Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center and Valley Regional Hospital will be led by Dr. Matthew Foster, Dartmouth Health announced in a Monday news release.

Foster began his role as the first permanent CEO and president of both hospitals Monday.

The new position was created after Dartmouth Health acquired Claremont’s Valley Regional Hospital, which had faced financial struggles in recent decades, July 31. Windsor’s Mt. Ascutney has been included in the DH network since 2014.

“With (Mt. Ascutney) and Valley (Regional) now under the leadership of one president and CEO, the goal is to enhance collaboration and streamline decision-making across the two facilities,” Dartmouth Health spokesperson Audra Burns said Monday. “This change is expected to improve efficiency, align priorities, and ensure consistent standards of high-quality care while maintaining the unique strengths and local identity of each hospital.”

DH has planned to merge leadership of the two hospitals since before the Valley Regional acquisition was finalized.

Foster will lead jointly with a board of trustees including representatives from both hospitals and from DH.

“Both Mt. Ascutney and Valley Regional are pillars of health and support in their respective communities, and their shared mission and dedication to serving the people of our region lend themselves to a natural and impactful partnership,” Foster wrote in a letter released this week.

Foster replaces Jocelyn Caple, who has been interim leader at Mt. Ascutney since August, when she replaced previous interim leader Winfield (Win) Brown. Caple also has been interim leader at Valley Regional since September 2020.

Foster has most recently served as interim chief medical officer at Johnson Health Center in Virginia since March.

Before that, he was senior vice president and chief physician executive at Centra Health, a regional health care system also based in Virginia, according to a Monday news release from Dartmouth Health. Centra’s network consists of 550 beds at several facilities including four hospitals, a standalone emergency department, urgent care and specialized treatment centers.

In comparison, Valley Regional and Mt. Ascutney have a combined 60 beds.

Foster’s medical background is in pathology, which he practiced from 2002-05. Foster holds a medical degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and completed his medical residency at Vanderbilt University.

Foster is originally from Boston and is “excited to return to New England,” he wrote in the letter.

Clare Shanahan can be reached at cshanahan@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.