Corporate Citizenship | Dennis D. Keefe, President and CEO, Care New England
“The ability of Care New England to have a positive impact on the health of all Rhode Islanders, starting with the leadership of Dennis D. Keefe and running throughout the entire organization, [should not] be underestimated,” said Charles Reppucci, executive director and chief operating officer of Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP, chairman of the board at Care New England.
“Dennis has done a tremendous job ingraining himself into the community while encouraging others throughout Care New England to do the same,” Reppucci said.
Keefe, president and CEO of Care New England since 2011, came from a similar role in the only public hospital in Massachusetts, Cambridge Health Alliance; he also served as that city’s health commissioner.
The third of six children, he is upfront about growing up poor in inner-city Boston. His beginnings – where the existence of nonprofits such as St. Vincent DePaul were a lifeline, he said – give him an intimate understanding of those the health care system he oversees works to help: the uninsured, the underinsured and the disenfranchised.
With seven other entities: Butler, Memorial, Kent, Women & Infants hospitals, plus Care New England Wellness Center, The Providence Center and the VNA of Care New England, Care New England has a lot of ground to cover in terms of community initiatives.
“You have to be committed to these initiatives,” said Keefe. “If they are connected to the mission, it makes it all fit better. At the end of the day, it’s about balancing scarce hours of availability, keeping organized, keeping to a good schedule. I can multitask and delegate. If you believe in it, you find a way.”
Community benefits delivered by the health care system in 2016 totaled $118.3 million, according to Care New England’s annual report, most of it to the Medicaid shortfall, education initiatives and subsidized care.
The health system specifically implements programs aimed at increasing access to health information and services; supplementing government programs; and improving public health. Efforts include education and research, outreach programming, subsidized health services and financial assistance. Care New England has longtime affiliations with Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, which uses facilities at Butler, Memorial and Women & Infants hospitals for psychiatry, primary care and obstetrics, gynecology and neonatology training and research, for example, for which it has earned national and global recognition.
Collaborative relationships are what make these efforts work, says Keefe.
Community connections – Keefe holds board positions with Rhode Island Quality Institute, Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Essential Hospitals Institute and Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce – are well-worth the investment, he says, and take time.
“I would never say I am a personality that fills a room,” he said. “I might be on a committee or project and step back, access information and listen – that can lead to leadership. You can’t barrel into a community and bowl people over, you have to earn that respect.”
Women & Infants Hospital, for example, said Keefe, has had a longstanding bond with March of Dimes, a partner in creating the hospital’s sibling play space in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The American Heart Association and Care NE also join forces for fundraising and other initiatives. “Engaging with external stakeholders, political leaders, leaders in industry … the more you establish one-on-one personal relationships, the more successful you’ll be,” said Keefe.
Keefe’s latest efforts involve transitioning his successor, Dr. James E. Fanale, into the role of president and CEO; Keefe is retiring in December.
“The new model of health care delivery works best when there is a strong partnership between providers such as Care New England and the community,” said Reppucci. n
