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Around the Region

Broad and Cassel’s Vanessa Reynolds Aventura Hospital

Appointed as St. Thomas Health and Medical Center

Care Management Adjunct Appoints New
Directors
Vanessa Reynolds, a board-certified health law attorney
with the Fort Lauderdale office of the statewide law firm, Aventura Hospital and Medical
Broad and Cassel, has been appointed as an adjunct profes- Center’s Chief Executive Officer
sor for Miami-based St. Thomas University’s School of Heather J. Rohan announced the
Business Graduate Health Care Management Program. Vanessa Reynolds appointment of Robin Mouton, Cynthia Perez Robin Mouton
Reynolds has two decades of experience in health law in MSN, as Director of Telemetry/
a wide range of areas, including medical malpractice and Diabetes Services and Cynthia
complex litigation, insurance defense, institutional and individual health care (Cindy) Perez as Patient Access Director.
provider and multi-hospital public health care system representation. She earned a Robin Mouton joins Aventura Hospital with over 23 years of clinical and admin-
bachelor’s degree in political science and health care management from Florida istrative leadership experience. His most recent position was as Clinical Director at
International University and a Juris Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University’s Anne Arundel Health System, Annapolis, MD. Previously, he was Senior Nursing
Shepard Broad Law Center. Officer and Director of Clinical Operations at Naval Branch Health Clinic in Key
West, FL.
Cyndi Perez comes to Aventura Hospital from Plantation General Hospital, where
Homestead Hospital she was the Patient Access Director and previously she was with Cedars Medical
Welcomes Two New Center as Patient Access Manager.
Nursing Directors United Home Care Services

Welcomes Its New Executive V.P.
Vicky Kirby, R.N., has been
named director of emergency serv-
ices and Ingrid Hassani, R.N., has Maria Acosta joined United Home Care Services as
been named director of the med- Executive Vice President of Corporate Development. Prior
ical-surgical units at Homestead to joining UHCS, Acosta held leadership roles with service
Hospital. Vicky Kirby Ingrid Hassani firms, community service organizations, privately held com-
Kirby has more than 17 years of panies, and Fortune 100 companies as PepsiCo’s Frito Lay
nursing experience. Most recently, she was an assistant nurse manager of the emer- International, Pizza Hut and as V.P. of Planning with Royal
gency department at Florida Hospital in Altamonte Springs, FL. Before that, she was Dutch/Shell’s U.S. and Mexico oil exploration and produc-
an assistant nurse manager at Baptist Hospital’s Emergency Center. tion division. Acosta returned to Miami to launch her own Maria Acosta
Hassani has more than 18 years of nursing experience. Most recently, she was chief consulting practice supporting clients such as Visa
nursing officer at Westchester General Hospital in Miami. Before that, she was a head International and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, which she joined as V.P.
nurse at a hospital in California. of Marketing and Member Services.
Geraldine DeStefano Named Becky Montesino Named

Director of Nursing at Palm Beach Chief Nursing Officer

Gardens Medical Center and Vice President at
Baptist Hospital
Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (PBGMC) recently
announced that Geraldine DeStefano, RN, BSN, MSHSA has
been named Director of Nursing. Becky Montesino, R.N., has been named chief nursing
DeStefano has an extensive background in healthcare officer and vice president at Baptist Hospital in Kendall.
leadership, spanning nearly 20 years. Most recently, she was A hospital employee since 1999, Montesino most recent-
the administrative director of telemetry services at Delray Geraldine DeStefano ly served as assistant vice president for patient care servic- Becky Montesino
Medical Center, where she was the coordinator of the hos- es. Other roles have included assistant vice president for
pital’s chest pain center. She also served as Delray Medical Center’s director of first emergency services and capacity management, and director
floor telemetry unit and as an administrative supervisor. of both nursing and medical surgical nursing services.

Governor Appoints

New Commissioner to
South Broward Hospital

District Board

Governor Charlie Crist has appointed Alfredo Avalos to
the seven-member board that governs the South Broward
Hospital District and oversees all actions of Memorial
Healthcare System. Alfredo Avalos
Avalos, a regional investigations aggravated felonies
detective, has been with the Broward County Sheriff’s office
for the past seven years. While with the county, he also has served as a property
crimes detective, a field-training officer and a road patrol deputy.
Prior to working for BSO, Avalos spent eleven years with the Florida Highway
Patrol, serving in a variety of capacities.

16 December 2007 hospitalnews.org South Florida Hospital News