DANVILLE, Va. (March 11, 2011) - Danville Regional Medical Center (DRMC) recently announced the addition of Debra Clark, MBA, BSN, RN, as new chief nursing officer.  Beginning in mid-April, she will oversee and direct the hospital’s nursing staff.

Clark received both her associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in Nursing in the State of Virginia, from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and Radford University, respectively.  She also received her master’s degree in Business Administration from Averett College in Danville.

She has 20 years of experience as chief nursing officer, most recently with Lafayette General Medical Center (LGMC) in Louisiana. During her time with LGMC, Clark oversaw a variety of hospital departments, including the Emergency Department, Critical Care, Surgical Services, Women’s & Children’s and Orthopedics, among others.

She also implemented hourly patient rounding, which resulted in reduction in patient falls, patient call lights and improvement in patient pain response.  Her implementation also improved efficiency in nurse’s time at the bedside, resulting in increased patient satisfaction and Emergency Department scores.

In addition to LGMC, Clark also spent time with Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Capital Regional Medical Center and Alleghany Regional Hospital.

“Debra’s talents and expertise will help her excel in her new leadership role working with our devoted nursing staff,” said Eric Deaton, CEO of Danville Regional.  “With her assistance, Danville Regional will continue its dedication to providing quality service to the community.”

Clark has served on the Nursing Executive Leadership Advisory Board, been a Targeted Selection Trainer and participated in Studer Group Leadership Development.

“The opportunity to return home to the Danville area is truly a blessing,” said Clark.  “I look forward to working with everyone at DRMC to continue improving our services to the community and striving to maintain an “always” culture of service.”

Danville Regional is the leading medical center in the Dan River Region of Virginia and North Carolina, providing open heart surgery, spinal surgery and advanced cancer treatment.  Approximately 140 physicians are on the medical staff.  The medical center employs approximately 1,200 people.  For additional information, visit http://www.danvilleregional.com.

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