NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD, today announced the appointment of Georges H. Leconte, MPA, FAB, RRT as Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem.
Laconte has three decades of experience in hospital administration and direct patient care as a licensed respiratory therapist, and has served in various leadership roles in the NYC Health + Hospitals system since 1999.
As CEO, Leconte will help lead the hospital’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and address the ongoing public health challenges some of the City’s hardest-hit communities in NYC still face.
As CEO, he will also ensure the continued focus on employee wellness, clinical excellence, exceptional patient experience, fiscal integrity, and expanding access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health care for the Harlem community.
Mr. Leconte was selected after a national search for the role, with input from hospital staff and community members. His appointment is effective January 10, 2022.
“Georges has proven his commitment to our health care 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 spirt and nimbleness that any leader and hospital CEO should have,” said Dr. Katz. “We are fortunate to have one of our own health care leaders to serve the Harlem Hospital staff, patients, and community members.”
“Becoming CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is a dream role for me. It will allow me the opportunity to contribute to this essential community institution and support the talented health care professionals keeping it the great hospital it is” said Leconte. “It’s been an honor to work for our public health system for as long as I have, and I’m looking forward to becoming ingrained in another hospital community within this system, working alongside Harlem’s health care heroes.”
Over his thirty-year tenure in the health care field, Leconte has held several key leadership positions, most recently as the Senior Associate Executive Director for the Ancillary Services Division at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where he managed a staff of 600. His division included the biomedical engineering, cardiology, pathology, pharmacy, radiology, radiation oncology, and respiratory care departments.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Leconte put his respiratory therapy skills to use, joining clinical staff on the frontline to provide care to those affected by the virus.
He also served as the Regional Director of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and /Queens’ Respiratory Care Services, and as the Regional Assistant Director of Respiratory Therapy at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan.
Mr. Leconte’s work also extends into education, as he has held appointments as an adjunct instructor and student advisor at New York University, and an advisory board member at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Mr. Leconte holds a Bachelor of Science degree from CUNY/Hunter College, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Alfred University. He is past president of the New York Regional Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE), and a member of the American Association of Respiratory Care, and the Lambda Beta Society, the national honor society for the respiratory care profession.
Leconte’s family emigrated to the United States from Haiti when he was 10 years old, and lived in Manhattan and Queens as a child. He attended Rice High School in Harlem.
“Today we welcome Georges H. Leconte as the new CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. Although there are many needs for the hospital to tackle while in the midst of this pandemic, I have spoken with Georges and feel confident in his experience that the hospital will remain a beacon of hope for those in need. I look forward to working with Georges in supporting our Harlem Hospital,” said New York State Assembly member Inez E. Dickens.
“Given the vast experience and understanding of our health care system, the appointment of Georges H. Leconte as CEO of NYC Health + Hospital/Harlem is the appropriate one”; said Council Member Diana Ayala. “Having someone with deep connections, as a result of the various roles held, is not only an asset to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem but to the greater Harlem/East Harlem community. I like to congratulate Georges H. Leconte and look forward to our partnership and working collectively to improve access to affordable and comprehensive health care.”
“Congratulations to Georges Leconte on being named the new CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, and I look forward to the continued growth and success of NYC Health + Hospitals under this new leadership,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat. “This is an unprecedented time in our nation’s health care system, and Mr. Leconte’s decades of experience will prove invaluable in our community’s recovery as we rebuild and help families throughout Harlem and the region heal.”
“The Village of Harlem is honored to have a new CEO appointed at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. We believe that the system has selected a candidate who fits the needs of the moment,” said Lloyd A. Williams, President and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. “It is a historic time. Our Chamber of Commerce will be pleased to work with the hospital and its new CEO Georges Leconte. We are committed to the health and well-being of the community and we are thrilled that the right person was selected to work on that herculean task.”
“I am excited that the national search for NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem’s CEO has been completed. We have found a person who is well-qualified to lead our great institution,” said Dr. Hazel Dukes, President of the NAACP New York State Conference and Chair of Health Committee for Manhattan Community Board 10.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is a 282-bed hospital that provides a broad array of preventive, primary, and acute care services, including general medicine and medical subspecialties, general surgery and surgical subspecialties, infectious diseases, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and neonatology, burn and critical care, radiology imaging and nuclear medicine, rehabilitation medicine and physical, speech, and occupational therapies, psychiatry and substance abuse services, dental and oral surgery, and emergency adult and pediatric services.
The hospital serves as a Burn Center and Level II Trauma Center, with Centers of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery, Breast Imaging and Sexual Assault Forensics, and a designated Stroke and AIDS Center, as well as being a World Health Organization-Designated Baby-Friendly Hospital.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is among 11 public hospitals serving New York City as part of its public health system, NYC Health + Hospitals. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/harlem or call (212) 939-1000.
NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs.
A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals.
Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible.
For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.
Photo credit: More than one illustration of Georges H. Leconte.
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