City & State New York Recognizes Three NYC Health + Hospitals CEOs on its 2024 “Manhattan Power 100” List

City & State New York Recognizes Three NYC Health + Hospitals CEOs on its 2024 "Manhattan Power 100" List

Aug 26, 2024

New York, NY - NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that former NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan CEO and current CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln Cristina Contreras, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue CEO William Hicks, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem CEO Georges Leconte were recognized by City & State New York in their "Manhattan Power 100" list for 2024. From government appointees to business executives to advocates, the annual recognition list highlights leaders in Manhattan who affect the lives of New Yorkers. Contreras chairs the city's annual Dominican Day parade and got NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan re-designated as a baby-friendly hospital this year. Hicks is recognized for obtaining accreditation for NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue's cancer care from the American College of Surgeons, one of 14 hospitals in the country to do so, and for opening a new $285,000 lab allowing patients to be treated for skin cancer in a single visit. Leconte is a Haitian immigrant who has served the Health System since 1999. Since taking the helm as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, he is credited with helping the facility through the coronavirus pandemic. City & State is the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York's local and state politics and policy.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Cristina Contreras started her career as a caseworker and progressed through various positions of leadership with increasing responsibility, culminating with her appointment as Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan in April 2021. She has over 27 years of leadership experience in executive level management of inpatient, ambulatory, clinical, and ancillary services. Contreras has been recognized by Schneps Media, 100 Hispanic Women National, the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and City & State New York for her extraordinary work. She also serves as the Chair of the National Dominican Day Parade and on the Board of Directors of R.A.I.N. Total Care, Inc. She holds a Bachelors in Social Work from Herbert H. Lehman College, a Master's Degree in Social Work from Fordham University and a second Master's Degree in Public Administration from Baruch College. Effective September 16, Contreras will transition as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, filling in the position of outgoing CEO Christopher Roker.

William Hicks, MS, RT, DHL, leads NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in America. Under his leadership, recent innovations in patient care have included expanding access to lifesaving programs previously available only at private institutions, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for cardiac care and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which was essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that the procedures are available to New Yorkers regardless of ability to pay. Hicks has overseen NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue's national recognitions for adult and pediatric trauma, stroke care, cardiology, diabetes, maternity care, neurology, physical rehabilitation, psychiatry, palliative care, and special pathogens. The facility provided direct care for patients with COVID-19 and operated a vaccine center, as well as a recently closed testing site that conducted more than 230,000 tests throughout the pandemic. With Hicks at the helm, the hospital recently opened five new inpatient units to support a growing number of complex medical cases, and expanded psychiatric emergency services for pediatric patients-the only program of its kind in New York State and one of only very few in the country. Hicks has been recognized by Schneps Media and City & State. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from the New York College of Health Professions in 2021.

Over his thirty-year tenure in the health care field, Georges Leconte has held several key leadership positions, most recently as the Senior Associate Executive Director for the Ancillary Services Division at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where he managed a staff of 600. His division included the biomedical engineering, cardiology, pathology, pharmacy, radiology, radiation oncology, and respiratory care departments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Leconte put his respiratory therapy skills to use, joining clinical staff on the frontline to provide care to those affected by the virus. He also served as the Regional Director of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens' Respiratory Care Services, and as the Regional Assistant Director of Respiratory Therapy at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan. Leconte's work also extends into education, as he has held appointments as an adjunct instructor and student advisor at New York University, and an advisory board member at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Leconte holds a Bachelor of Science degree from CUNY/Hunter College, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Alfred University. He is past president of the New York Regional Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE), and a member of the American Association of Respiratory Care, and the Lambda Beta Society, the national honor society for the respiratory care profession.

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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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