Backus Hospital getting new president
Norwich — The William W. Backus and Windham hospitals are getting a new president amid a leadership shakeup at Hartford HeathCare, the company that runs both hospitals.
Three other Hartford HealthCare facilities will also get new presidents, according to a news release sent Monday afternoon.
Donna Handley, who is now a vice president at Hartford HealthCare’s Cancer Institute, will take over as the president of the hospital network’s East Region, which includes Backus and Windham.
She will replace Bimal Patel, who was announced as the president of the two hospitals in December 2015. As part of the leadership changes, Patel plans to become the president of Hartford Hospital, replacing Dr. Stuart Markowitz.
Changes effective Oct. 1
The leadership changes, including Handley taking over as president of Backus and Windham, will take place Oct. 1, the start of the health system’s fiscal year.
“I am humbled by the confidence placed in me, aware of the large shoes I have to fill, and mindful of the magnitude of this job,” Patel wrote in a letter to staff Monday. “I will carry the many lessons learned at Backus and Windham hospitals with me to my new role.”
Patel called Handley a “great relationship-builder” who will work closely with staff and physicians.
In her current position, Handley oversees the clinical and strategic direction of Hartford HealthCare’s Cancer Institute, which includes cancer centers at Backus Hospital, Hartford Hospital, The Hospital of Central Connecticut, MidState Medical Center and Windham Hospital.
She also oversaw the Cancer Institute’s membership in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance.
She arrived at the Cancer Institute in 2009 after serving as the vice president of cancer services at St. John Health in Detroit. She began her career as a nurse specializing in
thoracic surgical oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Hartford HealthCare said her replacement at the Cancer Institute will be announced soon.
“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,” Hartford HealthCare Chief Executive Officer Elliot Joseph and HHC President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey A. Flaks wrote in a letter to staff. “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.”