Rob Hughes started work on Roosevelt Island in 1982 as a hospital care investigator at Goldwater Hospital, now the site of Cornell Tech. He leaves as Coler-Goldwater’s executive director after nearly 13 years in the post.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Hughes service on Roosevelt Island was interrupted in 1997 when he left NYC Health & Hospitals for work in the profit sector. But he came back in 2003 and stayed, shepherding operations through Goldwater’s closure and the coronavirus pandemic.
Throughout, he was a strong advocate for Roosevelt Island’s hospitals, navigating through turmoil as well as the challenges of persistent underfunding plaguing the New York State healthcare system.
Replacing Hughes is Stephen Catullo, a 24 year HHC veteran. We wish him the same level of success and respect Rob Hughes earned in his long stay.
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On naming, neglect, and the quiet work that keeps things standing
About twenty years ago, there was Harbor Police activity near the water, just south of the subway entrance. At the time, no one really thought of it as a pier, though technically there was a small boardwalk there. Of course it wasn’t a pier. A pier implies intention.
