Galanis to step down as president and CEO of Healthlink NY, take position in NYC

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Christina Galanis, president and CEO of HealthlinkNY with an office in Binghamton, plans to leave the position Dec. 31 to become president of an organization called WOMBA in New York City.

Galanis has served in the HealthlinkNY leadership role for the past 13 years, Dr. Rajesh Davé, chairman of the HealthlinkNY board of directors, said in a news release.

Galanis describes WOMBA as a “consumer mediated exchange.” Its website indicates the organization has its U.S. headquarters in Queens.

Staci Romeo, senior VP of HealthlinkNY, will assume the role of interim executive director. She started at HealthlinkNY nearly four years ago, the organization said. Romeo has been “second in command for nearly a year, and is looking forward to seeing HealthlinkNY through this transition,” according to the HealthlinkNY release.

HealthlinkNY is a “qualified entity” (QE) contracted by the New York State Department of Health to operate the health-information exchange (HIE) connecting health-care providers in 13 counties in the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier, along with the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY).

HealthlinkNY has a “western” office in Binghamton and an “eastern” office in Fishkill in Dutchess County.

HealthlinkNY resulted from the 2015 merger between Southern Tier HealthLink and the Taconic Health Information Network and Community, per the release.

Galanis, as the founding executive director of Southern Tier HealthLink, built a “robust” HIE operation with great technical efficiency. After the merger, she “brought that technical strength to the Hudson Valley, where adoption of the HIE among providers has grown rapidly,” the organization contends.

“We are grateful for the tremendous strides that HealthlinkNY has made under Christina’s leadership,” Davé said. “She has built a dynamic organization and a strong team that will continue to innovate and advance interoperability of electronic health records in New York State. We all wish Christina the very best in her new venture.”

Its website describes WOMBA as a “visionary product that aggregates all your data sources into a single product allowing you full control of your E-DNA. Your E-DNA may include your doctors records, your exercise records, your prescription drug information. WOMBA is patient driven, meaning that you select the data records you want to monitor and include in your profile.”

 Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com