April 4, 2002

Dear Colleagues:

It is with great pride that I inform you of a significant honor that has come to Colene Daniel, Johns Hopkins Health System's Vice President for Corporate Services, Community Health and Services. She has been offered - and has accepted - a newly created position as head of an exciting organization: Chief Executive Officer for the Washington D.C. Healthcare Alliance.

The Alliance is directed by Doctors Community Healthcare Corporation, a for-profit company that, unlike many, has a mission to care for inner city poor. The company owns and operates D.C. General ambulatory services, Greater Southeast Community Hospital, and Hadley Memorial Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility. Beyond this, the Alliance has subcontracting relationships with D.C. Chartered Health Plan, Unity Health Care, Children's National Medical Center and George Washington University Medical Center. The District of Columbia Department of Health also is a partner in the Alliance, which includes 25 community health centers, four full-service ambulatory care clinics, a private physician network, four hospitals and three trauma centers.

Thus, Colene will be responsible for running an integrated health service for inner-city residents which allows her to oversee and direct a managed care operation, acute care and long-term care services and ambulatory care services, as well as help create D.C. health care policy. Those of you who have worked with Colene over the past decade know that improving health care for the poor is her passion, and that the combination of operations and mission offered by this new job is an opportunity of a lifetime for her. It also brings together many of the elements of her work at Hopkins and on behalf of the Baltimore community.

Colene came to The Johns Hopkins Hospital in February 1991 with only general service responsibilities. Within the first week, she was promoted to Hospital and System Vice-President for Corporate Services, including responsibility for Materials Management. Over the years, she became a wonderful liaison to our community, and was given the opportunity to create an integrated Community Health and Services department. She was a natural choice to serve as co-chair for the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute. Beyond her Hopkins-specific work, Colene helped Baltimore City staff write the successful Empowerment Zone application and was an original member of The New Baltimore City School Board.

I hope that this new opportunity for Colene Daniel also will open new opportunities for health care collaboration between Baltimore and Washington. In that way, Washington's gain will not be Johns Hopkins' and Baltimore's loss. Colene will leave Hopkins May 1 and start her new job in mid-May. She informs me that she will continue living in Baltimore, so we'll look forward to staying in touch with her. I know you join me in congratulating Colene and wishing her all the best in her challenging new position. We will keep you posted about farewell events planned for her.

Sincerely,
Ronald R. Peterson

President
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Health System

[Return to Top]