BURLINGTON, VT - Fletcher Allen Health Care announced today that it has named Charles H. Podesta as chief information officer, effective June 2.  The appointment was made following an extensive national search.

Podesta, 50, comes to Fletcher Allen from Boston-based Caritas Christi Health Care, where he served for the past three years as senior vice president and chief information officer.

Caritas Christi Health Care, the second largest health care system in New England, is a 1,500-bed integrated health care delivery network providing community-based medicine and tertiary care through six hospitals in eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Prior to his role at Caritas Christi, Podesta was the chief information officer at Berkshire Health Systems, Pittsfield, MA from 1997 to 2005 and served as director of corporate information systems and interim chief information officer at Baystate Health Systems, Springfield, MA, from 1991 to 1997.

"I am extremely pleased that Chuck has accepted this position," said Angie Marano, chief operating officer, Fletcher Allen Health Care. "Information technology is playing an increasingly vital role in the state's health care infrastructure. Chuck's 25-year career in the health care information systems field will contribute expertise and vision not only within our organization but also in our collaboration with Vermont's developing information technology system focused on supporting clinical care."

"This is a great opportunity," said Podesta. "I am extremely excited to be joining the Fletcher Allen team and I look forward to being part of this historic project."

Podesta holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA. He is a member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives.

Podesta and his wife, Carole, plan to move to the Burlington area this spring.

About Fletcher Allen

Fletcher Allen Health Care, together with our partners at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is Vermont's academic medical center.  Our mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve by integrating patient care, education and research in a caring environment.  Fletcher Allen serves as a regional referral center -- providing advanced care to approximately one million people in Vermont and northern New York -- and as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.  With more than 30 patient care sites and 100 outreach clinics, programs and services throughout the region, Fletcher Allen is committed to being a national model for the delivery of high-quality academic health care for a rural region.