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28 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 16, 2023 POWER 25 | Health Care Jeffrey Flaks J effrey Flaks is one of the most influential healthcare leaders in Connecticut, and two of his top priorities in recent years have been downtown Hartford and partnerships. Late last year, Flaks led the debut of Hartford HealthCare's new 110,000-square-foot headquarters at 100 Pearl St., which is expected to eventually house 700 employees, providing a major shot in the arm for the Capital City. Flaks has emerged as one of Hart- ford's top boosters. "This building is about starting a movement in Hartford and for the Capital City to be successful," Flaks said during a ribbon-cutting event. Flaks, who has been with HHC since 2004, has helped oversee a gradual transformation of the system into a much larger, decentralized organiza- tion with hospitals, physician practices, surgical centers and urgent care facilities spread throughout the state. Efforts to coordinate that care statewide are centered in Hartford, at HHC's new downtown headquarters, which serves as a node for scheduling, imaging, electronic health records and other technology in one location. Flaks oversees a statewide health system that recorded $5.4 billion in operating revenue in fiscal 2022, which represented 28.7% of the operating dollars collected by all Connecticut health systems combined. While he's only been CEO for a few years, he played a key role in helping build-out the HHC system. HHC is the second-largest health system in Connecticut, behind Yale New Haven Health. With its 2019 purchase of Bridge- port-based St. Vincent's Medical Center, HHC made a big play in Fairfield County, investing millions to renovate the aging facility. It's also been aggressive in purchasing physi- cian practices and surgical centers, which has, at times, drawn the ire of competitors, including Trinity Health Of New England. A key focus for Flaks in the last year has been developing partnerships. In December, HHC and Connecticut Innovations announced a partnership to support 20 new startups that will have a presence at Hartford Health- Care's new downtown headquarters over the next few years. HHC has signed deals with Google Cloud and One Medical, the Amazon- owned subscription-based primary care provider that has agreed to open at least five new offices in Connecticut. Hartford HealthCare has also recently announced workforce devel- opment partnerships with a number of local colleges to fund and support training for in-demand positions, like nurses. Spotlighting healthcare industry power players W hile the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, the health- care industry still faces a host of challenges. Whether it's labor shortages, infla- tion, rising drug costs or even a mental healthcare crisis, numerous factors are creating financial and other pressures on healthcare organizations. It will take strong leadership to continue to get through these challenging times. In this week's issue, Hartford Busi- ness Journal is publishing its fourth annual Power 25 Health Care list, which identifies leaders who are having a significant impact on the industry and public health. This isn't an awards section. HBJ's Power 25 Health Care list was chosen by HBJ's editorial team, and it includes a mix of established players as well as some fresh faces to our region. We're curious to know what you think. Feel free to send feedback. Power 25 Health Care will be back next year with some new names and faces, so be prepared to make suggestions. Greg Bordonaro Editor gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com