St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, N.Y., has hired Gerard "Jerry" Walsh as CEO.
Here are six things to know about Mr. Walsh.
1. Mr. Walsh began his new duties July 27.
2. As CEO, Mr. Walsh will be responsible for "developing and delivering against the hospital's strategic plan, for board guidance, improving margins and returning the hospital to reputable profitable growth, thereby creating a pathway to strong sustainability while elevating the level of care we provide to our patients, families and area communities," according to Bishop Lawrence C. Provenzano, the Episcopal Bishop of Long Island and president of the Episcopal Health Services Board of Trustees.
3. Mr. Walsh has more than 25 years of healthcare leadership experience, with expertise in organizational change, physician development, implementation of quality and patient safety programs and mergers and acquisitions. He also has a strong knowledge of community hospitals.
4. Most recently, he served as CEO of Western Maryland Hospital Center in Hagerstown, Md. During his tenure there, he built a new leadership team including a new CMO and CNO, implemented several clinical services for the chronic care population including podiatry, dental, gynecology, ophthalmology and wound care, developed a plan of correction that rectified numerous CMS deficiencies, and delivered a three-year strategic plan recommending a forward course of action.
5. Prior to his leadership role at Western Maryland, Mr. Walsh spent 15 years as senior vice president and COO of Shore Regional Health, a three-hospital health system affiliated with University of Maryland Medical System. In this position, he was first charged to lead the regionalization plan for the Mid Shore, which integrated Chester River Health System Chestertown, Md., into Shore Health System in Easton, Md., to form a new company — Shore Regional Health.
6. Mr. Walsh also has significant administrative experience from his COO role with North Shore University Hospital at Forest Hills, N.Y., where he oversaw a 19,000-square-foot emergency department reconstruction project, initiated a $30 million facility construction project, worked with architects and engineers to plan construction for a new two story radiology building, and instituted an extensive 12 month management education and professional development project, among other things.
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