Two NYC Health + Hospitals Employees Receive Prestigious Sloan Public Service Award
Paula Evans, BSN, RN and David Guzman, MPA, FAB are among six individuals chosen by the Fund for the City of New York for their extraordinary civil service
Feb 23, 2022
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that Director of Utilization/Care Management at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Paula Evans, BSN, RN and Chief Operating Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst David Guzman, MPA, FAB were selected as two of this year’s six recipients for the Sloan Public Service Award. Evans is recognized for her contributions to NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan during her nearly 30 years of service at the facility, where she has dedicated her career to providing compassion and care to New Yorkers. Guzman is being honored for his work increasing efficiency and revenue for one of the city’s busiest hospitals to allow its patients to receive high-quality, comprehensive health care. Regarded as the Nobel Prize of city government, the Sloan Public Service Awards are presented annually by the Fund for the City of New York to civil servants from all levels and ranks of city government. The winners were nominated by their colleagues, peers, and friends and selected from more than 250,000 eligible City workers. Each will receive $10,000. This year’s award recipients were honored at their individual workplaces.
“I am very honored and overwhelmed to receive the Sloan Public Service Award, and to be placed in the distinguished ranks of the current and past honorees. I am one of almost 2,000 employees at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan who are dedicated and compassionate, and who give so much of themselves every day,” said Evans. “This recognition is a testament to the trust and respect of my colleagues and peers. We don’t do this work for awards, we do it because we care about our patients and their families. Being a nurse has been one of the greatest honors and most satisfying accomplishments of my life. I have put my whole heart into this work. It is very gratifying that my work has been recognized.”
“I am deeply honored to have received the Sloan Public Service Award in recognition of my work serving the people of New York City at Health + Hospitals, and to be in the company of such an outstanding group of civil servants,” said Guzman. “Having spent the formative years of my career working at NYC Health + Hospitals, and having been born at one of its facilities, I feel a special connection to the organization, the patients, the communities that it serves, and my friends and colleagues whom I am privileged to serve with. I look forward to working hard over the coming months to help our resilient city recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure that we continue to expand healthcare access and improve patient care.”
“We congratulate Paula Evans on her achievement in being selected as a 2021 honoree for the Sloan Public Service Award,” said Cristina Contreras, Chief Executive Officer. “This is a proud moment for our NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan family! Ms. Evans has spent the last 28 years committed to providing Nursing care to the residents and visitors of New York City and has consistently provided extraordinary services to our patients, visitors and the employees in the public hospital system. I truly cannot think of a more deserving public servant to be bestowed this prestigious recognition.”
“David Guzman is an outstanding public servant who has dedicated his professional career to ensuring that uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers receive access to high-quality healthcare, and I am very happy that he is being recognized for his significant achievements,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Helen Arteaga Landaverde, MPH. “As part of our executive leadership team he has expertly guided the finances and operations of our facility and made a lasting impact on our patients and their families. We are enormously proud of him for receiving the Sloan Public Service Award and look forward to continuing to work with him to expand healthcare access in our community.”
“On behalf of NYC Health + Hospitals, I take this opportunity to congratulate Paula Evans and David Guzman on their achievement in being selected for this year’s Sloan Public Service Award. Paula and David exemplify the remarkable staff at our health system,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “I want to thank them for their extraordinary work and commitment to the public and our patients.”
“We call the Sloan Public Service Awards the Nobel prizes of civil service because recipients are among an elite group that has a proven and impressive track record of making our city a better place and enhancing the lives of countless New Yorkers,” said President of the Fund for the City of New York Lisette Nieves.
Ms. Evans began her career at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan in 1993, as a staff nurse in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU). Within a year she was promoted to Nurse Manager. After serving in that capacity for nine years, Ms. Evans moved to the Utilization/Care Management Department (UM) as a Clinical Review Nurse. She was promoted to Head Nurse and then Director after two years, and remained in the role for thirteen more. In 2018, she joined the Admitting Department as Director, also overseeing administrative operations for the Emergency Department, Non-Emergent Transportation, and the Information Desk, at the hospital’s main point of entry for visitors and guests. In 2021, she returned to her current role as Director of Utilization/Care Management.
From her experience caring for newborns, many born premature, and providing support to mothers and families during the height of the AIDS epidemic, to her hands-on leadership during the COVID pandemic, Ms. Evans has proven to be a tireless advocate for patients and a reassuring support for staff. Ms. Evans is a natural nurturer and demonstrates compassion for all.
“To be a nurse, I think you need to be compassionate, have lots of empathy, and be very transparent and honest with your patients and their families. You’re working with people who are in pain, who are upset, and who are scared. You have to care for the patient as a whole person, not just their ailment. And I want families to know that I put my whole heart into this work. I know what it’s like to see a loved one who didn’t receive the care that they needed. I work to make sure no one ever has to experience that in their lives.”
David Guzman is the Chief Operating Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, a premier hospital and trauma center in Queens, New York, which is affiliated with the Mt. Sinai school of Medicine.
David has oversight over key operational departments such as Radiology, Labs, Respiratory Therapy, Safety Management, Hospital Police, Telecommunications, Materials Management, Transportation, Food and Nutrition, Environmental Services, Biomedical Engineering, Call Center, Laundry and Linen.
As COO, David is responsible for the optimal and efficient operations of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, which includes the oversight of high quality, cost effective, and integrated clinical programs within the hospital. David is also responsible for the implementation of key strategic projects.
David has over 20 years of experience in Health Care Administration. David most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst, where he managed a staff of 300 in the Patient Accounts, Revenue Integrity, Medical Records, Utilization Management, Care Management, Managed Care, Budget, Grants, Financial Counseling, Community Health Partnerships, Affiliation Management and Registration departments.
In 2021, David was named to CRAIN’S list of New York City’s Notable Hispanic Leaders and Executives, and was awarded the prestigious Sloan Public Service Award.
David holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hunter College. His graduate work includes a concentration in non-profit finance and management, and since April 2009, David has been a member of Pi Alpha Alpha, the Global Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration.
About the Fund for the City of New York
The Fund for the City of New York was established by the Ford Foundation in 1968 with the mandate to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. For over five decades, in partnership with government agencies, nonprofit institutions and philanthropic foundations, the Fund has developed and helped to implement innovation in policy, programs, practices and technology to advance the functioning of government and nonprofit organizations in New York City and beyond. The Fund seeks out, adapts, applies and assesses ways to enable government and nonprofit agencies to develop leadership talent, achieve programmatic excellence and optimal service-delivery performance through its core programs- Cash Flow Loan Program, Partner Project Program, Sloan Public Service Awards, Sloan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics, Community Planning Fellowship Program, and related strategic initiatives.
About the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit institution established by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. in 1934. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation makes grants primarily to support original research and education related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics. The Foundation believes that these fields—and the scholars and practitioners who work in them—are chief drivers of the nation’s health and prosperity. The Foundation also believes that a reasoned, systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all. The foundation’s main programs involve science and technology, standard of living and economic performance, education and careers in science and technology, selected national issues and a civic program. The goal of the civic program is to contribute to New York City by responding to special opportunities the city presents and by funding high-leverage programs related to its areas of interest. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has supported the Fund for the City of New York’s Public Service Awards since 1985.