PROVIDENCE – Being part of an organization that’s “passionately leading” a state of health and well-being for all of Rhode Island is why Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Matt Collins gets up and heads into work every day.
Collins, who was honored with the Career Achiever award during Providence Business News’ 2020 C-Suite Awards virtual ceremony Thursday, said in his acceptance speech that building a better health care system is “one of the greatest things a physician can have a hand in.” Collins’ health care career dates back to when he worked on a volunteer ambulance corps, making his way up the ladder as a nursing assistant and a lab technician before his current role with Blue Cross.
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“As the chosen profession industry that’s helped put bread on my table, I really want to make [health care] a better system,” Collins said.
With the COVID-19 pandemic gripping both Rhode Island and the world, Collins said one way Blue Cross is helping is by responding virtually to all needs from the state, providers and patients in a safe way to protect all from the “harms of this really nasty virus.” Blue Cross, per request from the R.I. Department of Health, sent out nurses to help with contact tracing and other needs, Collins said.
“We were grateful that we were able to serve in that capacity,” Collins said. “We all fall back on our values and our vision to passionately lead the state of health and well-being for all of Rhode Island, and I think that’s helped us carry us forward.”
Collins also noted that Rhode Islanders are “tough, tough people” and the state is “going to get through this” pandemic.
Collins was one of eight C-level executives honored by PBN Thursday for their work in various industries and sectors. The event was held virtually due to the ongoing health crisis and the video of Thursday’s event can be found here.
This year’s ceremony also recognized the following honorees for their respective work:
- Jason Cherry, chief financial officer, Carousel Industries of North America Inc.
- Cooper Woodard, chief clinical officer, The Groden Network
- Dana Alexander Nolfe, chief marketing officer, Rhode Island Medical Imaging Inc.
- David Hemendinger, chief information officer, Brown Medicine
- Wendy Montgomery, senior vice president, global brand and marketing communications, International Game Technology PLC
- Pam Hyland, CEO, Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England
- Jennifer Bose, associate director, Providence Children’s Museum, as the 2020 Rising Star
The presenting sponsor for the C-Suite Awards was KPMG LLP; the partner sponsor is the Hilb Group of New England. The complete special section on the 2020 C-Suite Awards program, featuring profiles on all of this year’s honorees, can be found here.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
