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Leslie B. Camacho is named CHC’s new nursing director
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. recently filled its nursing director position, appointing Leslie B. Camacho to the department’s helm.
Camacho was officially named to the post on May 5. She landed the job after her tour of duty as a nurse officer at the U.S. Army base in Colorado.
In an interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday, Camacho expressed her excitement about returning to her home island. After being away for 13 years, she said it’s about time to give back to her island people and the community, this time equipped with knowledge and experience.
Among her leadership goals at the public hospital is to ensure that patient care comes first. “I will make sure that outstanding care will be a priority,” she said.
Camacho had nothing but praises for what she has initially seen and observed at the department, citing the continuous trainings that’s being enforced, policies that are being updated, and other progressing works that are all aligned with the ultimate goal of providing the highest quality of care.
Camacho estimated the nursing workforce at the public hospital at about 170 right now. She said more is needed and recruitment for the vacant posts is ongoing. She also emphasized the importance of keeping those who are already with them to ensure workforce stability.
Camacho vowed to work closely with the various units of the corporation.
Camacho succeeds Leticia Reyes as nursing chief at CHC. Reyes resigned in January.
The nursing director reports directly to the hospital services director, Jesse Tudela.
It was earlier disclosed that the corporation was having difficulty in filling nursing posts due to the lack of qualified individuals on island. Specifically, CHC needs seasoned or experienced nurses.
The 170 nursing workforce at present is far from the ideal ratio for a public hospital, which used to employ 225 nurses in the past.
Because of the lack of more nurses, CHCC has been incurring increased overtime costs that averaged more than 2,000 hours and growing.
The shortage of nurses was also attributed to the increasing volume of patients at the hospital.
