NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H) announced on Tuesday, Jan. 17, the appointment of Omar Fattal, MD, MPH as the public hospital system’s chief for behavioral health and co-deputy chief medical officer. NYC H+H officials said Fattal will lead the system’s efforts to expand psychiatric and substance use services, run what were described as innovative training programs for behavioral health staff, and implement strategies to recruit and retain staff.

 

Hospital officials said Fattal is also a psychiatrist at the Pride Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, located in Manhattan and a clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. In addition, Fattal is a member of the editorial board of the LGBT Health Journal, and an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. Officials said his peer-reviewed publications most recently include “Rapid Telepsychiatry Implementation During Covid-19,” “Combat Stress Management and Resilience,” and “A Brief Overview of Advances in LGBT Mental Health Advocacy in Lebanon.”

 

Reacting to Fattal’s new appointment, said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan described the public hospital system as a jewel in the crown of the wider public health system that NYC’s health department oversees. “This is especially true for behavioral health where NYC Health + Hospitals provides the bulk of essential clinic and hospital-based services to the most vulnerable in New York City,” he said. “We are so proud of our partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals on behavioral health and beyond, and congratulate Dr. Fattal for this new leadership role.” He added,  “I look forward to continued work with him and his team in advancing the mental health agenda of our most diverse and dynamic city.”

 

Meanwhile, NYC Health + Hospitals president and CEO, Mitchell Katz, MD said he was delighted to announce Fattal as the new head of behavioral health, adding, “Dr. Fattal is a proven leader whose deep expertise and knowledge of NYC Health + Hospitals, extensive experience at Bellevue, and remarkable record of impact make him the perfect person to lead the next generation of behavioral health across our system.” He added, “He has hit the ground running from day one.”

 

For his part, Fattal said he has devoted his entire career to behavioral health and equity, and that there was nowhere he would rather lead the work in question than at NYC Health + Hospitals. “With both growing demand and increased support from across our city and state, this is a moment of challenge and tremendous opportunity all at once,” he said. “With our dedicated and mission-driven team, I know we will meet this moment and I could not be more excited about what we will build together in the years ahead.”

 

The news was also welcomed by commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, Dr. Ann Sullivan, who said, “Dr. Fattal brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new position overseeing behavioral health services at NYC Health + Hospitals. He will be a valuable partner in OMH’s efforts to address the challenges facing behavioral health care providers, and help us to increase access to mental health services throughout New York City, and especially in communities that have been underserved in the past.”

 

Fattal has been at NYC Health + Hospitals since 2010, according to hospital officials. Before taking on his current role, they said that in 2020, he began serving as the deputy medical director in the Office of Behavioral Health. Before that, they said Fattal held a series of leadership roles in the department of psychiatry at Bellevue, culminating in the role of assistant chief of the Department of Psychiatry. Officials said he began his career in the department of psychiatry at the Cleveland Clinic, where his accomplishments included establishing a Spanish-language clinic and an LGBTQ clinic.

 

In 2012, according to hospital officials, Fattal co-founded the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH), an organization of health care professionals that aims to achieve equity in health with focus on sexual health and the health of marginalized groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, women/girls, people living with HIV, and refugees.

 

Through what was described as landmark research, evidenced-based training, and informed advocacy, hospital officials said LebMASH has emerged as one of the most influential voices for health equity in the Arab region.

 

They said Fattal completed his residency in psychiatry at the Cleveland Clinic in 2005, was selected for the Bellevue/NYU Public Psychiatry Fellowship (2011) and the Greater New York Hospital Association Clinical Quality Fellowship Program (2021). Officials said he is a 1999 graduate of the American University of Beirut (AUB) Medical School and holds a Master’s degree in public health from AUB. His appointment to his new role became effective Jan. 1.

 

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest provider of behavioral health in New York City. The system provides almost 60% of behavioral health services citywide serving over 75,000 patients annually across emergency, inpatient and outpatient care.