St. Joseph’s Health announced Jan. 10 that President and CEO Kevin Slavin is retiring at the end of 2023 after a 42-year career. 

To kick off a yearlong leadership transition, the Paterson nonprofit’s board of trustees formed a committee to oversee a national search for the next president and CEO. During this time, Slavin will continue to lead St. Joseph’s Health. 

“Kevin has played an instrumental role in our continued success, expanding care throughout the region, leading us through the pandemic and sustaining our 155 year mission to the community,” Wilfredo Fernandez, trustees chairperson, said in a statement. “We are privileged to have worked with Kevin and are enormously grateful to him for his many contributions.” 

In 2015, Slavin succeeded William McDonald as the head of the health care system, where he previously was executive vice president before moving on to East Orange General Hospital to serve as CEO in March 2005. 

In his retirement announcement, St. Joseph’s credited Slavin for leading the organization through the pandemic. He also served as chairperson of the board for the New Jersey Hospital Association during 2020 and played a critical role in the statewide hospital response to COVID-19 across the Northeast.  

“Kevin helped steer us through one of the most important periods for health care in our state’s history, and we will forever be grateful for his leadership,” said Cathy Bennett, president and CEO of the NJHA.  

An NJBIZ Health Care Power 50 and Healthcare Hero honoree, Slavin has achieved numerous accomplishments while at St. Joseph’s, including: 

• Overseeing St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in becoming the first hospital in the U.S. to launch an Alternatives to Opioids Program (ALTO), an acute pain management approach that does not use opioids.
• Spearheading a partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health to expand home care, rehabilitation and cancer care to northwestern New Jersey.
• Opening a 140,000-square-foot ambulatory facility in Totowa.
• Participating in a group working to help lower health care costs for New Jersey residents under Gov. Phil Murphy’s Health care Affordability, Responsibility, and Transparency (HART) Program.
• Community outreach initiatives in Passaic County that address food insecurity, antiviolence and the launch of New Jersey’s first supportive housing facility adjacent to the St. Joseph’s Health campus.

“It has been my great honor and privilege to lead St. Joseph’s,” Slavin said. “I am proud of the organization we are today and the impact we’ve had on so many lives. St. Joseph’s is a remarkable family of extraordinary people, bolstered by our sponsors the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. I am in awe of their compassion, their commitment to excellence, and their resilience, and I am confident that St. Joseph’s will continue to grow and flourish in the years ahead.” 

Founded in 1867 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, St. Joseph’s Health operates facilities in Paterson, Wayne, Cedar Grove and Totowa, as well as comprehensive home care and multiple ambulatory care centers throughout northern New Jersey. It’s also supported by St. Joseph’s Health Medical Group, which operates more than 100 physician medical and specialty practices across northern New Jersey.