William Dempsey, CSP, CHSP, is the Safety Officer at NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island. Prior to that, Bill was the Director of Support Services at Long Island Community Hospital, where he oversaw Safety, Environmental Services, Security, & Emergency Management. Before joining Long Island Community Hospital, Bill was the Director of Safety & Emergency Services at Northwell Health Southside Hospital. Bill has been a Registered Nurse since May of 2005. He has a Master’s Degree in Nursing Leadership. Bill is responsible for day-to-day operations pertaining to the Construction, Fire & Life Safety, and Environment of Care of the facility. Bill serves as the Co-Chair of the Safety & Environment of Care Committees. He is an active member of the Suffolk County Emergency Support Function-8 (ESF8) Committee. Bill is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP). Certified Healthcare Emergency Professional (CHEP) as well as a Certified Healthcare Safety Nurse (CHSN). He is the current President of the ASSP’s Long Island Chapter. Bill has built a career promoting a culture of safety and accountability.
In June of 2008, Bill became a member of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) New York 2. His role on the DMAT team was a Registered Nurse & Security Specialist. He has deployed multiple times in response to several major hurricanes, as well as President Obama’s Inauguration.
Prior to working in healthcare, Bill was a NYC Police Officer assigned to the Emergency Services Unit (ESU).
My vision for the ASSP Healthcare Practice Specialty is to become a resource for those safety professionals we serve. In this ever-changing environment it is evident that, safety professionals in healthcare face a different set of funding, regulatory, and political challenges, then some of the other Practice Specialties. The years of experience and expertise of our members have been instrumental in my success and growth. Now I want to share my experience with others. As a hospital safety officer providing oversite for Fire and Life Safety as well as the Environment of Care, it is my responsibility to make staff aware of the value of safety.
As an Assistant Administrator of the Healthcare Practice Specialty, I believe there needs to be a greater awareness of the Healthcare Practice Specialty amongst both safety professionals and clinicians. It would be my intention to steer the committee in that direction. To continue with and expand the current training and educational opportunities that exist. Since working in healthcare as a safety professional with a clinical background, I have overseen approximately five hundred million dollars work of healthcare construction. As a safety professional and a registered nurse, I can see both sides of the healthcare/construction spectrum.
With my experience and the work that I have done, along with my education, I believe I would be an asset to the Healthcare Practice Specialty.