Dr. Saul N. Weingart | President, Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital
1. You became the president of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital as Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System pursue a merger. How does that affect your role? I am excited about being part of the effort to create an integrated academic health care system with Lifespan, Care New England and our academic partner Brown University. Having a comprehensive academic health system in Rhode Island will benefit patients, employees and the entire state.
2. What are you hoping to draw more public attention to at the two hospitals? We have signature programs in many areas, including cancer, neurosciences, pediatrics, behavioral health, trauma, cardiovascular and emergency medicine. Each is stellar in their own regard, and their success is often interconnected. You need superb critical care to provide [great] surgical care. A first-rate stroke program relies on top-notch emergency medicine, interventional radiology and rehabilitation services. An exceptional cancer institute depends on cutting-edge research. We have all that here at Rhode Island Hospital and the programs and services throughout Lifespan.
3. The state is growing in population and becoming more diverse. How is Rhode Island Hospital responding to demographic changes? We are increasingly attuned to structural racism and the way that social determinants of health create barriers to care. We remain committed to having a diverse workforce and providing high-quality, culturally relevant, equitable and affordable care to all.
4. Your background includes many years in patient safety. What have hospitals learned over the years about infection control and safety issues? Modern health care is an extraordinarily complex endeavor, and with complexity comes risk. Simplification and standardization in infection control, medication and surgical practices go a long way to create the highly reliable systems that reduce the risk associated with complex care.
5. What is the role of medical research at Rhode Island Hospital? The goal of medical research is to ultimately discover new treatments and improve patient outcomes. Advancements in this area are exciting, including the use of artificial intelligence to analyze complex data; genomic medicine; and community-based research. We strive to lead the way in Rhode Island and the region as a top-tier research institution that generates knowledge for new therapeutics and cutting-edge treatments for common and rare illnesses and diseases.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
