SOMERSWORTH and PORTSMOUTH, NH — Greater Seacoast Community Health recently appointed Justin Saint-Jacques as Chief Operating Officer. He brings to the job a wealth of health care and operations experience gained over 20 years serving in the U.S. Army. He was Director of Operations in both Health Care/Readiness at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and in Aviation Medicine supporting the 101st Airborne. Earlier, he had been administrator and operations manager for a comprehensive primary care clinic serving 17,000 soldiers and beneficiaries.
At Greater Seacoast, Saint-Jacques will oversee operations at Goodwin Community Health in Somersworth and Families First Health & Support Center in Portsmouth.
“Justin’s broad experience in healthcare operations, dynamic leadership style and innovative approach to improving patient care and operational efficiency make him a tremendous asset to our organization and our community,” says Greater Seacoast’s interim CEO, Jocelyn Caple, MD. “His vision and his skills will help us advance our mission of delivering innovative, compassionate, integrated care to the community.”
Saint-Jacques holds an Executive Master of Public Service and Administration in nonprofit management from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, where he had earlier earned a bachelor’s degree in management. He also holds Lean Six Sigma certification at the black-belt level.
The keys to operational success and good patient outcomes, Saint-Jacques believes, are employee satisfaction and development. “If you believe in your people, their motivations and their capabilities, and use these characteristics to develop and build programs, there is little limit to what can be achieved within a healthcare organization,” he says. “Your patients are the reason your organization exists, but your staff is how you take care of those patients. It’s my job to make everyone involved in healthcare delivery feel supported and satisfied.”
Greater Seacoast Community Health is a network of community health centers providing primary care – including pediatric and prenatal care, dental care, prenatal care, behavioral health counseling, substance use disorder treatment, mobile health services, social work services, WIC nutrition services, a pharmacy, parenting classes, playgroups, and home visiting. For more information, visit getcommunityhealth.org.
