Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Annmarie Chavarria to the Florida Center for Nursing Board

Annmarie Chavarria is one of 10 appointed by the Governor to address nursing workforce needs.

 

Tampa, FL (Aug. 31, 2022) – Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Tampa General Hospital's (TGH) chief nursing officer, Annmarie Chavarria, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, to the Florida Center for Nursing Board of Directors.

 

“Excellent leaders like Annmarie play an important role in driving clinical excellence and innovation by championing a collaborative nursing culture,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. “Her leadership experience and commitment to nursing at one of the largest academic medical centers in the state will add tremendous value to the Nursing Board.”

As senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Tampa General, Chavarria is responsible for leading all inpatient nursing services across the academic medical center with a focus on further developing cross-functional collaboration among nursing teams across hospital departments. Chavarria brings extensive leadership skills in strategic planning, budget development, shared governance, and performance improvement to the Florida Center for Nursing Board of Directors. She also has expertise in achieving the rigorous standards of nursing required to earn Magnet recognition, the highest national honor in professional nursing practice and given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Tampa General Hospital has earned five Magnet recognitions.

“I am honored by the appointment and eager to support and further develop the nursing workforce in our state through my service on the Florida Center for Nursing Board,” said Chavarria. She joined Tampa General in January 2021 from Abington Jefferson Health, part of the Thomas Jefferson University system in the greater Philadelphia area, where she served as senior vice president and chief nursing officer. Chavarria holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from La Salle University, Philadelphia, a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Health Systems Management from Drexel University, Philadelphia, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Holy Family College, Philadelphia.

The Florida Center for Nursing was established by the Florida Legislature in 2001 to strategically address the issues of nursing supply and demand to meet the needs of health care consumers in Florida.

Chavarria is one of four Tampa General team members to take on leadership roles appointed by the Governor. Senior Director of Patient Safety Nicole Justice was appointed in July to the Florida Board of Medicine. In 2021, Maja Gift, director of Pharmacy Services, was appointed to the Board of Pharmacy, and Dr. Seema Weinstein, manager of Psychology and Neuropsychology, was appointed to the Board of Psychology.

 

 

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL 

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America’s Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2020, provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org