Posted by William Nunnelley on 2004-11-23

Mary Nash, Ph.D., has been named interim Chief Nursing Executive of Baptist Health System and interim Chief Quality Officer of the Samford University/Baptist Health System Institute for Health Care Quality. A joint announcement of Nash's appointment with the Institute was made today by Samford President Thomas E. Corts and BHS President and Chief Executive Officer Beth O'Brien. Nash assumes both interim positions immediately.

"Since joining BHS in October as a consultant, Mary Nash's expertise has been invaluable as Baptist Health System works toward its goal to become the first health system in Alabama to be recognized with the prestigious Magnet Award," said O'Brien. "In these new roles, her 19 years of experience as a chief nursing executive at three health organizations--including UAB--will allow us to link our leadership initiative with enhancements to our quality of care. Her combined roles will couple these critical quality initiatives to the programs and services of our faith-based health ministry."

BHS and Samford University early this year announced their joint venture to establish an Institute for Health Care Quality. The Institute would provide medical residencies, research opportunities, continuing education and post-licensure training for professionals in the health care field.

"This Institute will strengthen Birmingham's position as a major educational center for health education," said Corts. "Our two long-standing, faith-based organizations will bring together our resources to offer the best possible education and training for health care professionals. It's a strategic alignment that will provide continuous learning for medical professionals, students and health care personnel from across the region."

The alliance continues a long established relationship between the two Baptist entities that includes Samford's Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, named for BHS's long-time director of nursing, Ida Vines Moffett.

"We are delighted that Mary Nash has agreed to stay on in these roles and play a vital role in this relationship as we continue our search process," O'Brien said.

Dr. Nash, RN, FAAN, FACHE, has spent the last decade of her professional career at UAB Hospital in various roles, including Chief Nursing Officer [CNO], Chief Operating Officer [COO] and, most recently, Executive Director. She was the COO/CNO of UAB Hospital in 2002 when the hospital received the coveted Magnet distinction. She has also been a Magnet appraiser for the ANCC and has more than 30 years of health care experience in both large community hospitals and academic medical centers.

Baptist Health System is a not-for-profit health ministry and Alabama's largest health care system with more than 8,000 employees. It includes nine hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes, senior housing locations, home care programs and fitness centers--all within Alabama. Its primary care network consists of more than 100 physicians in more than 50 locations.

Samford is Alabama's largest private university or college, with 4,416 students enrolled in 23 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Samford is ranked in the top five universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report. Samford's McWhorter School of Pharmacy and Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing are nationally-recognized leaders in health care education.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.