UCHealth dubs new Memorial Hospital president-CEO

Jessica Van Dyne, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·3 min read

Mar. 23—Lonnie Cramer was named president and CEO of UCHealth Memorial Hospital and UCHealth's facilities in the Pikes Peak region Thursday.

Cramer, who has served as the interim CEO for nearly the past two months, will run Memorial Hospital Central, just east of downtown Colorado Springs, and Memorial Hospital North on the city's rapidly growing north side. He will also be in charge of Pikes Peak Regional Hospital, Grandview Hospital and many of UCHealth's clinics in the region, according to a UCHealth news release.

"I am truly excited to lead UCHealth's hospitals in El Paso and Teller counties," Cramer said in the release, "and to build on the many successes and advancements in patient care that have occurred in the decade since Memorial Hospital joined UCHealth."

Cramer assumed the interim position when Joel Yuhas left the role after six years to return to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a global health care enterprise. During Yuhas' tenure, he grew UCHealth services for patients and earned UCHealth Memorial Central designation as a Level I Trauma Center and a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the release said.

Cramer, with 30 years of experience in health care operations, seeks to continue that growth, he said in the release.

The facilities he will oversee are a part of the nonprofit's expansive health system that include 12 acute-care hospitals, 30,000 employees and hundreds of physicians in Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska.

Cramer joined the system in 2019 and served as president of UCHealth's Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, Broomfield Hospital and multiple outpatient care locations, according to the release.

"Lonnie brings a wealth of health care experience to UCHealth's hospitals in the Pikes Peak region," Elizabeth B. Concordia, president and CEO of UCHealth, said in the release. "But beyond that, he brings a great desire to be involved in the community, a commitment to providing outstanding patient care and dedication to serving veterans, active-duty service members and their families."

Cramer started his health care career in the U.S. Army, serving eight years as a radiology noncommissioned officer and continues to be committed to providing care for veterans and active-duty service members, the release said.

Cramer earned a master's degree in clinical practice management and a bachelor's degree in health care administration, the release added.

He spent time as chief operating officer of MDiagnostics Inc. in Metairie, La., focusing on outpatient imaging with five centers in multiple states, the release said. He was also director of diagnostic imaging services at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

But Cramer is no stranger to Colorado Springs, having worked as the chief operating officer for Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs before joining UCHealth.

"It's also wonderful to be back in Colorado Springs and once again call it home," Cramer said in the release. "I look forward to renewing past relationships and building new ones in the communities UCHealth serves."