Garden Park Medical Center has named Blake Romero as its new chief nursing officer, to provide nursing leadership functions and management throughout the hospital, including the intensive care unit, house supervisors, labor and delivery, medical/telemetry, orthopedic/surgical, operating rooms, emergency department and behavioral health.
Prior to this role, Romero served since 2006 as the associate administrator of nursing services with Tenet Healthcare System in McKinney, Texas. He emerged as an innovative nurse leader known for his ability to create policies and procedures consistent with regulatory requirements and accreditation standards, some of which led to best-practice implementation across Tenet Health System. In addition, his attention to patient experience, staff development, and quality outcomes became apparent when he consistently and positively impacted employee engagement and patient satisfaction scores.
In his previous role, Romero fostered physician relationships and enhanced operations, while managing multiple service lines, including medical, surgical, orthopedic, neurologic and telemetry inpatient units, as well as cardiovascular services, acute dialysis and neurology services.
Serving as a role model and advocate for patient safety, he mentored teams and encouraged staff members to uphold the core belief he learned to live by – putting the patient first. “Having the opportunity to make an impact in someone’s life is a privilege,” Romero said. “I look forward to working with the Garden Park team, which is clearly dedicated to patient satisfaction and having dynamic outcomes.”
Romero began his nursing career with HCA Healthcare, Garden Park’s parent company, in 1998 as an LPN at Dauterive Hospital in New Iberia, Louisiana. “I am excited to return to my roots and work for the company that set the standard,” he said.
Romero received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Excelsior College in Albany, New York, and a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Management from Western Governor’s University.
“Blake’s experience in working side-by-side with the medical staff to understand the needs of the patient and physicians is impressive,” said Randy Rogers, Garden Park CEO. “I am confident he will help Garden Park continue our culture of maintaining clinical excellence.”