MANSFIELD — Dr. Gregory Eaton and Dr. Mary Alton have announced their retirement from OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital.
The two physicians have served as the hospital’s Chief of the North Region and Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging Director, respectively, for more than 20 years.
The news was shared internally with employees and board members. Eaton and Alton say they plan on traveling, relaxing, and spending time with their first grandchild.
“We think our legacy is we’ve left it better,” Eaton said.
Under their leadership, the hospital’s Heart and Vascular program expanded significantly, and patient care improved significantly.
The hospital became the only hospital in the North region to offer less-invasive cardiac procedures, which resulted in improved outcomes and reduced radiation exposure for patients.
“The hospital and our program have been recognized as within the top 5% in the country of all hospitals, and so that’s an achievement that we’re proud of,” Eaton said.
“We take pride in changing that dialogue and that perception that now heart care is just as good as going north or south with very limited exceptions and that doesn’t just fall on Dr. Alton and I, but it’s kind of a team effort.”
Eaton and Alton are the first married couple to retire from the hospital.
They were both in Ohio before they went to medical school, and they met while Eaton completed his residency at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
They then spent 11 years working together at The Ohio State University before they returned home to Mansfield.
Drs. Alton and Eaton didn’t choose the easy road when deciding where to continue growing in their careers.
They climbed the ranks at The Ohio State University for 11 years, with Dr. Eaton holding positions such as director of the cardiac catheterization lab and director of the department of cardiovascular medicine, and Dr. Alton working as the medical director of OSU Cardiology at Mill Run while also teaching as an assistant professor.
However, they soon realized it wasn’t the best fit for their family. When Dr. Alton received word in the mail that Mansfield Hospital was looking to hire cardiologists, she knew she wanted to return home.
At this point, Drs. Alton and Eaton had three kids, and having Dr. Alton’s mother around as a sitter was extremely enticing. More importantly, they knew Dr. Eaton would be able to spend more time with the family. And that, to them, was most valuable.
While returning home had its perks, Drs. Alton and Eaton had their professional work cut out for them.
According to Dr. Eaton, Mansfield Hospital’s heart and vascular program, part of MedCentral at the time, was not as highly regarded as it is today.
“When we got here, the vast majority of patients were going to the Cleveland Clinic or to Columbus,” said Dr. Eaton.
“Very few stayed within the community or stayed locally to get their heart care.”
Drs. Alton and Eaton spent the next two decades working to change that.
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