HCA Florida Osceola Hospital recently announced the appointment of Michelle Farris as Chief Nursing Officer. In her new role, Farris will oversee the hospital nursing team and a number of departments to include the Emergency Departments, Women’s Services, Medical Surgical and Critical Care Units at the 404-bed acute care hospital and Level II Trauma Center. HCA Florida Osceola Hospital was formerly Osceola Regional Medical Center.
Farris is a proven and dedicated leader with 28 years of service across HCA Healthcare. She has most recently served as the Chief Nursing Officer at HCA Florida West Marion Hospital in Ocala, Florida since 2017, where she was instrumental in establishing a culture of service and quality excellence.
Farris achieved nationally ranked top quartile performance in patient experience, drove the facility’s Leapfrog score to an ‘A’ letter grade and achieved top performance in physician, employee and nurse engagement. In addition, she led several significant expansion projects including new operating rooms and cardiac cath labs, as well as an addition of 139 inpatient beds including an inpatient rehabilitation unit, emergency department expansion, and intensive care beds.
Prior to joining West Marion, Farris served as the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer at Terre Haute Regional Hospital in Indiana. She started her career as a staff nurse, rising to the Director of Women’s Services and Director of Surgical Services before becoming the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer. Farris earned her Bachelors and Masters of Science in Nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University.
“I could not have imagined a better suited leader to advance the nursing, clinical, service, quality, and growth agendas at our hospital”, said David Shimp, Chief Executive Officer of HCA Florida Osceola Hospital. “Michelle’s proven ability to achieve excellence and enhance culture makes her uniquely qualified for this role.”
