Westerly Hospital recently named registered nurse William Filippone as its chief nursing officer. Filippone has more than 20 years of experience in numerous health care settings. Most recently, he served as senior director of patient care services at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston.
He holds an MBA from the University of Texas, a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Rhode Island. Providence Business news asked him about his new job and his history in Rhode Island.
PBN: In your new role, you’re responsible for the oversight of patient care services. What does that mean?
FILIPPONE: Having oversight of patient care services encompasses all clinical areas at Westerly Hospital. For example, emergency room, [intensive care unit], [operating room] and other ancillary clinical areas.
Two major aspects of patient care services are patient experience and quality of services. Westerly Hospital is committed to providing the best quality care and I am excited to learn what is important to our patients and helping us connect with them in a way they expect from a top hospital.
PBN: What’s the biggest initial challenge involved with your new job?
FILIPPONE: I am still fairly new to Westerly Hospital and currently conducting my overall assessment and forming ideas about how to move patient care services forward and provide the best patient care possible. I want our Emergency Department to be the front door to a wonderful experience and help alleviate any anxieties that come with being ill or entering a hospital.
PBN: You’re a native Rhode Islander – where do you hail from, and how long has it been since you were working/living in the state?
FILIPPONE: I am a native Rhode Islander and grew up in both the Federal Hill and Silver Lake sections of Providence. I left Rhode Island in 2003 to pursue my education at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and worked in Pittsburgh, Bethesda, Md., Arlington, Va., Houston, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and then Boston before returning to Rhode Island in 2018.
I truly enjoyed my time away from Rhode Island because it afforded me the opportunity to partake in various health care cultures around the country and take a small piece of each of those cultures back to Rhode Island. But like any true Rhode Islander, I made my way back and am very happy to be around family and friends again.
PBN: You noted you’re excited about getting involved in the community – where do you hope to contribute?
FILIPPONE: Westerly is such a fabulous area and reminds me very much of how I grew up in close-knit communities. The Westerly townsfolk, much like Providence, has a long-standing commitment to the town and a sense of pride that reminds me of home.
I have had the pleasure to attend some fundraisers and other local events to learn the local culture and be part of the community. I hope that I can be part of Westerly Hospital’s long tradition of providing quality care to the community and listening to our patients’ needs and truly hear what it is they need from us.
PBN: How do you hope to build a collaborative nursing culture?
FILIPPONE: Building a collaborative nursing culture is one of my primary goals. I have crossed paths with many great staff and leaders who truly care about their patients and want very much for Westerly Hospital to be the best hospital in Rhode Island. I believe this is possible through listening to staff and working together as a team and remembering why it is we do what we do.
We are here to reduce the suffering of our patients and create an experience leaving them to feel that we truly care. I am sincerely excited to begin this journey and look forward to meeting more of my Westerly neighbors.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
