Dr. Emily Ptaszek, a licensed psychologist, will vacate her position as president and CEO of Peak Vista Community Health Centers at the end of March, as she’s chosen not to renew her three-year contract, the nonprofit health care provider announced Friday.

Ptaszek will take “a leadership role in health care consulting, one that will allow her to make a broader impact across the industry,” according to a news release about her departure.

She plans to remain in Colorado Springs and assist with the transition for the next two and a half months, according to the announcement.

Ptaszek said in a statement that she’s “grateful for the many life-changing experiences and meaningful connections” she’s formed at Peak Vista and in the community.

As a safety-net provider, Colorado Springs-based Peak Vista operates 21 clinics across southern Colorado offering medical, mental and dental health care for uninsured, indigent and low-income residents.

Ptaszek has worked for a total of 12 years in community health administration, previously heading a nonprofit health provider in Naples, Fla., before taking the role at Peak Vista on March 28, 2022.

Among local accomplishments, Ptaszek “strengthened the organization’s relationships with the community, invested significantly in educational and financial resources for staff and launched a new philanthropic board,” the news release said.

“Under her guidance, Peak Vista has reached new heights, strengthening critical partnerships, establishing data-rich operational processes, launching vital patient-facing programs and inspiring new levels of philanthropic support,” board chair Stella Hodgkins said in a statement.

Ptaszek’s emphasis on workforce development and competitive compensation, increased Peak Vista provider-network compensation by nearly $4 million, Hodgkins said.

With her expertise as a psychologist, Ptaszek has enhanced access to mental health resource and enriched the organization’s overall behavioral health services through new initiatives that include a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner fellowship program, according to Hodgkins.

“While we consider this a great loss, we will always value the impact she has made across the region,” she said.

It’s been a rocky time for Peak Vista, as employees filed 18 charges of labor law violations against the organization with the National Labor Relations Board in August. One ruling returned in December determined that Peak Vista wrongfully terminated five doctors last summer and said they could proceed with claims against their former employer.

Last week, 77% of the 64 doctors and other advanced-practice clinicians who voted in a mail-in election agreed to unionize under the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

Peak Vista has maintained no wrongdoing in the labor complaints, Ptaszek told The Gazette in response. She also disputed the interpretations of the termination findings and said last week the organization is appealing the employees’ vote to form a union, since dentists were not included.

Patient count has declined from more than 93,000 in 2022 when Ptaszek arrived to more than 74,000 today, organization statistics show.

A board-appointed transition committee will lead the recruitment and selection process for Ptaszek’s replacement.

Editor’s note: Peak Vista also is appealing the National Labor Relations Board’s determination on the termination of the physicians, and a request to the National Labor Relations Board for further clarification on its determination was not returned. Claims for backpay or other settlement agreements remain to be determined by the court system.