BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — The Our Lady of Lourdes system, part of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, announced today that it has named a new president for the Acadiana area.

Kathleen Healy-Collier, DHA, MHA, will join the system officially on Feb. 22, leading the 328 beds at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s, Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital, the rapidly expanding Lourdes Physician Group and the full complement of healthcare services offered by Our Lady of Lourdes and its many partners and locations.

“Kathy brings an exceptional track-record of experiences both in leading large, acute care operations as well as developing strong physician relations in very competitive markets,” said Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady President and CEO Richard R. Vath, M.D. “As aligned as those skills are to this role, we are even more impressed with her commitment to Catholic healthcare. Devoted to her faith and family, Kathy is an authentic and effective leader grounded in the values of serving those most in need.”

Healy-Collier most recently served as the COO at HSHS St. John’s Hospital and St. John’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois. Her career spans more than 20 years in operations roles, including serving as the COO at 650-bed Brookwood Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala. and as the executive/administrative director, operations and systems at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis for 15 years. Her expertise includes key areas of finance, revenue cycle, technology and strategy. She has also served as teaching faculty for several healthcare graduate programs.

Healy-Collier holds both doctorate and master’s degrees in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of Memphis respectively. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Health Informatics/Management from Saint Louis University and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Healy-Collier has actively contributed to the healthcare profession with participation on numerous national organizations as well as to the communities in which she has lived, through many civic and volunteer boards and leadership roles.