Grace Cottage Hospital welcomes new CEO

The Board of Trustees of Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital in Townshend announces the appointment of Olivia Sweetnam as chief executive officer, effective July 1.

She is replacing Doug DiVello, who announced last December that he would retire after a replacement was hired.

A graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Sweetnam received her Master of Nursing Science and Master of Public Health from Yale University.

Sweetnam has served as the chief nursing officer at Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital since February. She was vice president of Hospice Quality and Clinical Practice at Amedisys from 2021 to 2023. Prior to that she was employed by Ochsner Health in Louisiana for nearly 10 years, where she held multiple leadership roles in quality, operations and medical staff management.

An extensive search was conducted with the help of the national executive search firm WittKieffer, and Sweetnam was selected after an extensive review of many candidates and interviews with seven finalists. “Olivia brings so much knowledge and experience to this position and will be able to continue the excellent work that Doug DiVello has done during his six years here,” said Martha Dale, president of the Board of Trustees of Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital.

“Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital is a rare gem in the world of healthcare,” said Sweetnam. “It is a shining example of personal and compassionate care, and I am proud to lead this wonderful organization into the future.”

Sweetnam lives with her family in Brattleboro and is on the Board of Trustees for River Gallery School and is a member of the Brattleboro Town Arts Committee.