Hartford Business Journal

32 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 16, 2023 POWER 25 | HEALTH CARE Sonja LaBarbera G aylord Specialty Healthcare has been undergoing a transformation under Sonja LaBarbera's leadership. LaBarbera is president and CEO of Wallingford-based Gaylord, which is in the midst of a multiyear, $10-million renovation project. More than 100 inpatient rooms, family and staff areas are being revamped to have a more home-like atmosphere. The project, as of late September, was about 75% finished. The 137-bed Wallingford-based nonprofit hospital provides rehabilitation services to patients who have experienced a variety of health situations, from accidents to strokes. LaBarbera became the first woman to ever lead Gaylord when she stepped into the CEO post in early 2019. easternct.edu/business LaBarbera oversees about 1,000 employees and an organi- zation that generated $92 million in revenue in fiscal year 2021. She started working at Gaylord in 2005, with her first role as director of inpatient therapy. Her background is as a speech language pathologist, and she rose through the hospital ranks, serving as chief operating officer prior to her current role. During her tenure, Gaylord has focused on training future care- givers. Gaylord has a partnership with the UConn School of Medi- cine, Hartford Hospital and UConn Health for a rehab physicians residency program. Gaylord also launched a new certified nursing assistant academy, which gives students hands-on experience caring for patients. In 2022, LaBarbera helped Gaylord secure $4.5 million in state bond funds to upgrade the hospital's 18-year-old electronic medical records system, allowing for streamlined communications with referring hospitals and physi- cians, and faster admissions. Gaylord has also expanded its footprint beyond Wallingford, with locations in Cheshire, Cromwell, Madison and North Haven. Michael R. Taylor M ichael R. Taylor is a major player in Greater New Haven's healthcare industry, serving as CEO of the Cornell Scott- Hill Health Center since 2012. Taylor oversees a staff of more than 700 employees who provide a range of services in Greater New Haven and the lower Naugatuck Valley, including medical, behav- ioral health, dental, pediatric and women's health. Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center serves more than 55,000 patients a year at 27 care sites and school- based health centers throughout the region. About 62% of its patients are enrolled in the state's Medicaid program, which serves low-income residents. Taylor is currently overseeing a major expansion project — construction of one of the state's largest centers for addiction and mental health care. The Recovery & Wellness Center in New Haven's Hill neighborhood is a $24.5 million project, taking shape at 149 Minor St. When complete, the three-story, 31,000-square-foot building will feature individual and group counseling rooms, a medical suite, 12-bed female dormitory and 40-bed male dormitory with semi-private rooms. Taylor's influence also extends beyond Connecticut. In August, he was named board chair-elect of the National Association of Community Health Centers. He will take over the chairman role in October 2025. Prior to joining Cornell Scott-Hill in 2010, Taylor was founder and president of a healthcare consulting firm that served more than 200 community health centers nationally. He also held leadership positions with several national accounting and healthcare consulting firms, including The Lewin Group. Vincent Capece Jr. V incent Capece Jr. leads Middlesex Health and its flagship Middlesex Hospital. In fiscal 2022, Middlesex Health reported $507.5 million in operating revenue, according to the Office of Health Strategy. Capece is an industry leader who has not been afraid to talk about the challenges facing hospitals, including the few independent care providers remaining in the state, like Middlesex Health. Earlier this year, for example, Capece discussed the issues around unpaid medical debt. He told HBJ that Middlesex Hospital wrote off more than $22 million in bad debt in fiscal 2022, up from $17 million in fiscal 2021. Capece said the drivers of unpaid medical debt include the overall increasing costs of care and the prevalence of high-de- ductible insurance plans, which typically force consumers to pay thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical care costs before coverage kicks in. Over the past few years, Middlesex Health has added several services, including becoming the basic life support ambulance provider for the town of Durham. It also created the Middlesex Health Center for Golf Performance, located in Middletown, which assesses and addresses a golfer's biomechanics, helping players better understand how their body relates to their golf swing. In September, Middlesex Health announced it received its largest-ever donation for mental health services. The gift will help fund the health system's outpatient mental health services, which recently moved into a newly-renovated facility at One MacDonough Place in Middletown. At the end of last year, Capece also led Middlesex Health's acqui- sition of Middletown-based Cres- cent Street OB/GYN, which has since been renamed Middlesex Health Crescent Street Obstetrics and Gynecology. Capece is a UConn grad, having received both his bachelor's degree in accounting and MBA from the state's flagship university. Brian Kane M ost of the attention on Hart- ford insurer Aetna this year has been on the company's recently announced layoffs. But on Sept. 1, the CVS Health- owned company also got a new leader. That's when Brian Kane took over as Aetna's president. He is also executive vice president of CVS Health. He replaced Daniel Finke, who stepped down for health reasons, according to CVS. Kane reports to CVS Health President and CEO Karen S. Lynch, who formerly led Aetna.

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