Chief Executive Officer Peter J. Bernard leads the $1.4 billion not-for-profit Bon Secours Virginia Health System, the commonwealth’s fourth largest health system. Mr. Bernard is responsible for 12,000 employees, seven acute-care hospitals and a network of physician practices. Other facilities and services include two freestanding emergency departments, outpatient and diagnostic facilities, home care services, long term care and hospice care providers. He also is executive vice president of Bon Secours Health System, Inc., and serves as the national leader for growth within the health system.

Mr. Bernard has nearly 40 years of health-care leadership experience; prior to joining Bon Secours in 2000 he held a number of hospital leadership roles, including president and chief executive officer of CARITAS Health Services in Louisville, Kentucky.

Under Mr. Bernard’s leadership, Bon Secours Virginia Health System has developed and implemented unprecedented policies aimed at employee health and wellness, a priority for Mr. Bernard. In 2011, the Health System set a new hiring standard by implementing a Tobacco Free Hiring policy whereby all applicants considered for employment must be tobacco free. In 2012, Bon Secours is implementing a Healthy Foods and Nutrition Initiative, making food and beverages served in the hospitals healthier and more nutritious.

Bon Secours’ clinical programs have received recognition, including two nursing Magnet Hospital certifications and designations as centers of excellence for cardiac services, bariatric surgery, stroke care and women’s services. Hospitals within the Bon Secours Virginia system have been recognized for excellence by the Joint Commission on Health Care in Virginia, and nationally by Thomson Reuters and HealthGrades.

Benefits offered to employees such as on-site child care and flexible work environment has earned Bon Secours Richmond national recognition by Working Mother magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers,” and most recently the magazine named Bon Secours a “Best Companies for Hourly Workers”. Bon Secours Richmond also has been named one of the “Best Places to Work for Workers over 50” by the AARP.

Mr. Bernard is a member of the board of directors for a number of community based entities including the Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross, which he presently chairs, the St. Joseph’s Villa, and Venture Richmond boards. He served as the Chair of the 2007 United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg campaign and is a member of the Management Roundtable and the Chair of The Forum Club. He also participates in the Health Executive Network, the Leadership Institute, and is credentialed as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Mr. Bernard received a bachelor’s of science degree from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, and a master's degree in health care and hospital administration from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He and his wife, Colette, have four sons.

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