Health Care 2023: DR. MICHAEL J. DACEY

In January, Dacey, Riverside’s president, also became the health system’s CEO, succeeding Bill Downey, who transitioned to executive vice chairman and is remaining in an advisory role until his 2024 retirement.

Dacey has also served as chief operating officer at Riverside, which has 9,000 employees and operates seven hospitals in Newport News, Williamsburg, Hampton, Yorktown, Gloucester and Onancock.

In July, Riverside announced it has formed a strategic partnership with UVA Health, which now has a 5% ownership stake in Riverside and will be providing financial and clinical resources to boost the system’s presence in Eastern Virginia. The deal will also expand patient care options for complex medical conditions and spur new collaboration between the two health systems.

Also in July, Riverside broke ground for its 50-bed Riverside Smithfield Hospital, expected to open in 2026. Late this year, Riverside plans to open the region’s first standalone psychiatric emergency department at Riverside Behavioral Health Center.

Prior to joining Riverside in 2018, Dacey worked as chief medical officer for Care New England. A graduate of Providence College and George Washington University School of Medicine, he earned a master’s degree in health care management from the Harvard School of Public Health.