HJNO Jul/Aug 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I JUL / AUG 2020 13 Q & A MICHAEL G. GRIFFIN President & CEO, Ascension DePaul Services of New Orleans and DePaul Community Health Centers Michael G. Griffin is leading innovation in health care locally by improving patient outcomes and the patient experi- ence. As president and CEO of Ascension DePaul Services of NewOrleans (ADSNO) and DePaul Community Health Centers, the latter of which comprises ten locations throughout metro New Orleans, Griffin’s foremost priority is to provide access to compassionate, high-quality primary and preventive health care services to all residents of greater New Orleans, regardless of their ability to pay. Since his appointment in 2008, Griffin has provided strategic direction for the non-profit health care organization, expanding patient care from one to 10 health care centers in communities of high need. Under Griffin’s visionary leadership, ADSNO’s health centers have achieved the highest level designation for quality standards of direct patient care by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) each year since 2009. The health care organization was also named one of United Healthcare’s Centers of Excellence, garnering a $3.3 million award for the provision of the highest quality coordination of care and preventive services. In addition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recognized ADSNO as an “exemplary model of workforce” as part of the Learning from Effective Ambulatory Practices (LEAP) project; the organization was one of 30 primary health care practices selected nationwide. A member of Governor John Bel Edwards’ 2016 Transition Committee on Health Care, Griffin—alongside a group of 49 providers, administrators, pharmacists, advocates, and many other experts, as well as citizens from sectors who count on access to strong health care—was tasked with providing recommendations to immediately expand Medicaid, strengthen Louisiana’s public-private partnerships, build on the Bayou Health managed care model, and offer recommendations to improve health outcomes in Louisiana. Griffin earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and holds a Master of Science-Public Health degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Our Lady of Holy Cross College in 2014. Griffin is currently pursuing a Doctor of Science degree in Administration-Health Services from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.