Barry Bortz

Barry Bortz spent his entire career and most of his adult life dreaming about what the future of health care could and should be.

Under his vision, Carespring Health Care Management has emerged as the foremost senior health care organization in Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky As the organization’s creator and visionary, Barry led this charge and his leadership team continues to promote his dream today.

Mr. Bortz traveled an unusual route to become CEO of Carespring Health Care Management.  He left high school to join the Marines and graduated at the top of his regiment in boot camp. He then served 12 months in Vietnam before returning stateside to earn his GED.

With the money he earned from the service and the GI Bill, Barry put himself through college while working part-time jobs in Cincinnati hospitals.  After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Mr. Bortz earned his Nursing Home Administrator’s licenses in Ohio (1981), Florida (1988) and Kentucky (1992).

Barry built his first facility and opened it in 1986 as Eastgate Health Care Center. His commitment to providing care through innovative facilities and expertly trained team members has fueled the growth of Carespring and will continue to inspire opportunities into the future.  .

Barry’s highest inspiration was to honor his mother, Elinor L. Willet, RN, who instilled in him both a heart for caregiving as well as a sense of stewardship of all with which we’ve been entrusted. She is the inspiration for the Angel Award that Carespring gives each year to honor a heroic act by one of its employees, and she’s also the namesake of a nursing scholarship at University of Cincinnati’s Raymond Walters nursing school.  Today, Carespring continues to honor Elinor’s memory as well as Barry’s through The Carespring Hero Scholarship Fund, a fund established to help build the future of long term care through educating and inspiring current Carespring team members.

Barry passed away September 1, 2016.  He leaves a legacy that the organization will strive daily to honor with love, commitment, grace and leadership.