Kenmore Mercy Names New VP of Patient Care Services
KENMORE, NY – Kenmore Mercy Hospital has selected Heather Telford, MS, BSN, CEN, NEA-BC, as its new vice president of Patient Care Services. She replaces Cheryl W. Hayes, MS, ANP, NEA-BC, who retired in June.
Telford brings over 30 years of experience in nursing and healthcare administration to her new position at Kenmore Mercy, a 184-bed Magnet-recognized hospital, where she oversees nearly 370 nurses.
“Heather brings a wealth of knowledge in the field of nursing, with specialized training that will help us to continue to best serve our community,” Walt Ludwig, President & CEO of Kenmore Mercy said. “We welcome her experience, leadership and dedication to maintaining our commitment to clinical and nursing excellence.”
Telford has been with Kenmore Mercy, part of Catholic Health, since 2008, first serving as nurse manager of the Emergency Department. More recently, she was the hospital’s director of Nursing since 2013. She played an integral role in the opening of the hospital’s new Emergency Department in 2013 and also helped to lead Kenmore Mercy to become the area’s only Magnet recognized and Beacon-silver award hospital, noteworthy testaments to delivering the high quality nursing care.
Prior to joining Kenmore Mercy, she served as vice president of Rehabilitation Services at Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired and held other positions in emergency, critical care, trauma and community based nursing.
In addition to a Master’s of Science in Executive Leadership and Change from Daemen College, Telford holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia through the University of Georgia. She also holds Nurse Executive-Advanced Board Certification (NEA-BC), Board Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), and LEAN Six Sigma – Green Belt Certification.
