NYC Health + Hospitals Appoints New Leadership at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Highly respected leaders demonstrate ability to successfully lead through crises and changing demands
Jun 01, 2016
Dr. Ram Raju, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, today announced the appointment of William Hicks as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Michael Rawlings as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. The appointees are proven leaders with a strong record of performance and are highly respected by staff and the community. In their previously held positions at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, both have created protocols and improved services for the hospital and its patients, and successfully led staff during crises such as the Ebola epidemic and Superstorm Sandy. The new leadership appointments are part of the health system’s transformation to support its Vision 2020 plan toward financial stability, growth and improving the patient experience.
“The new appointments at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is part of the health system’s continued shift and transformation as we make patient experience the centerpiece of this organization,” said Dr. Raju. “William Hicks and Michael Rawlings have been with the organization for many years and represent the level of leadership necessary to take our health system to the next level.”
Mr. Hicks is a health care executive with more than 30 years of experience. He has been serving as acting CEO since February 2016 and served as the hospital’s COO since 2013. He understands the patient care perspective and the value of keeping it at the center of his decision-making process. As COO, Mr. Hicks played a lead role in developing the team and protocols that led to the successful treatment of New York’s first confirmed Ebola patient in 2014.
As the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Rawlings will be in charge of day-to-day management, bringing more than 20 years of experience in facilities management and health care. After the hospital was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Mr. Rawlings was among those who led the hospital as it rebuilt its infrastructure and worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to identify and develop mitigation plans and strategies to protect the hospital from future storms. Mr. Rawlings joined NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in 2009 and most recently served as Senior Associate Executive Director of Facilities Management.
“It’s an exciting time for the health system as we refresh the way we look at and deliver health care for New Yorkers,” said Mr. Hicks. “There are 280 years of innovation and excellence to live up to at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and there is much more to be accomplished. We have an extraordinarily talented team who are called upon for care during New York City’s most challenging times. I’m proud to lead this team.”
“It’s an honor to serve the mission of NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and our community,” said Mr. Rawlings. “Keeping patients first must be at the center of all we do to improve their experience. I look forward to working with the Bellevue leadership team and all the staff as we provide quality health services without exception.”
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Leadership Bios:
William Hicks will serve as the hospital’s CEO, responsible for ensuring quality standards of care, increasing workforce engagement, expanding access, building community collaborations and providing an exceptional patient experience. Mr. Hicks believes his experiences as a radiologic technologist early in his 37-year career added a patient care perspective, understanding, and value to his decision-making process. Most recently, he served as NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue’s Chief Operating Officer, where he played a lead role in developing the team and protocols that led to the treatment of New York’s first confirmed Ebola patient in 2014. He contributed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue’s designation as the National Ebola Treatment and Education Center (NETEC), where he is an active faculty member, and the hospital’s designation as a Region II Ebola and Other Special Pathogen Treatment Center. Prior to joining NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, he held key positions at other hospitals within the health system including NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln. Mr. Hicks has a B.S. in Health Administration and an M.S. in Management, both from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn.- Michael Rawlings will serve as the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer in charge of the day-to-day management. He has more than 20 years of experience in facilities management and health care, and most recently served as the Senior Associate Executive Director of Facilities Management at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. He led the team responsible for the operations and maintenance of the hospital’s physical plant, and directly managed all planning, design, construction, environmental services, fire safety, emergency management, language services and telecommunications. He reorganized the facility’s management programs to improve services with a customer service oriented structure and style. After the hospital was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Mr. Rawlings played a lead role as the hospital rebuilt its infrastructure, including electrical distribution, water pumps and fuel pumps, and has worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to identify and develop mitigation plans and strategies to protect the hospital from future storms. Before joining NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in 2009, Mr. Rawlings served as the Network Director of Engineering and Maintenance at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, where he majored in mechanical engineering.
William Hicks will serve as the hospital’s CEO, responsible for ensuring quality standards of care, increasing workforce engagement, expanding access, building community collaborations and providing an exceptional patient experience. Mr. Hicks believes his experiences as a radiologic technologist early in his 37-year career added a patient care perspective, understanding, and value to his decision-making process. Most recently, he served as NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue’s Chief Operating Officer, where he played a lead role in developing the team and protocols that led to the treatment of New York’s first confirmed Ebola patient in 2014. He contributed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue’s designation as the National Ebola Treatment and Education Center (NETEC), where he is an active faculty member, and the hospital’s designation as a Region II Ebola and Other Special Pathogen Treatment Center. Prior to joining NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, he held key positions at other hospitals within the health system including NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln. Mr. Hicks has a B.S. in Health Administration and an M.S. in Management, both from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn.
Michael Rawlings will serve as the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer in charge of the day-to-day management. He has more than 20 years of experience in facilities management and health care, and most recently served as the Senior Associate Executive Director of Facilities Management at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. He led the team responsible for the operations and maintenance of the hospital’s physical plant, and directly managed all planning, design, construction, environmental services, fire safety, emergency management, language services and telecommunications. He reorganized the facility’s management programs to improve services with a customer service oriented structure and style. After the hospital was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Mr. Rawlings played a lead role as the hospital rebuilt its infrastructure, including electrical distribution, water pumps and fuel pumps, and has worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to identify and develop mitigation plans and strategies to protect the hospital from future storms. Before joining NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in 2009, Mr. Rawlings served as the Network Director of Engineering and Maintenance at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, where he majored in mechanical engineering.Contact: Press Office, 212-788-3339
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Bellevue is a member of the NYC Health + Hospitals health care system and is America’s oldest hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU School of Medicine, Bellevue is a major referral center for highly complex cases. The 844-bed hospital has 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. It sees more than 110,000 emergency room visits and 500,000 outpatient visits annually. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Comprehensive Children’s Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information.