2007 NETWORKING® MAGAZINE’S DAVID AWARD HONOREE.

DANIEL P. WALSH
President & CEO, Winthrop-University Hospital

BY MAUREEN TRAXLER

As president and CEO of Winthrop-University Hospital since 1999, Daniel Walsh ably blends the hospital’s more-than-a-century-old tradition of quality staffing with state-of-the-art facilities and technology. At Winthrop, Long Island’s first voluntary hospital, Walsh says, “We characterize our warm, caring environment as ‘welcoming,’ and collectively
we work as a team to provide world class services.”
He adds, “People want to belong to something bigger
than themselves. Large institutions often don’t do
enough to put patients’ expectations above every day
personal needs in a context that employees can understand and commit to… we try to do that daily at
Winthrop.” This welcoming, inclusive feeling is exactly
what attracted Walsh to the healthcare industry.
With a BA in Economics from Rutgers University
and a Masters in Business Administration from
Michigan State, Walsh began his career at IBM. After
two years he moved to General Electric in a marketing
position. To advance in the company, he transferred to
the medical systems division where he was introduced
to healthcare.

“ I was fascinated by the hospitals in the New York
metro area and how they were managed, and I found
that I had a real affinity for the kinds of things they
were doing,” says Walsh. “When I met people in the
healthcare industry, I felt very comfortable. We shared
similar values, interests and motivations. I liked the
feel of the not-for-profit world.” To earn his “entry
ticket” to healthcare, he enrolled in University of
Minnesota’s Healthcare Administration Master’s program.
In 1974, the Howard Beach, Queens, native took a
position as director of health care facilities’ planning
and review at Long Island’s bi-county Comprehensive
Health Planning Agency. The small staff at this quasipublic/ private entity, comprised of federal and state
components and a regional specialized healthcare program, dealt with some of the hefty issues facing the
Island’s health delivery institutions, such as how
many hospitals should Long Island have… how many
beds… what hospitals should expand… how many
types of services do hospitals need.

“ I probably wrote the first long-term care and acute
care plans for Long Island,” says Walsh, whose charge
was to foster planned healthcare growth. In the late
1970s, he faced the challenge of deinstitutionalization
of the state’s mental health patients and helped recommend which Island hospitals should offer psychiatric
services. He dealt with the introduction of CAT scans
and other sophisticated technology and evaluated
which hospitals were best suited for open-heart surgery,
and what hospitals should provide radiation therapy. “I learned the healthcare system from an oversight view, determining coordination of care among institutions and locating the gaps in community service,” he adds. He met many chief executive officers of hospitals…the people who walked in the shoes of the CEO position he holds today. He remarks, “I was able to work with many ‘behind-the-scenes’ people to create and influence how healthcare was going to be designed on Long Island.”

Transitioning to the advocacy side of healthcare, he
accepted the post of CEO of the Nassau-Suffolk
Hospital’s Council. In this capacity, the hospital CEOs
became his “bosses,” so to speak, and his responsibilities
included educating legislators in Albany and Washington on healthcare issues and needs. He testified on the state level about the impact regulations would have on hospitals, and the Council sponsored forums for personnel and finance directors. “It was the era of sharing, infused with the desire to help one another be better at running their institutions,” says Walsh.

Having knowledge of the concerns facing hospital
CEOs — over regulation, health insurance reimbursements
and keeping costs down — he was recruited by Good Samaritan Medical Center in 1981. In 1983, he reached the top post of President/CEO and led the hospital to expand many of its programs and services. Keeping in mind the changing population that will be the recipient of its care and extended community“ partnerships,” Walsh strengthens and expands Winthrop’s presence. Through his efforts, the hospital reached out to 14 superintendents from culturallymixed Nassau school districts through its Healthy Conversations initiative, hoping to make schools
aware of its services. But after hearing the superintendents’ concerns, the focus shifted. Partnering with East Meadow, Rockville Centre, Westbury and Carle
Place, the hospital provides a physician-led program
that involves parents and children, stimulating dialogue
within the family and promoting healthy lifestyles. Through its Cultural Competency Council, Winthrop established a welcoming environment for ethnic groups at the hospital and its health fairs. Working with faith-based groups has fostered mutual understanding and established Winthrop’s credibility within ethnic communities, enabling it to provide
enhanced healthcare benefits to its neighbors.

Walsh has promoted Winthrop’s speakers’ bureau
through which hospital staff members give presentations
on topics of concern to organizations and clubs. With an ear to the public and its changing needs, the hospital and its staff encourage feedback following educational forums and lectures, monitor information and service calls to learn about emerging healthcare needs, and act as liaisons to community organizations and local agencies. As chief executive officer, Walsh extends his “Winthrop welcoming way” to engage potential philanthropists. He’s spoken often with donors about the hospital’s needs and the benefits that could be realized through additional funding.

Walsh has served as a board member and chairman
of the New York State Catholic Health Conference,
Nassau-Suffolk Health Systems Agency, Nassau-
Suffolk Hospital Council and as a board member of
the Greater New York Hospital Association. He continues
to serve on statewide and regional healthcare
committees for the Healthcare Association of New
York State. He has personally worked on behalf of the
Firemen’s Museum in Uniondale, The Society of the
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on Long Island, and the
Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk in Blue Point.

Walsh’s contributions to healthcare services have
been recognized by the American College of
Healthcare Executives, where he holds the status of
“ Diplomate”; Circulo de la Hispanidad; The Coalition
for Community Well Being; Hispanic Counseling
Services Center; and the American Health
Association, among others.

Walsh lives in St. James with his wife Ann, and the
three youngest of his six children. He’s an avid tennis
player, dabbles in golf, enjoys guitar, and his lifestyle
reflects his personal commitment to health, which makes
him a role model for his employees and others.

NETWORKING® January 2007