Northeast Georgia Medical Center recently welcomed a new chief nursing officer. Brenda Simpson, RN, MSN, CENP, is responsible for overseeing nursing services at NGMC’s hospitals in Gainesville and Braselton.
Simpson most recently served as system senior vice president and CNO for Catholic Health Initiatives in Little Rock, Ark. In addition to providing nursing oversight, she was the executive sponsor for the system’s electronic health record implementation and the project lead for a critical care/emergency department expansion. Simpson began her nursing career in Tennessee, where she held various clinical positions at Baptist Hospital, Vanderbilt University Hospital and University of Tennessee Medical Center. She has held numerous leadership positions at Huntsville Hospital System in Huntsville, Ala.; Baptist Healthcare in Birmingham, Ala.; and CHRISTUS Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Simpson received her master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Tennessee and her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Tennessee State University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of South Alabama. She also is an appraiser for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Nurse Magnet Recognition program.
The hospital also recently promoted two current employees to new leadership positions. Barbara Crane, RN, BSN, CCM, is now director of Case Management for both hospitals in Gainesville and Braselton. Linette Owen, RN, MSN, will serve as director of Clinical Documentation.
Crane most recently served as interim director of Case Management for NGMC since November. She started her career at NGMC in 1998, as a registered nurse in Orthopedic, Neurology and Urology units. She later transferred to Case Management in 2002 and was promoted to manage the department in 2005. More recently, Crane spent the last year developing and implementing the Case Management Department at NGMC Braselton. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Valdosta State University, and has been a certified Case Manager since 2006.
Owen most recently served 17 years as outcomes coordinator for NGMC’s Performance Improvement department. She began her career at NGMC as a clinical nurse specialist in 1993, then served as director of Nursing Professional Practice. Owen received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Tennessee Technological University and later earned her master’s in Nursing from Georgia State University.
