Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Focuses on Leadership

Board names new chairman; renews contract of the hospital’s President and CEO

October 1, 2020 – Paramus, NJ – Care Plus Bergen, Inc., the organization that manages Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, has named Robert Pacicco of Leonia as the new Chairman of its Board of Trustees. At the same time, it renewed the contract of Bergen New Bridge’s President and CEO, Deborah Visconi, who has been at the helm of the Medical Center since October 2017.

Robert Pacicco, the former Mayor of the Borough of Leonia, is the President of Pacicco & Company and was selected by the Fort Lee Regional Chamber of Commerce to receive a special award recognizing his dedicated service and many contributions to the vitality and growth of Bergen County business. He also sat on the Leonia Council and was a Trustee of the Leonia School Board.  For three years, he has been and continues to be an Officer and Trustee for Care Plus Bergen, Inc. Previously, he served for three years as a Trustee for the Bergen Regional Medical Center Community Oversight Board.

“I am honored to be unanimously selected by our Board of Trustees to be their next Chairman and to have the opportunity to work hand in glove with Deb Visconi and her team at Bergen New Bridge, the fourth largest public hospital in the United States with 1,070 beds,” said Pacicco. “As a resident and public servant of Bergen County, I am committed to the people of our great County, ensuring they have the best health care available. Our region has so much to offer, I look forward to our collaborative work to continue The Medical Center’s growth and transformation into a cornerstone of our community.”

Pacicco is a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist in Leonia, where he is a Fourth Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus, and a Past Grand Knight.  He was recognized with Outstanding Service Awards for his work in establishing the New Jersey Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center and the Bergen County Shelter Our Sisters.  The National Association of Physically Handicapped named Pacicco an Honorary Member.  He received honorary chief status from the Leonia Fire Department for his years of care and support of our first responders. He serves as a New Jersey State Commissioner of the Council on Local Mandates, appointed by Governor Chris Christie and reappointed by Governor Phil Murphy. He was an elected Executive Board member of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. Pacicco was recently inducted into the State of New Jersey Elected Officials Hall of Fame.

Deborah Visconi has 30 years of healthcare experience. She was recruited by Care Plus Bergen, Inc. to transform what was previously a struggling for-profit facility into a thriving not-for-profit community asset. Visconi enlisted a new senior management team and engaged the unions within the hospital to improve the collaborative environment essential to growing the Medical Center.

“I want to thank the Board of Trustees for their continued trust and confidence; leading Bergen New Bridge Medical Center has been one of the highlights of my career,” said Visconi. “I am so proud of all we have accomplished and none of it would have been possible without our amazing team and the commitment of everyone who calls Bergen New Bridge home. As we work together through one of the greatest healthcare crises our state and country has ever faced, we remain laser-focused on the safety of our patients, long-term care residents, staff, and community. “

During her tenure with Bergen New Bridge, Visconi negotiated a landmark agreement with Horizon Blue to give 3 million statewide and 230,000 county residents insured coverage and access to care at Bergen New Bridge. She also secured commercial contracts with every major payor in NJ, representing 99.9% of all residents. Under Visconi’s leadership, Bergen New Bridge bolstered staff retention by 6.5% percent and took a leadership role in the opioid crisis response, creating statewide intervention models. Most recently, Visconi navigated Bergen New Bridge Medical Center through the ongoing COVID-19 crisis maintaining a constant stream of communication throughout the hospital, partnering with the County of Bergen to provide community mobile testing while working with state, county, and local stakeholders to ensure Bergen New Bridge has the resources it needs.

“I am truly excited to see what the future will bring for our burgeoning Medical Center, and I look forward to working with Robert in his new role,” said Visconi.

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ABOUT BERGEN NEW BRIDGE MEDICAL CENTER

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (BNBMC), a clinical affiliate of Rutgers, is a 1,070-bed hospital located at 230 East Ridgewood Avenue in Paramus, NJ. The Medical Center is both the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in NJ and the fourth-largest publicly-owned hospital in the nation.

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, a not-for-profit safety net facility, provides high-quality comprehensive services, including acute and ambulatory care from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and community physicians, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, and long-term care to the greater Bergen County community. The Medical Center, including its Long-Term Care Division, is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and is in-network with all major New Jersey commercial insurance plans covering 99.91% of NJ residents.