Mr. Hickey’s role as chief strategy officer at ECU Health allows him to drive enterprise strategy, clinical expansion and healthcare transformation across eight hospitals, over 110 locations and a 1,100-provider network serving 1.4 million people. He has been instrumental in closing geographic and clinical care gaps, expanding service lines, and forming strategic partnerships to improve health outcomes and cost efficiency. In 2023, he led the joint venture with Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare to build a 144-bed behavioral health hospital in Greenville, which will feature the region’s first dedicated child and adolescent inpatient beds, set to open in 2025. Mr. Hickey also spearheaded the regionalization of cancer care, overseeing the development of ECU Health Cancer Care and the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Cancer Center, a 418,000-square-foot hub for oncology services. His leadership in value-based care has driven record Medicare Shared Savings Program savings, expanded population health initiatives and strengthened ECU Health’s clinically integrated network. He is known for his data-driven, innovative approach to rural healthcare transformation, clinical integration and long-term sustainability.
