In celebration of Pride Month, Crain’s New York Business announced that NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jordana A. Bailey is among their honorees for “2022 Notable LGBTQ Leaders”. Bailey has been with the facility for six years and a part of the NYC Health + Hospitals system for nine.
Bailey grew up in Ridgewood, Queens, and came out when she was only nineteen years old. She credits her family with helping her become the transparent leader she is today.
“My family always told me to dream what you want to be, work to achieve it, go out and seize it,” explained Bailey. “So, when it came to who I am, I always wanted to be true to myself and others. I wanted to be a person people could talk to and felt okay to share with.”
That forthcoming nature sometimes came at a cost. Bailey explains that earlier in her life, she believes she was let go from a job because of her sexual orientation. “It wasn’t always easy, but I felt it was always important to be my true self, both in my personal and work life, and any struggles in life would make me stronger,” she explained.
While she wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon early in life, Bailey’s career didn’t start in health care. After graduating with honors from Hunter College, she started her career at FedEx as an operations logistics/customer service manager at the World Trade Center Station in Lower Manhattan. Bailey went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Sports Medicine and a Master of Business Administration degree from Long Island University. However, the tragic events of 9/11 led to her having a change of heart in her career choice.
“FedEx was a wonderful professional opportunity for me. I learned much about logistics, operations, customer service, and LEAN methodology. My career was going very well. 9/11 was traumatic for us all but also brought purpose to my life. Being in Lower Manhattan at that tragic time made me realize I needed to get back into a leadership role of helping people in health care.”
Bailey then transitioned to health care, handling billing, operations, personnel, and compliance at several health care facilities before eventually arriving at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Queens. She rose through the ranks to become a Senior Administrative Director, supervising over 1,000 employees under the mentorship and leadership of her Senior Vice President of Operations.
“Jordana is an exceptional leader,” said her friend and former colleague Patricia Anderson-Tortorici, who nominated her for this award. “She understands that to get things done, you must bring people together, you need teams working as one, and you must always be inclusive. That’s exactly the type of leader Jordana is!”
After a successful career at NewYork-Presbyterian, Bailey arrived at NYC Health + Hospitals, where she first worked at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island as the Associate Executive Director of Ambulatory Care Services. She was then promoted to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi to supervise and manage all In-Patient Services, including Ambulatory, Peri-Operative Services, and the hospital’s renowned Burn and Level 1 Trauma Centers.
“Jordana is integral to everything we do here at the hospital,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Chief Executive Officer Christopher Mastromano. “During the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to quickly implement a plan to scale up beds and ICU areas dramatically. Jordana showed her exceptional logistical and strategic skills by guiding Jacobi as we rose to the challenge.”
Bailey explained that she loves her job and the ability to help those in need. “It’s been an honor to serve in leadership at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, and I am proud to work for an organization that provides diversity, equity, and inclusion and gives back to the community we serve,” said Bailey.
She cited the team’s hard work on developing the NYC Health + Hospitals newest Pride Health Center at Jacobi and collaborating with LGBTQ members of the facility’s Community Advisory Board as examples of giving back to her community. “Most importantly, I hope by being open about who I am, our patients will see me as a person they can trust,” said Bailey.
When she’s not working, Bailey enjoys being home in Danbury, CT, with family, friends, her fiancée, Patti Tompkins, and their two dogs, Snickers & Sadie.
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