Park Slope doctor, head of NYC Hospitals, wins national acclaim

Dr. Wei's strategic planning quadrupled ICU capacities, saved thousands

June 22, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Dr. Eric Wei, president and chief quality officer of NYC Health + Hospitals. Courtesy of Health + Hospitals YouTube video

Share this:

Dr. Eric Wei, president and chief quality officer of NYC Health + Hospitals, has been named to the “50 Most Influential Clinical Executives” list by Modern Healthcare, a Crain’s publication for health care executives.

As an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Wei, who lives in Park Slope with his wife and two young children, not only experienced the impacts of the pandemic from the frontline as he worked shifts in the emergency departments within the public hospital system, but he also played a critical role in the system’s response to the pandemic.

His contributions included strategic planning to quadruple ICU capacity, reconfiguring emergency departments to accommodate the needs and patient volume demands of the pandemic, and leading the patient level-loading system to ensure that each hospital was operating safely, considering high patient volumes.

He also oversaw planning for a second surge, especially related to worker training and allocation of resources.

In addition, Dr. Wei oversaw more than $35 million in donations to the public health system to help with employee accommodations, such as meals, transportation and child care, and the expansion of the Helping Healers Heal program, aimed at supporting employees’ emotional and psychological well-being.

“I’m honored to be recognized on Modern Healthcare’s “50 Most Influential Clinical Executives” list alongside colleagues who played critical roles in our country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr. Wei. “The pandemic showed the resiliency and flexibility of our public health system, but our life-saving work would not have been possible without our entire workforce who worked tirelessly to make sure no care was disrupted for any patient in the city.”

During the first COVID-19 surge, NYC Health + Hospitals’ Helping Healers Heal (H3) program, which was launched in 2018 by Health + Hospitals CEO Mitchell Katz and Dr. Wei to help support healthcare workers through emotional and psychological trauma, second victimization, and burnout, was quickly scaled up.

The expanded program encompassed unit-based wellness rounds, which include mental health experts and peer-support teams actively engaging employees in areas heavily affected by COVID-19, one-to-one peer support sessions, an anonymous behavioral health employee-only hotline, and the creation of respite/wellness rooms across the system to allow employees to take a break and engage in calming activities such as meditation or arts and crafts.

“Dr. Wei is incredibly deserving of this recognition, not just for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for the innovation and compassion he has brought to the hospital systems I’ve been fortunate to work alongside him at,” said Dr. Katz.

Before joining Health + Hospitals, which administers city hospitals such as Coney Island Hospital and Kings County Hospital, in 2018, he was the interim chief quality officer and associate medical director for quality, safety and risk for LAC + USC Medical Center in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.