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New Chief Nursing Officer named for AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach

Darla Fish

AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach has named Darla Fish as chief nursing officer (CNO), effective Aug. 13.

The role provides oversight for all nursing teams and Fish, a registered nurse and critical care certified nurse, brings extensive experience caring for patients in intensive, critical, and progressive care, as well as neurosurgery, cardiovascular, telemetry, orthopedics, and neonatology units.

“I am pleased to welcome Darla to our hospital,” said Dr. Dennis Hernandez, president and CEO for AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach. “She has proven to be a tremendous leader throughout her career at AdventHealth and other leading health care organizations. Her experience and leadership acumen will help us in continuing to elevate the incredible care we provide the community while supporting the work our nursing teams have accomplished in anticipation of earning the Pathway to Excellence Designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which designates hospitals as good places to work based on nursing excellence and health care quality.”

Since joining AdventHealth in 2017, Fish has served as the executive director of cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, and neuroscience services at AdventHealth Daytona Beach. In this role, she spearheaded crucial initiatives, including the launch of the interventional neuroradiology (INR)/Stroke program, which just received certification from the Joint Commission as a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center. Additionally, under Fish’s tenure, AdventHealth Daytona Beach was recognized by Healthgrades for delivering superior patient outcomes in coronary intervention procedures, including angioplasty with a stent.

A member of the Association of Nurse Executives, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and American Nurses Association, Fish earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Benedictine University in Illinois, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, and a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from the University of Phoenix.

“It is an honor to join this team of incredible nurses and many other health care professionals,” said Fish. “It is an exciting time in Volusia County, and specifically New Smyrna Beach, and I look forward to supporting the amazing work of our nursing teams who are providing exceptional care to the community.”