CEO of VNACJ Community Health Center
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, while working in an acute care hospital, Sarina Brady attended a presentation that mapped mortality rates across the United States. When those rates were overlaid with the historical “slavery belt,” it changed how she understood the problem.
“That was a mind-blowing moment,” she recalls. “In 2020, there are still such barriers to access, inequality, inequity, that a pandemic disproportionately impacted people of color in those areas without access to basic healthcare.”
For Sarina, it reframed everything she thought she understood about healthcare. Working in a hospital, she had always focused on the patient in front of her, treating illness and supporting recovery, doing the work she was trained to do. But this was something broader, and harder to ignore. That realization would ultimately guide her toward a different kind of work, and a different kind of leadership.
From Clinical Care to Community Impact
An occupational therapist by training, Sarina began her career in rehabilitation settings, including acute care and rehab hospitals. Over time, she became increasingly interested not just in patient care, but in how healthcare systems operate and how they could improve.
In 2019, she pursued an MBA to expand her leadership capabilities. “I wanted to understand what the right combination of skills and expertise was to have a broader impact,” she says. “I saw the business side of healthcare as something I needed to develop to complement my clinical background.”
As part of that journey, she wrote a vision statement for herself: within five years, she hoped to reach a C-suite role. Not long after, she came across the Chief Operating Officer position at VNACJ Community Health Center, an affiliate of VNA Health Group and a federally qualified health center serving communities across Monmouth County.
At the time, she had little familiarity with community health centers or the FQHC model. But as she learned more, particularly about their role in expanding access to care, it resonated immediately.
“It was the first time I really considered something outside of a hospital environment,” she says. “It was a little outside my comfort zone, but the more I learned, the more it aligned with what I was looking for.”
Her decision was reinforced through her first conversation with then-CEO Christopher Rinn, whom she quickly came to see as a mentor. She was struck not only by his leadership style, but by how much she could learn from it.
“I remember hanging up the phone and thinking, ‘Wow, I don’t think I would have handled that conversation that way—but that was masterful,’” she says. “I knew I could learn a lot and grow in that environment.”
She joined the organization as COO in 2021 and was named CEO in July 2023—a transition she describes as both a milestone and an honor.
Listening First
As COO, Sarina approached the role with a deliberate focus on listening and learning. Operations at a community health center touch every part of the organization, from patient flow to staffing to program delivery. Rather than trying to make immediate changes, she spent time understanding how everything worked, and where it didn’t.
“I really got to know all of the people and all of the processes,” she says. “I went into each of the health centers and listened. I needed to understand the pain points before we could improve anything.”
That perspective proved invaluable as she stepped into the CEO role. Having built a deep understanding of the organization’s internal operations, she was able to lead with both context and credibility. The transition, however, wasn’t without challenges.
“It wasn’t easy to let go of some of the operational responsibilities,” she says. “For a while, I was still wearing both hats. It took time, and giving myself some grace, to fully shift into the CEO role.”
A Different View of Healthcare
Working in a community health center also changed how Sarina sees healthcare more broadly. “In a hospital, you’re somewhat sheltered,” she explains. “You’re focused on the patient in the bed, and you may not fully see the circumstances that brought them there.”
At the Community Health Center, those realities are impossible to ignore. As a federally qualified health center, the organization provides care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, serving individuals who may otherwise go without care—a mission deeply rooted in prevention and long-term health.
“Primary care, routine care, preventative care—that’s how we really change our healthcare system,” she says. “Not just focusing on the consequences of severe illness, but helping people get on a healthier path earlier in life.”
Building a Culture of Improvement
Under Sarina’s leadership, the organization has also embraced a stronger focus on high reliability, particularly the concept of identifying and learning from “near-misses,” or issues that could have led to negative patient outcomes but are caught before harm occurs.
“I look at every near-miss as a huge win,” she says. “It means we’re paying attention. We’re looking at our processes and saying, ‘This isn’t working,’ and fixing it before it impacts a patient.”
The Heart of the Work
For Sarina, what ultimately defines the Community Health Center is not just its services, but its people. “I have tremendous pride in the work that the CHC does, and in being part of this national health center movement,” she says. “But what makes it exceptional is the team.”
From providers to front desk staff to care coordinators, every role contributes to creating an environment where patients feel seen, respected, and supported.
“Welcoming someone who isn’t always welcomed in other parts of the healthcare system, treating them warmly, taking the time to understand what they need—that’s incredibly meaningful work,” she says. It’s also what sets community-based care apart.
As CEO, her focus remains on expanding access, improving care delivery, and building on the organization’s role within the community.
But at its core, the mission is simple.
“To offer care in a warm, welcoming, compassionate way,” she says, “especially for people who may not have experienced that before.”
In that work, she sees not just a healthcare model, but a path forward—one grounded in prevention, equity, and the belief that everyone deserves access to care.