CEO Gerard “Jerry” Walsh
of St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
revolutionizes health care for the Rockaways
By Jenna Bagcal
When Gerard “Jerry” Walsh joined St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
(SJEH) as CEO six years ago, it was a different hospital than it
is today.
In July 2015, the Queens native was fresh off of his tenure as
the CEO of Western Maryland Hospital Center and brought a
new vision to advance health care for the 130,000 residents of
the Rockaway Peninsula.
“When I came to St. John’s, we needed to actually come up
with a new strategy for healthcare in the Rockaways. One of
my main focuses was to make the organization much more
patient and family focused and to implement quality initiatives
that would enhance the care and safety of our patients,” Walsh
said.
Since Peninsula Hospital closed in 2012, SJEH became the sole
hospital for the area. Walsh started the overhaul by bringing in
a brand new administrative team, most of whom have been at
the hospital for nearly six years. He then began to implement
changes in SJEH’s quality and expansion of patient services as
well as improvements in the hospital’s physical structure.
Over the last six years, Walsh and his team have worked to
become a “one stop shop” for both routine and emergency
health care. After working to expand its emergency department,
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