Dr. Estevan Garcia, who has a background in hospital safety and quality management, joins Cooley Dickinson Health in Northampton as its chief medical officer.
He replaces Dr. A. Kim Saal, who left in February for personal reasons after a two-year tenure.
Garcia comes to Cooley Dickinson from Hospital Insurance Company, a risk management organization, in White Plains. New York where he was vice president and medical director. There he led safety activities including enhancing documentation and communication across multiple hospital systems, according to a prepared statement from Cooley Dickinson.
Before that he served as associate chief medical officer for quality and safety at Maimonides Hospital and was chief medical officer at Brookdale Hospital, both in Brooklyn. At Brookdale he was part of a team charged with turning around a safety net hospital that was on the verge of closure.
The search committee selected Garcia for his experience in promoting patient safety, says CEO Joanne Marqusee. “We are fortunate to have someone of Dr. Garcia’s caliber,” she said.
Garcia says he is excited to be part of a thriving community hospital and health system. “My interest in coming here was so that I could work for an organization that was already focused on safety,” he said in a telephone interview.
In this new role, which he took on in September, Garcia oversees a number of departments both at the hospital and in outpatient offices throughout the Pioneer Valley.
He says his first goal is to bring more nurse practitioners and physician assistants into Cooley Dickinson’s health-care system and focus on retaining staff.
Throughout his career, Garcia has continued to practice clinically, and, at Cooley Dickinson, he will practice in the departments of emergency medicine and pediatrics, according to the hospital.
Originally from Texas, Garcia earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and completed his residency and fellowship at Childrens’ Medical Center of Dallas, as a pediatric emergency medicine physician.
He also earned a master’s degree in public administration from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Garcia, who lives in Northampton with his husband and their three children, says he enjoys cooking, watching his children compete in sports, and working out at the gym.
Of his new home, Garcia says, “I certainly have found the community to be incredibly welcoming to my family.”
Lisa Spear can be reached at lspear@gazettenet.com.