Jorge R. Petit, MD
Behavioral Healthcare Executive & Innovative Leader
Community psychiatrist and healthcare executive leader committed to social justice, health equity and access to high-quality, affordable healthcare services for all.
About Me
Board-certified psychiatrist with over three decades in the public healthcare sector. Throughout my journey, I have steered progressively intricate systems of care, orchestrating the achievement of enduring and systemic enhancements in essential service accessibility and provision. I am inherently results-oriented, driven by a relentless pursuit of innovation, and bring a bilingual and bicultural dimension to my leadership. My experience includes navigating and guiding organizational expansion and transformation, consistently yielding positive outcomes.
A hallmark of my expertise lies in developing and implementing high-caliber, quality-driven programs that crystallize into a cohesive, person-centric model of care, deeply embedded within the community fabric. I stand as testament to my ability to produce outcomes that transcend the boundaries of conventional care, fostering an environment where integration is paramount and the individual is at the heart of every endeavor.
Advocating fervently for a paradigm shift towards more integrated healthcare models, I champion the fusion of data, innovations, and technology-assisted care solutions. My vision aligns with the pursuit of health equity, ensuring that every individual, irrespective of background, is empowered to access equitable healthcare opportunities.
As a seasoned physician leader, my legacy encompasses the establishment of inclusive work environments that embrace diversity and equity. A cornerstone of my approach is addressing deeply entrenched racial and health inequities that have long plagued the sector. By dismantling systemic barriers, I have fostered an atmosphere where all can thrive, thereby propelling us towards a more equitable future.
Work Experience
September 2015 – September 2017
New York State Regional Senior Vice President | Beacon Health Options
Worked with multiple external stakeholders in the New York health care delivery system developing strategies for improving behavioral health care throughout NYS. Oversaw the delivery and coordination of mental health care and substance use disorder services for more than 5.5 million New Yorker. Instituted workflows and processes that improved the management of contractual relationship with the partner plans in the behavioral healthcare of their members. Oversaw the growth of clinical care management programs in the NYS region with HARP, QMP, commercial and exchange products, in addition to promoting integrated/collaborative care models.
October 2007 – August 2015
President & Founder | Quality Healthcare Solutions Group
Provided training, technical assistance, interim Medical Director coverage, and consulting services—focused on patient care, quality, systems improvement and HIT/data analytics—to healthcare systems, including community-based behavioral health agencies, hospital psychiatry/behavioral health departments, and local and state regulatory entities. Functioned as Compliance Coordinator for NYS H+H/Kings County Hospital as part of the USDOJ Settlement Agreement, convened a multistakeholder group and delivered a final report/recommendation to OPWDD/OMH on individuals with IDD that were long-term stayers in emergency departments and psychiatric inpatient units; served as lead for The Jewish Board of Children and Family Services in the transition of the FEGS BH portfolio as part of the FEGS bankruptcy.
October 2004 – September 2007
Associate Commissioner | NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Oversaw all of the NYC funded contracts/agreements in Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Mental Retardation/Developmental Disability areas with funding over $280MM per year. Portfolio included administrative and managerial oversight of the Office of Child/Adolescent Services, Office of Adult Services, Bureau of Community Liaison and Training, Office of Public Mental Hygiene Initiatives, Office of Mental Health Disaster Preparedness and Response and the Office of the Medical Director. Primarily responsible for program development, design and implementation including key public mental hygiene initiatives such as depression screening in primary care (served as the NYC/public partner representative on the NYBGH Mental Health Task Force/One Voice Initiative), office-based opiate treatment and alcohol screening and brief intervention.
July 1996 - September 2004
PRIOR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES:
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Acting Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, North General Hospital
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Vice Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, North General Hospital
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Director, Psychiatry Emergency Services, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Medical Center
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Medical Director, New Directions: Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic
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Attending Physician, Department of Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital Center
September 2017 - Jaunuary 2022
Chief Executive Officer & President | Coordinated Behavioral Care
Produced sustained growth of CBC’s Health Home and Pathway Home™, developed new lines of business: Grant, Training Institute, Innovations Hub, while streamlining/optimizing internal functions and vendor contracts. Developed internal and external processes to achieve clinical integration as an IPA among 60+ community-based behavioral health agencies. Recipient of multiple federal, state and foundation grants to support the provider network and grow network capabilities to offer more diverse services. Positioned CBC and the community-based provider network as thought leaders in healthcare transformation activity as well as advocacy on key topic areas relevant to the sector. Co-created with CBHS IPA: Innovative Management Solutions NY (IMSNY) a joint venture management services organization with a centralized Data Analytic Business Intelligence platform.
February 2022 - April 2023
Chief Executive Officer & President | Services for the UnderServed
Spearheaded an agency-wide workforce overhaul with a deliberative and focused emphasis on DEI + Belonging and Accessibility (DEIB+A) in order to address the serious healthcare workforce crisis, launched a Tuition Assistance Program and set the foundation for the development of a Training and Staff Development Institute. Introduced high-performing inter/intra-departmental joint workgroups/meetings to ensure growth opportunities, implementation science, senior leadership development and research/innovations. Secured over $20M in new grant funding, strategically and intentionally focused on developing and delivering on an integrated delivery of care services continuum across internal departments: Developmental Disabilities, Behavioral Health, Shelter/Vets and Supportive Housing. Secured and launched a number of innovative community-based partnerships and programs (Project ENGAGE, Safe Options Support (SOS), NYC Murals Arts Project, Supportive Crisis Stabilization Center, Public Health Vending Machine, etc.) aimed at creating a continuum of services and opportunities for those most vulnerable New Yorkers. Launched a large-scale Food Justice initiative with the publication of a whitepaper, a Food Justice Summit, increased impact and scope of the S:US Urban Farm Program, and multiple other related projects aimed at addressing Food Justice in NY.