Hartford HealthCare announces regional leadership changes

September 11, 2017 By Hartford HealthCare

Hartford HealthCare (HHC) Monday announced executive leadership changes that include new presidents in each of its regions, including Backus and Windham hospitals, Hartford Hospital, the Hospital of Central Connecticut and MidState Medical Center. The changes will take effect Oct. 1, the start of the health system’s fiscal year.

At MidState Medical Center and The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Lucille Janatka has announced her retirement as regional President at the end of the calendar year. Janatka has been a committed and passionate leader as President of the Central Region since 2013. Her deep roots in Central Connecticut go back to 1999, when she became President of MidState Medical Center. She is a dedicated, nationally recognized leader and respected mentor.

Gary Havican, who is the Central Region’s Vice President of Operations, will succeed Janatka as regional President. Janette Edwards will succeed Havican in the regional operations role.

John Rossi, Director of HHC’s Office of Project Management, will succeed Edwards as HHC Vice President for Operational Integration.

Dr. Stuart Markowitz, President of HHC’s Hartford Region, which includes Hartford Hospital, will become HHC’s Senior Vice President and Physician Chief for Strategic Imaging Services.

Bimal Patel will succeed Markowitz as President of the Hartford Region. Patel is now President of HHC’s East Region, which includes Backus and Windham hospitals.

Patel will be succeeded at Backus and Windham hospitals by Donna Handley, the HHC Cancer Institute’s Vice President of Operations. Her replacement will be announced in the near future.

The changes are possible because of “the solid foundation set by our current leaders,” Hartford HealthCare Chief Executive Officer Elliot Joseph and HHC President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey A. Flaks wrote in a letter to staff. The transitions represent the next evolution in the health system’s development, and celebrate the organization’s depth of internal talent.

“Four years ago HHC created a regional structure, and since then we have been on a path to
improve the quality and coordination of care our patients receive,” the letter said. “Our Institute model, just an early idea at the time, is now a driver of care delivery, attracting world-class clinical leaders and expanding access to quality care.

“Today, more than ever, our regions are called upon to drive staff engagement and customer service, so Hartford HealthCare is the best place to work, practice and receive care. This requires greater partnerships with physicians, deeper integration with our Institutes, and unwavering attention to core facilities operations.”

Markowitz’s years of experience in leading Hartford Hospital, HHC’s largest and most complex facility, as well as his training, knowledge and passion for the field of radiology will be essential in providing physician leadership in this new role. His skills and leadership are needed as HHC continues to standardize and build upon its extensive array of imaging services across the system, which stretches across much of Connecticut.

Patel has a strong awareness of the Hartford Region and Hartford Hospital, thanks to his many accomplishments as an operations executive there, starting in 2009. His track record has continued over the past two years as HHC East Region president, as he has partnered with physicians to expand service offerings while maintaining a strong operational focus and achieving exceptional results.

In the East Region, Handley will build on her experience of leading HHC’s first system-wide clinical infrastructure, the HHC Cancer Institute, helping to achieve a unique alliance with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and delivering on our promise to provide a single standard of excellence for patients. She has an exceptionally keen ability to build and maintain relationships with physicians, staff and communities.

Havican joined HHC in September 2016 as the Central Region’s Vice President of Operations, after a successful tenure at Middlesex Hospital in a variety of executive leadership positions. His operational focus, combined with his skills in physician relations, has been instrumental as we launched and continue to grow the Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute at MidState Medical Center in Meriden.

“We feel blessed to have such a reservoir of leadership to call upon as our organization matures and advances toward our vision,” Joseph and Flaks added.

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Hartford HealthCare is Connecticut’s most comprehensive healthcare network. Our fully integrated health system includes a tertiary-care teaching hospital, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, two community hospitals, the state’s most extensive behavioral health network, a large multispecialty physician group, a regional home care system, an array of senior care services, a large physical therapy and rehabilitation network and an accountable care organization. The Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute provides coordinated care across five cancer centers, and is the charter member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance.