Veteran administrator and respected ‘bridge-builder’ with proven track record of successful health system turnarounds to guide Kaleida’s new strategic direction.

Buffalo, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2002 -- The Board of Directors of Kaleida Health today named William D. McGuire president and chief executive officer of Western New York's largest health-care system. The announcement was made by Gerald S. Lippes, board chair.

"Kaleida Health and the entire health-care delivery system in Western New York are at a crossroads," Lippes said. "In Bill McGuire we have selected a proven leader, with the experience, managerial success, and vision necessary to guide our hospital system as it undertakes a bold new plan for financial health and world-class medical excellence.

"Bill brings with him a track record of accomplishment in fundamental organizational change, the implementation of immediate financial improvements and a commitment to long-term quality of care. He is well known and highly respected throughout the entire health-care industry for his ability to build bridges among key constituents," he said.

McGuire most recently served as president and CEO of the Catholic Medical Centers (CMC) of Brooklyn & Queens, N.Y., a Diocesan-sponsored regional integrated health system, from 1996 to 2000.

CMC was comprised of four teaching hospitals and three skilled nursing homes; 27 primary care clinics; the largest hospital-based home health agency in the country; a faculty-practice plan, IPA, PHO, and MSO; and a Medicaid HMO (Fidelis Care of New York) with combined net revenues exceeding $750 million annually. CMC also served as the Brooklyn and Queens campus for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and had more than 250 physicians in training in medical residency and fellowships.

As CEO of CMC, McGuire was responsible for the financial turnaround of CMC and then was the principal architect of the successful merger of CMC, St. Vincent's Hospital and Sisters of Charity Healthcare into one Catholic system serving the New York metropolitan area, the St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers of New York, in the summer of 2000. As part of the merger process and by prior agreement, all three CEOs resigned their positions, as did members of the three boards.

William Joyce, vice chair of the Kaleida board and co-chair of the CEO Search Committee, said McGuire was the perfect candidate to help Kaleida maximize its full potential as a regional health-care system.

"Attaining financial stability; improving measurable clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and volume; retaining physicians and staff; and implementing more-effective teaching programs and research are among the many challenges facing Kaleida," Joyce said. "It’s a tall order, but we are confident that Bill McGuire is the right person, at the right time to help Kaleida reach its goals and fulfill its mission to the Western New York community.

"His strong interpersonal skills and ability to engender trust among all stakeholders will serve us well as we seek to further our partnerships with the University at Buffalo, local insurers, elected officials and other stakeholders who are critical to our success," he continued. "Bill will also play a critical role in helping Kaleida build better relationships with the Catholic Health System and the Erie County Medical Center as we continue to shape and improve the health-care system throughout the entire region."

Prior to joining CMC, McGuire served as president and CEO of Incarnate Word Health Services (IWHS), a multi-state health-care corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, from 1992 to 1996. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, IWHS operated 12 hospitals and one long-term care facility. In addition, the system included a full range of ambulatory facilities, Hospices, other subsidiary health corporations, joint ventures and managed care programs with assets exceeding $1 billion and net revenues exceeding $750 million annually. In July 1999, IWHS merged with Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Health Care System, Houston, to create Christus Health.

From 1989 to 1992, McGuire served as president & CEO of Mount Carmel Health (MCH) in Columbus, Ohio. Sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, MCH was the flagship of the Holy Cross Health System (HCHS) with annual revenues of $350 million. In May 2000, HCHS merged with Mercy Health Services in Michigan to create Trinity Health.

From 1985 to 1989, McGuire served as president and CEO of Mercy Health Care System (MCHS) in Scranton, Pa. In 1989, it was McGuire who merged MHCS with Mercy Health System, now Catholic Healthcare Partners.

McGuire served as CEO of Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia from 1980 to 1985.

From 1976 to 1979, he was administrator of The Children's Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, and from 1974 to 1976, associate administrator of the center.

McGuire continues to serve on the boards of the Covenant Health System in Boston and Fletcher-Allen Healthcare in Burlington, Vt. (University of Vermont Medical Center).

McGuire holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters of Hospital Administration from the Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

McGuire, and his wife, Nancy, will relocate to Buffalo from their home in San Antonio. They have two adult daughters.

Rafael Sierra of tmp.worldwide, the fourth largest executive recruiting firm in the world, assisted the Kaleida board in the search.