James E. Rawlings retired recently from Yale New Haven Hospital after 35 years as the first African American Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of Community Health. He was administratively responsible for many areas of service at Yale New Haven Hospital including all Med/Surg units, the Emergency Department, Laboratory Medicine, and many other services. He built the first hospital based adult AIDS program in CT and the first adult Sickle Cell Program, both of which received national recognition.
Mr. Rawlings community service experience is extensive. He served as a trustee of the Board of Directors as well as Chair of the Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Committee of the National NAACP. He also served as treasurer of the National Board of Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. Mr. Rawlings has served for over ten years as the Health Chair of the CT State Conference of the NAACP and as the first Chairman of the health Equity Commission in CT. Mr. Rawlings has been recognized by the National Civic League, recognizing only 35 people annually.
Mr. Rawlings served as President of the Greater New Haven NAACP. Under his leadership the branch hosted the largest Community Health Fair in the New England area and launched the first Urban Career Fair for middle and high school students in New England. During his tenure he also secured a grant of $7.5 million to provide housing for economically challenged individuals seeking to start small businesses and secure home mortgages. Mr. Rawlings currently serves as Board Chair of the Ella B. Scantlebury Home, a congregant facility for the elderly.
Mr. Rawlings is currently President/CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, CT (SCDAA.CT), the first Sickle Cell Community Center (Michelle’s House) in the Northeast. In this role he has built programs for the students living with SCD who fall behind academically due to frequent hospital admissions and is creating new programs for individuals who are unaware of their SCD and Sickle Cell Trait (SCT) status. In this role, he has formed an exclusive partnership with National CVS Health to address health inequities faced by the Sickle Cell Community.
Mr. Rawlings is well published and has presented in Washington DC; Barcelona, Spain; Durban, South Africa; and Paris, France.
Mr. Rawlings is an elder in the Seaconke Wampanoag Nation in Massachusetts. Mr. Rawlings lives with his wife and family in the Greater New Haven Area.