Leslie C. Quick Jr, chairman of the board of governors of St. Francis Hospital, has announced the appointment of an executive vice president and medical director and a chief financial officer of the hospital, Lawrence A. Reduto, M.D., a practicing cardiologist at the hospital, has been appointed executive vice president of medical staff affairs and medical director effective July 6, 1999. Dr. Reduto fills the position vacated by Alan D. Guerci, M.D., who was recently named president and chief executive of the hospital. "We are fortunate to have a talented staff of physicians at St. Francis who work will with the administration and care very deeply for the welfare of their patients. Dr. Reduto is without question one of those individuals and has much to offer in this leadership role," Mr. Quick said in announcing the appointment.

William C. Armstrong, a certified public accountant with 20 years of health care finance experience, was named senior vice president and chief financial officer of St. Francis, effective August 16. Dr. Guerci welcomed Armstrong to the administration of the prominent cardiovascular center and said: "Mr. Armstrong's experience in the dynamic field of health care is extensive. We welcome him and look forward to working with him in all aspects of financial operations and planning as we forge ahead in cardiac care and surgery, general medical service, heart disease research and education."

Dr. Reduto has been a member of the medical staff of St. Francis Hospital since 1981 and served as director of medicine and cardiology for the past five years. "Over the years, Dr. Reduto has distinguished himself both as an interventional cardiologist and as a leader of the medical staff. I look forward to his leadership and counsel in his new role," Dr. Guerci said. A search committee is expected to identify a replacement for Dr. Reduto as director of medicine and cardiology.

In his new role, Dr. Reduto will coordinate and oversee the activities of the medical staff, including credentialing and practice guidelines, and will work to assure continued excellence in medical and surgical services. He is board certified in internal medicine and in cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Reduto attended New York Medical College and received his postgraduate training at North Shore Hospital, where he completed a cardiology fellowship and served as chief resident in medicine. He was also a fellow in cardiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he completed an American Heart Association research fellowship in cardiology.

An accomplished practitioner, lecturer and author of numerous journal articles, books and abstracts, Dr. Reduto serves as clinical assistant professor of medicine at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Previously he held teaching assignments at New York Medical College and earlier in his career, at Cornell University Medical College.

In the mid-1980's, Dr. Reduto was the host of the cable TV program, To Your Good Health, which aired on Cablevision's News 12.

Mr. Armstrong was previously employed by Catholic Medical Centers of Brooklyn and Queens, Inc., where, during the past eight years he served in various capacities, most recently as vice president of financial services. He was responsible for managed care reimbursement and financial operations. From 1984 to 1991 he was employed by KPMG Peat Marwick, serving as senior audit manager for health care clients. He began his career in the accounting division of Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn.

He holds an MBA in finance from St. John's University and a B. S. in accounting from St. Francis College in Brooklyn. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and is a fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

St. Francis Hospital, a member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island, is New York State's only specialty-designed cardiac center and performs more open heart surgeries and cardiac catheterizations than any other center in New York state. Its mission encompasses diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, as well as education and prevention for community health.