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A lot goes into a hospital, from special projects to maintaining landscaping. It’s a monumental task, which is why William McCarthy, facility director for Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Regional Health Command Europe, was recently recognized as the civilian of the year for 2019.
McCarthy oversees all U.S. Army medical facilities across Europe expanding over three countries.
“I’m not new to this business,” explains McCarthy, a native of North Andover, Massachusetts. “I’ve always been interested in engineering and architecture.”
After graduating with a degree in architecture, McCarthy had plans to complete his ROTC commitment with the Army and enter the private sector but the Army had other plans for him.
After completing his first tour in South Korea, McCarthy explains the jobs just kept getting better and better.
“I work with the Army, but if I’d stayed in Boston (rather than commissioning) I’d be doing toilet room details. So it’s been fun,” said McCarthy. “My civilian peers don’t manage a tenth of what we do in the Army.”
Aside from the responsibility of managing the facilities across Europe, McCarthy explains there are other benefits to a position with the Army, such as multimillion-dollar projects, meeting interesting people and accomplishing the mission.
After 24 years in uniform, McCarthy retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. His desire to continue working with health care facilities led him to a position with The Joint Commission, an organization whose sole purpose is to travel to medical facilities across the world and assess their adherence to quality and patient safety standards, during which he surveyed over 500 medical facilities.
McCarthy’s experience in health care facilities management is evident in initiatives he has worked on, such as hospital ward renovations, the hospital’s water management program, and the life safety program, which McCarthy claims is second to none. On top of maintaining and refining facilities, McCarthy is also charged with ensuring projects meet United States, Department of Defense and host nation regulations, including providing key information for the construction of the Rhine Ordnance Barracks Medical Center replacement project.
“You can’t ask for a better assignment or better mission,” said McCarthy.
