Karen Blount, RN, MS, PNP, NEA BC, has been named vice president of surgical operations for Kaleida Health.
Partnering with Kaleida Health's surgical leaders, including medical leadership, nursing leadership and site operations, Blount will drive implementation of strategic initiatives to support growth and improvement of hospital-based inpatient, outpatient surgical and endoscopy functions. In addition, she will collaborate with acute care and ambulatory surgery leadership to strengthen operations of surgical arenas and reinforce the highest quality system approach.
Blount joined Kaleida Health in January 2023 as a project manager in the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) and has been instrumental in improving efficiency and growth in the perioperative area. She has more than 30 years of hospital and health plan experience with previous leadership functions at academic medical centers, women and children’s hospitals and health plan facilities. She was a former hospital president, Magnet chief nursing executive and health plan vice president.
In fact, Blount began her nursing career at the former Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo in 1981 as a staff nurse in Emergency Services. She elevated her way through various nursing leadership positions all the way up to president of the hospital from 1997 to 2003.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from D’Youville University, Master of Science in Nursing from the University at Buffalo and is a pediatric nurse practitioner. She serves as treasurer of the Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network Board of Directors and is a member of the Board of Advisors American Board of Forensic Nursing.