Higher Ground

Georges H. Leconte Tiray Silvis

Harlem Hospital's New CEO

NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem conducted a nationwide search for a new CEO last year with input from hospital staff and community members. It turned out the person they needed was working alongside them all along. In January 2022, the position went to Georges H. Leconte, MPA, FAB, RRT, who has served in various leadership and administrative roles within the public health system since 1999. With three decades of experience in hospital administration and direct patient care as a licensed respiratory therapist, Leconte will help lead the hospital’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic as CEO and address the ongoing public health challenges some of the City’s hardest hit communities in NYC still face. He

“Becoming CEO of NYC will also ensure the continued focus on Health + Hospitals/Harlem employee wellness, is a dream role for me. It will clinical excellence, allow me the opportunity exceptional patient to contribute to Harlem’s healthcare heroes.” experience, fiscal integrity, and expanding access. “Georges has proven his commitment to our healthcare system for over two decades, not only as a seasoned hospital administrator, but also by rolling up his sleeves and joining other frontline providers during the early days of the pandemic. That’s the team spirit and nimbleness that any leader and hospital CEO should have,” said NYC

Health + Hospitals President Mitchell Katz, MD. Helping Communities Live Healthier Lives

For Tiray Silvis, recently promoted lead director of Strategic Marketing & Growth for Aetna Better Health of New Jersey, supporting communities in addressing gaps in social determinants of health is a high priority. To accomplish that goal, he and his team at Aetna focus on establishing strong community relationships.

Silvas brought experience from his position as manager for Business Project Program Management for Aetna CVS Health. In that role, he developed grassroots strategies to promote awareness of Aetna CVS Health’s entry into the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace and collaborated with various local community organizations and sales teams to increase awareness of ACA market entry. “Our health is our greatest asset and helping our Silvis began his healthcare career with communities achieve and Horizon Blue maintain that asset is a Cross Blue personal mission for me.” Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ), directing account services and membership maintenance operations. He implemented strategies to increase recruitment and engagement by planning events and outreach including back-to-school, vaccination drives, open-enrollment periods, and Medicare/Affordable Care Act education.

MoneySaving lives The Mount Sinai Robert F. Smith buiness, finance + work Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit

By Jean Nash Wells

As men age, the cells in the prostate gland can become cancerous. Every year in the United States, more than 30,000 men die from prostate cancer, second only to skin cancer. About one in eight men in America will develop the condition at some point in their lives, and about one in 40 will die from it. Age is the greatest risk factor for prostate cancer. While only one in 10,000 men under age 40 will be diagnosed, that number leaps to one in 1986 NY Giants Captain and Super Bowl XXI Champion George Martin leads discussion with physician experts. L-R Jose Bustillo, DO; Domenico Savatta, MD; Michael Chan, MD; Smruti Mohanty, MD. Not pictured is panel member Matthew Montgomery, DO, 14 for those ages 60 to 69. About 60 percent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65, and 97 percent occur in men 50 years of age and older. All of these facts are reasons for concern, but Black men must be particularly vigilant. Black men have a 70 percent Members of the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey team with NY Giants Super Bowl Champ George Martin from L-R: Chief Equity Officer and VP of Community Relations Atiya Jaha Rashidi, MHA, RN; VP of Community Relations Rev. Dr. Marilyn

MBA, MPH higher rate of developing high-risk prostate cancer, and are Harris; and AVP of Public Relations and Marketing Linda Kamateh more than twice as likely to die from it. Prostate cancer usuRay Murphy Men’s Health and Wellness Night ally has no noticeable symptoms. The first sign of disease is often found during a routine screening exam. This is why screening is important.

But there is good news; with early detection, prostate cancer can be treated successfully and thanks to billionaire businessman and philanthropist Robert F. Smith, the lives of more Black men in New York City can be saved. The Mount Sinai Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit, a state-of-the-art mobile facility equipped with advanced scanning and trained staff, enables early detection of prostate cancer for at-risk Black men. The mobile

Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing high-risk prostate cancer, and are more than twice as likely to die from it.

Newark Beth Israel presented its annual Ray Murphy Men’s Health and Wellness Night on October 27 at Cedar Hill Golf and Country Club. Over 175 men took advantage of the health screenings including blood pressure, PSA testing, glucose screening and education, balance testing, spirometry testing, vascular education, hernia screening, and more. An insightful panel discussion with audience participation followed. The event featured a full tailgate menu, silent auction, raffle prizes, and the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers fighting it out on a big screen.