Leadership

Executive and Senior Leadership

Jose Virella, Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Virella brings to MCHC over 20 years of experience of working in complex work environments; analyzing and streamlining systems and processes; and building bridges with a multitude of cultures and experiences. Previously, Mr. Virella worked as the Chief Financial Officer at the Ryan Network, Chief Financial Officer at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, as Vice President of Administration for Neurosciences at Continuum Health Partners, and as Vice President of Finance and Administration and Senior Vice President at the Jewish Communal Fund. He received his B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University, an M.B.A. in Finance, Organizations and Markets from the University of Rochester, and an M.Ed. in Adult and Organizational Behavior from Temple University.

Nellie Santiago-Rivera, Chief Operating Officer

Nellie Santiago-Rivera is the Chief Operating Officer for Metro Community Health Centers. She is responsible for the overall operations management of all five MCHC health centers.  She has over twenty years of experience in the health care industry and has a passion for improving operational processes within the healthcare delivery systems. She has spent the majority of her professional career working with under-served populations. Mrs. Santiago-Rivera received a MBA from Mercy College, Masters of Science in Health Services Administration from Iona College and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from CUNY Lehman College. In 2016, she received an award from State Senator Jeff Klein at the NYS District 34 Hispanic Heritage Month for the commitment to improve the quality-of-life in the community.  

Vincent Siasoco, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Vincent Siasoco is a Board-certified Family Physician and the Medical Director of Metro Community Health Centers. He has extensive experience in working with patients across the lifespan who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. He has previously served as Medical Director for other Article 28, Article 16 clinics, and residential disability programs. He has been involved in the Article 28 clinics attaining NCQA Patient Centered Medical Home recognition and establishing and supervising clinical rotations at his clinics for medical students and residents to ensure future physicians gain experience in providing care to patients with disabilities. He is the Medical Director of the Alliance for Integrated Care of N.Y., an Accountable Care Organization with a focus on patients with disabilities and an appointed member of the Central Mortality Review committee for OPWDD (Office for People With Developmental Disabilities). He received his M.D. degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, completed his residency training at St. Clare’s Hospital in Schenectady, N.Y., and obtained his M.B.A. degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma.

Rita Bilello, Dental Director

Dr. Bilello received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colgate University in upstate New York and pursued her degree in dentistry at New York University College of Dentistry in Manhattan. While at NYU she was invited to participate in several honors programs and was inducted into Omega Kappa Upsilon, the National Dental Honor Society. After graduation, Dr. Bilello completed a general practice residency at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY and was selected to extend employment as the Chief Resident in Dentistry. She joined Raphaelson Dental Associates as an Associate Dentist and continues to expand her education by attending continuing education lectures and seminars. Dr. Bilello maintains her private practice on the weekends while pursuing her passion for special care dentistry full time at Metro Community Health Centers. Dr. Bilello joined the Metro Community Health Centers team after nearly twenty years in private dental practice. While working as a clinical dentist in a large family practice she began to work more closely with individuals with developmental disabilities. She partnered with HeartShare Wellness in Brooklyn, New York to develop a dental clinic that serves not only the general population, but that also addresses the specific needs of individuals with developmental disabilities. In addition to providing direct dental care, Dr. Bilello also provides instruction and training to other dentists on the special needs of this underserved population.

Terrence Savage, Chief Information Officer

Terrence Savage has thirty-five years of experience working in the field of information technology.  Prior to joining Metro Community Health Centers he spent seven years at the YAI Network initially developing custom software for their Article 16 and 28 clinics and then as a Project Manager working on the implementation of their NextGen EHR.  Prior to YAI he was the CIO at Opus360, an internet startup that developed workforce procurement and workforce management solutions.  Other notable professional experience includes eighteen years working in the financial sector – as consultant at Goldman Sachs and then as Vice president at Credit Suisse/First Boston where he was responsible for managing projects such as the development of a global web services platform and the implementation of an email system that connected 25,000 users in Europe, Asia and America.   He also spent several years with the State Department in Bangkok as the lead developer for a program charged with processing refugees who were fleeing Vietnam after the end of the war.  In addition to his technical work he found time to combine his interests in sustainable agriculture and food by working on the creation of Cookshop, a pioneering farm-to-table restaurant in NYC, where his responsibilities included startup funding, space procurement and build-out.  

Caroline Norris, Director of Community Relations and Support

Caroline Norris is the Director of Community Relations and Support for Metro Community Health Centers. She is a licensed social worker and is SIFI (Seminar in Field Instruction) certified. Her main responsibilities include overseeing and maintaining outreach initiatives and relationships with community partners. Prior to joining Metro Community Health Centers, Caroline worked for New York based Managed Care organizations that support individuals with disabilities and those living with HIV/AIDS. She has over 8 years’ experience working with organizations that ensure access to healthcare services for underserved and marginalized communities. In 2016, while working at Metro Community Health Centers, she completed the Geiger-Gibson Fellowship. Caroline received her Bachelors of the Arts from The New School, and her Masters of Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work.   

Carolyn Driscoll, Director of Practice Innovation

Carolyn Driscoll, LMSW, is the Director of Practice Innovation. She has over eight years of experience in grant writing and program evaluation. She graduated from Fordham University School of Social Service, where she was the recipient of the Gerald C. Durr Fellowship.  Carolyn’s key responsibilities at MCHC include identifying, developing and promoting practice improvement and incentive programs including Patient-Centered Medical Home, Meaningful Use, Uniform Data System (UDS), and the Medicare Shared Savings Program, among others. Carolyn was previously a Research Associate at a large New York City based non-profit where she supported disability research and program evaluation, designed data collection tools, analyzed data and prepared management and clinical reports. Carolyn also has experience in developing quality improvement strategies, monitoring performance metrics, and implementing the Patient-Centered Medical Model.  She has had great success in grant and incentive program submissions, yielding over $10 million dollars for the organizations where she has worked. 

Svetlana Polyakov, Director of Health Information Management & Corporate Compliance

 Lana Polyakov is the Director of Health Information Management & Corporate Compliance. She has over twenty years of experience in health information management administration. She received her B.S. in Health Information Management from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA). In her previous position as a Health Information Manager, Lana was responsible for the operations of the Health Information Management (HIM) of five ambulatory diagnostic and treatment centers providing medical, rehabilitative and mental health services to individuals with developmental disabilities. She developed and maintained workflows, protocols, policies and procedures for the management of clinical data, and oversaw the release and exchange of health information with legal and governmental agencies. Lana has also consulted with many health care facilities including physician offices, hospitals, behavioral health centers, and pharmacies to provide expertise and training on the implementation of HIPAA privacy and security rules, the development of Notice of Privacy Practices, HIPAA accounting of PHI disclosures, and reporting of HIPAA breaches. Lana is fluent in Russian and Ukrainian and is an active member of the American Health Information Management Association and the New York Health Information Management Association.