Winthrop leaving lasting legacy

BELLEVUE — When Michael Winthrop joined The Bellevue Hospital in 1988 as its CEO and president, he had no idea Bellevue would become his long-term home. "I thought I'd stay here for three to five years," Winthrop said. "But Bellevue quickly became our home, the hospital staff became family, and my wife and I raised our kids here." When Winthrop begins his retirement on Sept. 1, 32 years to the day since joining Bellevue, he'll have ended his career as the longest actively serving hospital executive in Ohio. During his tenure as the hospital's CEO and president, he's helped guide it and the Bellevue community through some of its most significant moments. Road to Bellevue As a child, everyone thought Winthrop would take over the funeral home his family owned in a small Southern Illinois town. Still, he chose another career path after he shadowed the local hospital's administrator in high school. "I decided early on this was what I wanted to do," Winthrop said. After graduating from college and marrying his wife, Winthrop worked in coal mines to pay for graduate school, eventually earning a master's degree in health care administration. Winthrop then worked as an executive at hospitals in Pennsylvania before returning to Illinois to work for a system hospital. "I realized that I didn't want to work in a system hospital," Winthrop said. "I always had an affinity for smaller communities since I was born and raised in one." Winthrop accepted the opportunity to join Bellevue in September 1988, becoming its fifth administrator. "In this business, most people move to advance. I think the average tenure for a hospital administrator is three to 10 years," Winthrop said. "Bellevue is unique in that there have only been five administrators since it opened in 1917." Running a community hospital When Winthrop came to Bellevue, he set out to recruit medical staff to increase the hospital's services and quality of care. The obstetrics program went from 1-2 births a year to 200 deliveries. "Once obstetrics came back, pediatrics and surgery followed," Winthrop said. After revitalizing the services and care, Winthrop and the hospital's board of trustees took a look at their outdated facilities. In 2005, the hospital moved to a new building. "Not many CEOs get the opportunity to build a new hospital," Winthrop said. "It wouldn't have gotten done without the board of trustees and the greater Bellevue-Clyde area." Firelands Regional Medical Center and Fisher-Titus Medical Center also helped pay for the new facility by investing in Bellevue Hospital. "We wouldn't have been able to do it without Fisher-Titus and Firelands," Winthrop said. "They've been great partners. We still compete in some areas but cooperate in many more. We are in this for the same reason: to take care of the community." Winthrop is proud of the relationship he helped build between the local hospitals, increasing the network for referrals with Firelands and sharing physicians with Fisher-Titus. "People can get care without having to travel too far out of town," Winthrop said. Winthrop's tenure also saw an expansion of services in the Clyde area and the creation of the Great Lakes Physician Group, a group of employed doctors offering more services. Retirement Winthrop told the board of his decision to retire in 2019 after deciding it was the right time to end his 43-year career in health care. "My wife and I wanted to do things," Winthrow said. "We have grandchildren across the Midwest and would like to be able to see them more." They also bought a house in Florida, where they plan to spend winters. Winthrow wants to pursue his passion for classic cars in retirement, too. Winthrop said he'll miss seeing the hospital's staff, who have become like family, every day. "It's just a great group of people to work with, and there's a lot of longevity in our employees," Winthrop said. "It's very comfortable and a great place to work." The hospital's future After an internal search, the board chose Timothy A. Buit, the current vice president and CFO, to replace Winthrop. "Tim has been here 11 years, and he has a different skill set than me," Winthrop said. "I believe Bellevue will be stronger than it is today."