Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital have new leadership.
As part of a NYC Health + Hospitals restructuring, both of the public hospitals have new CEOs: Maureen Pode at NCBH and William Foley at Jacobi.
The North Bronx Health Network, which was a structure of the previous administration, is being phased out due to the Affordable Care Act, said Pode.
Originally both NCBH and Jacobi had the same leader. Now all NYC Health + Hospitals trauma centers will have their own CEOs, according to officials.
The changes are primary on the administrative level, said Pode.
Pode rose through the ranks as a front line nurse at several hospitals, eventually rising to Deputy Chief Financial Officer within NYC Health + Hospitals.
She assumed her current role on Monday, August 15.
“It is an honor and it is very humbling as well,” she said about being selected as the CEO after serving as the acting CEO for months.
Pode’s been a nurse for more than 30 years, and said she has had a very exciting career with mentors that have helped her move up the ladder.
“My experience as a registered nurse gives me a unique perspective because I can relate directly one-on-one with the physicians and the nursing staff: knowing first hand the complexity of patient care” she said, adding that experience “really does provide the framework and ground decision making.
Each decision has to be made with the patient in mind, said Pode.
Her background in providing care has helped her build strong partnerships with physicians and nurses, she said.
Pode believes that the NCBH staff is the most valuable asset of the hospital, and that she believes it is very important to have a workforce engaged in their mission.
NCBH has capacity for growth, with shorter emergency room wait times, generally speaking, than many Heath + Hospitals facilities, said a hospital spokesman.
The hospital is known for behavioral health, labor and delivery and women’s healthcare, said the spokesman, and it has a connection to a community to which it serves as a ‘safety-net’ healthcare provider.
“I think that you have seen over the years that the community really supports NCBH,” said Pode, adding that they were a vocal partner in bringing back the hospital’s labor and delivery units.
She added: “We really encourage the community to come to NCBH and take advantage of all that we have to offer.”
Foley will move into his post at Jacobi on Monday, September 12.
Foley has worked at the executive level at hospitals across the country, including at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in San Bernardino, CA and at Cook County Health and Hospitals System in Chicago.
“I truly understand and appreciate the important role of public hospitals and I’m very confident I will contribute greatly to the continued success of Jacobi,” said Foley in a statement, basing his assertion on his experience leading public hospitals, health systems and academic medical centers.
