Bon Secours is proud to announce that Bridget Fitzpatrick, chief operating officer of Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital has been named as a recipient of the 2024 Class of Tomorrow’s Leaders by the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). She joins 11 other emerging leaders from across the country in receiving this honor. The honorees will be recognized during Assembly 2024.
“Bridget exemplifies everything it means to be a mission-oriented leader and during her impressive tenure with Bon Secours, she has continually led with integrity and humility,” said Chris Accashian, chief operating officer for the Bon Secours Richmond market. “We are grateful for her continued commitment to our mission and congratulate her on this honor.”
CHA’s Tomorrow’s Leaders Program was created in 2011 to identify and recognize promising young leaders who will provide strong leadership and dedication to Catholic health care. Each class consists of an impressive cadre of dedicated, high-performing individuals who already have demonstrated commitment to advancing the healing mission. Nominees for the Tomorrow’s Leaders Program must be currently working in a ministry organization and must be age 40 or younger at time of nomination.
Bridget Fitzpatrick started her career in health care as a volunteer at Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center. Her journey to her current position, chief operating officer of Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital included studying in the U.S. and abroad, earning a BA in African American Studies and MHA at Virginia Commonwealth University, and an administrative fellowship then serving as director of operations at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans.
Returning to St. Francis Medical Center in 2016 as director of operations, she aimed her experience and expertise at improving communications, engagement, lean optimization, cost control and strategic growth. She was then appointed chief operating officer of St. Francis Medical Center in 2020 and oversaw construction of a free-standing emergency center for an area of the Bon Secours Richmond market that was critically underserved.
Before transitioning to her current role in January of 2024 as chief operating officer of Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital, she led an ongoing, extensive expansion and redesign project at St. Francis Medical Center, in concert with the addition of an ambulatory surgery strategy to the campus – all to better support a rapidly growing community. Currently, Fitzpatrick is working alongside physician and community leaders to implement Bon Secours’ Community Today, Community Tomorrow: Pathway to Wellness in the East End plan, which is a three year plan focused on improving the overall health of Richmond’s East End community.
The annual Catholic Health Assembly is the largest gathering of Catholic health care leaders in the United States. This two-and-a-half-day event is hosted in an interactive platform where attendees engage with speakers, connect with colleagues and create new friendships. Assembly 2024 will take place in San Diego June 9 to 11.