Welcome to William Belecz, Our New COO

This spring we welcomed our new Chief of Operations, William Belecz, to lead our day-to-day operations. With more than 30 years of exemplary experience in social services, Belecz said he was attracted to Harbor Care’s “mission and the organization’s success with improving the lives of the people they serve. Working for an organization committed to behavioral health and ending homelessness, with a focus on veterans, is one small way I can give back to my community.”

“Working for an organization committed to behavioral health and ending homelessness, with a focus on veterans, is one small way I can give back to my community.” - William Belecz

A Rochester, NY, native, Belecz and his husband, Chris, relocated to Manchester just recently. He earned his Master of Science in Information Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School. He holds certificates in Lean, Green Belt, and Black Belt Six Sigma from Villanova University. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at SUNY Plattsburgh, NY.

Prior to Harbor Care, Belecz served as the CEO for Regional Health Reach, a FQHC Healthcare for the Homeless program, and Executive Director for Regional Health Services, a 25-clinic FQHC subrecipient, serving more than 85,000 patients.

In explaining the differences between an FQHC and a traditional clinic, he said there are two major differences: “One is we provide service to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, utilizing a sliding fee discount. The other is FQHC’s provide a lot of supportive services to address the social determinants of health (e.g. food insecurity, housing, transportation, etc.) that help to remove barriers to care.

“These two pillars of FQHCs help to improve access to high quality care to underrepresented and/or underinsured populations. With this model, FQHCs have proven to provide higher quality care at lower costs than other primary care models. I do see potential growth opportunities for our health center as we work to end homelessness throughout New Hampshire.”

Much of his early career was at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he oversaw several licensed homecare agencies, the long-term care program, and Meals on Wheels, in addition to administrative and support functions, including IT, facilities, and emergency preparedness.

As for his future at Harbor Care, Belecz said, “I strongly believe having a diverse workforce that is passionate about our mission, and a work culture that has a good work-life balance, provides opportunities for personal and professional growth, and recognizes its employees, is important. I know this is what the organization is working towards, and it’s very exciting.”