| Claire Patterson-Monah is what some would define as ‘GT to the bones.’ She was born and raised in Georgetown and completed her education at St.Joseph’s High School before migrating to the United States in 1980. Claire is Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer at New York City (NYC) Health + Hospitals/Community Care. Two women have played important roles in shaping Claire’s career path and drive to success. Her mother and United States Congresswoman, the late Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm. As a child growing up, Claire saw her mother become an outspoken advocate within the community, the equivalent of what is now referred to as a “Community Organiser,” was very active addressing the concerns of community members, whilst doing her best to provide relief wherever possible. Her mother was also a tireless advocate addressing infant and maternal child health issues. This activism and nurturing provided the blueprint and laid the foundation for who Claire is today, especially her passion to service and for excellence. Claire continues to stay connected to her roots and is celebrated for keeping Guyana’s culture alive in the diaspora. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc. and one of the principal organisers of the annual Guyana Folk Festival in New York. She is also an active member of numerous charitable and humanitarian organisations, serving the wider Caribbean communities. Professional achievements In her present role as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer she will lead the collaboration with the enterprise’s acute care facilities, ambulatory care health centers, behavioral health, post-acute care, managed care organisations, NYC government agencies, and other community-based organisations. She is accountable for the implementation and associated performance metrics for their overall growth/business development strategy, accountable for information technology, contracting and vendor management, facilities management, project management and maintaining a network of community-based partnerships to support the community-based care management needs of the enterprise’s attributed patients. Prior to her present position, Claire served as the first Chief High Reliability Officer (CHRO) at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. Days into her new role the COVID-19 pandemic surged at Elmhurst. She worked tirelessly with the leadership team to identify and mitigate heightened pandemic burdens faced by the workforce, patients and families. Partnering with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer as Facility Lead for COVID-19 provider surge staffing, she facilitated disaster privileges and on boarding logistics for all physicians and advanced practice providers as well as the 175 United States Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. She served as a Senior Associate Executive Director at Elmhurst where she led the facility’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Program (DSRIP) efforts and worked to develop and implement several care transformation projects including the system’s flagship Express Care service at Elmhurst, a hospital-based urgent care service that helped to increase health care access by providing the right care, at the right time in the right setting. Claire spent a decade at the Central Brooklyn Network (Kings County Hospital Center, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, East New York Diagnostic and Treatment Center). She led the deployment and adaptation of Breakthrough (Lean) transformation efforts for the network, realizing improvements in performance and achievement of clinical, financial and operational goals. She also provided oversight for the coordination of Ambulatory Care Services, the Network’s Community Provider Relations Program, Managed Care, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Smoking Cessation, Asthma and Cancer outreach initiatives. She served as the Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Support Services at St Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson NJ, following multiple administrative and clinical leadership roles at Montefiore Medical Group, Montefiore Medical Center Moses and Einstein campuses. Claire has more than three decades of academic and professional accomplishment in the fields of healthcare administration, community health and dietetics. Education She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition from Queens College, a Master’s Degree in Food and Nutrition Administration from the School of Education, Health, Nursing and Arts Professionals at New York University, and post-graduate certificates in Health Care Administration from Cornell University, the Wharton School and the National Association of Public Hospitals (NAPH) 2008 Fellows program. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and is Lean Certified at the Platinum Level. Inspiration Claire said as she continues to play a role in women’s fight for equality, one quote that comes to her mind–by the first African American woman in Congress, the Honorable Shirley Chisholm, is “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Congresswoman Chisholm is of Guyanese and Barbadian parentage. Her father, Charles Christopher St. Hill, was born in British Guiana (Guyana) (Source. the internet) | 
