Westminster, Md. – Leslie Simmons, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., has been appointed senior vice president of patient care services at Carroll County General Hospital. In addition to overseeing patient care and operations for inpatient units and emergency, surgical and pharmacy services, she now will provide supervision for the hospital’s ambulatory surgery centers, case management and performance improvement departments, as well as Carroll Home Care and Carroll Hospice.

Simmons has served as vice president of patient care services since joining Carroll County General in 2000. Over the past three years, she has successfully enhanced the nursing culture and improved the nursing shortage at the hospital. This included instituting several measures aimed at recruiting and retaining nurses, such as no mandatory overtime, flexible scheduling, favorable nurse-to-patient ratios and development of a nurse mentoring program.

The result has been a significant drop in the hospital’s vacancy rate for nurses to 4.98 percent, compared to 12.8 percent statewide. Additionally, turnover for Carroll County General nurses has dropped from 44 percent in 2002 to 15 percent today.

Simmons has more than 20 years of clinical and nursing administrative experience and she currently serves on the Governor’s Commission on the Crisis in Nursing and Maryland Hospital Association’s Clinical and Quality Council.

She received both her bachelor’s degree in nursing and master’s degree in business administration from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Founded in 1961, Carroll County General Hospital is a nonprofit, acute care facility offering a continuum of services, including comprehensive inpatient, outpatient and community programs.

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