerly Hospital in Westerly, R.I., L+M Medical Group in multiple locations, and the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Connecticut, based in Waterford.
“Simply stated, this is the best time for me, my family and the organization,” Cummings said in a news release. “It was of paramount importance for me to ensure our affiliation with Yale New Haven Health would not only be approved, but prosper. With the approval behind us and opportunities for growth ahead of us, this was just the right time. I’ve reached normal retirement age, my children are grown and I’m a grandfather. It’s important for me to begin to focus on other things.”
A national search for a successor is under way and Cummings, who also serves as executive vice president with Yale New Haven Health, will continue to lead L+M Healthcare until a new president is selected, Marna P. Borgstrom, president and CEO of Yale New Haven Health, said in the release.
“As always, Bruce has been thoughtful about this decision,” Borgstrom said. “His foremost concern over the past 11 years has been to support the continued growth and success of L+M Healthcare. He has accomplished that in so many ways, including first the decision to acquire Westerly Hospital and then, most recently, leading the process of aligning L+M Healthcare into Yale New Haven Health. Bruce’s leadership and dedication have been evident during his entire tenure at L+M.”
Some of Cummings’ accomplishments include: initiating formal corporate affiliation with Yale New Haven Health; founding the L+M Medical Group, a nonprofit hospital-affiliated medical foundation that today employs 130 providers and 250 support personnel throughout southeastern Connecticut, and western Rhode Island in 12 offices; acquiring Westerly Hospital from receivership in 2013; initiating the design and development of a new comprehensive 50,000-square-foot cancer center with three clinical affiliations: Dana-Farber (medical oncology), Yale School of Medicine (radiation oncology), Women and Infants Hospital (gyn/oncology), with medical oncology affiliation now Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven.
