Today, Barry H. Ostrowsky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barnabas Health, announced several changes and additions to the Barnabas Health senior leadership to enhance strategic alignment and to better serve the social, human and health needs of the residents of New Jersey. Barnabas Health is continually transforming to maintain its position as one of the nation’s foremost providers of health care services.

“I am confident that these exceptionally talented and experienced individuals will effectively utilize their expertise to both guide and strengthen Barnabas Health during these most dynamic and transformative times in health care,” said Mr. Ostrowsky.

Mr. Ostrowsky announced the following changes in leadership that allow for a realignment of responsibilities:

Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center and Network

Joe Hicks, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center and Network, will retire on January 31. Jennifer G. Velez, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Planning, assumes the position of Senior Vice President of Population and Behavioral Health Integration, Barnabas Health. Deanna Sperling, MAS, RN, CAN, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer for Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center and Chief Operating Officer for the Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Network, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center in Toms River.

Mr. Hicks has been in the behavioral health services field for more than 40 years, involved in many aspects of this challenging health care specialty. He joined Shoreline Behavioral Health (now Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center) in 1994 as Vice President, and the following year was named President and Chief Executive Officer, developing and directing the largest statewide behavioral health network in New Jersey. During his tenure, he founded Barnabas Health Management Services, comprised of the Employee Assistance Program, Administrative Services Organization, Physician Referral Service, and the Behavioral Health Access Center. He also guided the development and expansion of the Institute for Prevention and established the Corporate Care product line. From 2004 to 2011, Mr. Hicks also served as President and CEO of Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood (now Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus).

Jennifer G. Velez’s new role as Senior Vice President of Population and Behavioral Health Integration is effective immediately. Ms. Velez will focus on the health of our communities, understanding the societal and economic issues of primarily the urban Medicaid populations in Newark, Lakewood, and other communities served by Barnabas Health, and correlating needs with improving the health of populations. In addition, she will have direct oversight over all aspects of Barnabas Health Behavioral Health. Ms. Velez joined Barnabas Health in March, 2015, as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Planning, after serving for eight years as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, and was the State’s longest-serving Human Services Commissioner. She managed the largest State agency with budget, personnel and operational responsibility for nearly $11 billion, approximately 16,000 employees, eight operational divisions, including Medicaid, five developmental centers and four psychiatric hospitals. Her deep understanding of our communities’ needs and her experience will be especially effective in this new position for Barnabas Health.

Deanna Sperling, MAS, RN, CAN, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer for Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center (BHBHC) and Chief Operating Officer for the Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Network, will assume her new position as President and Chief Executive Officer of BHBHC effective February 1. She began her career with Barnabas Health as a registered nurse in 1985 and has held several leadership positions during her 30-year tenure. She received a diploma from the School of Nursing at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, NY, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, NJ, and a Master in Administrative Sciences from Fairleigh Dickenson University in Teaneck, NJ. She is certified in Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing and as a Nurse Executive through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. A search for Chief Nursing Officer of the Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center is in progress.

Community Medical Center

Michael Mimoso, MHSA, FACHE, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Medical Center in Toms River since July 2015, will become the permanent President and Chief Executive Officer, following a six-month national search. Previously, Mr. Mimoso served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus in Lakewood from 2011 until last July. During his 26 years in health care administration, he has also held the following positions: Vice President of Operations at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Health Quest Systems, Inc., in Poughkeepsie, New York; President and Chief Executive Officer of Northern Duchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, New York; and Vice President of Operations at Kimball Medical Center, among others.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey

John A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., President and Chief Executive Officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) since 2007, has accepted a position with WellStar Health System in Georgia as Executive Vice President, effective February 5. Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer of NBIMC and CHoNJ, will serve as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effective February 5, while a national search is conducted. Previously, Dr. Brennan served as Senior Vice President of Clinical and Emergency Services for Barnabas Health, overseeing the Quality and Safety Program, Emergency Preparedness, Physician Alignment, and Clinical Growth, among other positions held since joining the Saint Barnabas Medical Center Medical Staff in 1993.

Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, is responsible for clinical and non-clinical departments, as well as overall operations. Mr. Terry has more than 30 years of experience in health care administration at three major NJ healthcare companies and has held several leadership positions at Barnabas Health, prior to assuming his current role in 2011. His expertise and education are focused in the areas of administration, operations, management and advocacy. Mr. Terry received an M.P.H. from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University; an M.H.A. and a graduate certificate in Healthcare Management from Seton Hall University; and a Bachelor’s degree and a certificate in Business Management from Rutgers University. Mr. Terry is board certified in Health Care Management by the American College of Health Care Executives’ Board of Governors, with Fellowship status. He received a certificate of participation from Harvard University’s School of Public Health for the Leadership Strategies Program.

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Barnabas Health is the largest not-for-profit integrated health care delivery system in New Jersey and one of the largest in the region, with more than two million patient visits and delivery of more than 20,000 babies annually. The system includes seven acute care hospitals, two children’s hospitals, a trauma center, a freestanding behavioral health center, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, retail pharmacy services, a medical group, multi-site imaging centers and several accountable care organizations. As the second-largest private employer in New Jersey, Barnabas Health includes more than 20,000 employees and over 5,000 physicians – or one-fifth of the actively practicing physicians in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.BarnabasHealth.org.

[TLS – Press Release]