AHE Past President Appointed Director of the VA Palo Alto Health System
August 4, 2017 | Formats: News Release
Chicago, August 4, 2017 - The Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) is proud to announce past President Thomas (Tony) Fitzgerald, CHESP was sworn in as the Director of the VA Palo Alto Health System (VAPAHCS). As Director, he will oversee delivery of health care to more than 93,000 Veterans spanning 11 congressional districts and 10 counties in northern California. VAPAHCS has an operating budget of $1.1 billion, over 7,000 employees and volunteers and is one of the most complex facilities in the VA system.
Fitzgerald began his VA career in 1988 as a Psychiatric Nursing Assistant at the North Chicago VA, moving on to a position as Housekeeping Aide. He went on to become the Healthcare Facilities Officer at North Chicago VA followed by Chief of Environmental Management at VAPAHCS. He held progressively more responsible positions in executive management including Assistant Director, Associate Director and Deputy Director at VAPAHCS. He also served as Interim Director at the VA Central California Health Care System in Fresno as well as at VAPAHCS.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management from the American InterContinental University in Hoffman Estates, IL; is a graduate of the Leadership VA program, the Health Care Leadership Development Institute, and the VA Management Development Program. He is a lifetime member of AHE, serving as its president in 2004 and 2005; as well as the American College of Healthcare Executives. Mr. Fitzgerald is a Veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served 16 years as a medical non-commissioned officer.
“As an organization, we celebrate Tony’s accomplishment and are proud to boast of his humble beginnings in environmental management services; proving hard work, strategic leadership and holding steadfast to your goals delivers results, said current AHE President Gary Dolan, CHESP.
Fitzgerald was sworn in as Director on June 28, 2017.
About AHE
The Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) is a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association. AHE is the professional organization of choice for professionals responsible for environmental services and caring for the patient and resident care environment across all care settings including hospitals, long-term care, continuing care retirement communities and ambulatory care. AHE is the recognized authority in environmental services; promoting the thought leadership for over 2,200 professionals working to ensure a clean and safe healthcare environment. www.ahe.org