Bob and Jan Archer Invest $1 Million in UH Samaritan Medical Center

ASHLAND, Ohio - University Hospitals is the recipient of a $1 million gift from Bob and Jan Archer to UH Samaritan Medical Center, continuing the Archers' decades-long commitment of investing in organizations serving Ashland and Ashland County.

This gift from Bob and Jan Archer establishes the UH Samaritan Medical Center Fund for Hospital Operations, with a focus on healthcare provider recognition and engagement. The fund will support current-use needs that strengthen hospital operations, including employee engagement activities, healthcare provider events, efforts to recognize high-performing employees and pathways for career advancement.

The Archers prefer to be called communitarians rather than philanthropists. They insist on giving locally and during their lifetimes. "We plan to die broke," Bob said, laughing.

Like many Ashland County residents, the Archers have seen the impact of UH Samaritan. Local access to care for cardiovascular events can make a lifesaving difference - and even more so when that care comes with the resources and capabilities of the globally trusted UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. The same can be said of local access to cancer care at UH Seidman Cancer & Infusion Center at UH Samaritan.

"What would we do without UH here in Ashland?" Jan said.

The gift honors several individuals who shaped UH Samaritan's history and ethos, including Dick Beal, former president of the UH Samaritan Hospital Foundation; Bill Kelley and Danny Boggs, former chief executives of the formerly known Samaritan Hospital; and Sylvia Radziszewski, RRT, MBA, who is the current Chief Operating Officer of UH Samaritan Medical Center. In recognition of the Archers' generosity, the hospital's main reception area has been named the Robert M. and Janet L. Archer Lobby.

Radziszewski emphasized the significance of the Archers' gift in today's environment. "Unlike other businesses, healthcare doesn't have many levers to pull," she explained. "Expenses rise, reimbursement often falls, and yet the needs of patients and staff continue to grow. Philanthropy gives us flexibility and an ability to invest in our people beyond covering basic costs."

That investment, she added, is central to UH Samaritan's identity. The hospital distinguishes itself by the dedication and community-rootedness of its workforce.

The Archers' giving focuses on education, civic engagement, the arts and healthcare in Ashland, and they have provided historic support for general operations and specific student programs at Ashland University, where Bob serves on the board of trustees and as executive-in-residence.

Jan's connection to Samaritan Hospital, now UH Samaritan Medical Center, dates to the 1980s. She spent several years at the hospital after working as a government health planner in nearby Wooster. There, she oversaw resource sharing between hospitals during a period marked by regulatory pressure and an emphasis on cost containment; Ashland was one of eight counties in her purview. Hired to Samaritan from her government role by then-CEO Bill Kelley, Jan evaluated the use of hospital resources and conducted feasibility studies.

Kelley saw Jan's aptitude for relationship-building and invited her to step into Samaritan's development director role. As she raised funds for the hospital, she embraced a simple guiding principle: "We care."

While the Archers' gift is deeply local, it reflects a broader reality across UH: the majority of the health system's patients receive care at community medical centers like UH Samaritan, each committed to serving its region's unique healthcare needs with the same level of excellence.