Lori Knarr, RN, MSM, CHE, CNAA, has been named administrator for The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center, a Tenet South Florida facility in West Palm Beach. Knarr assumed her new position in mid-February and brings a rich background in clinical nursing, hospital administration and leadership to the only pediatric hospital in the region.

The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital was dedicated in December 2004 as a “hospital within a hospital” – part of St. Mary’s, but housed in a new, separate facility. St. Mary’s is a venerable institution in the region, with a history that dates to 1938, and has always had a thriving pediatric department. The impetus to expand the pediatric services and create a new facility came from Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, North Palm Beach residents who were concerned that there was no pediatric hospital in the area.

According to Knarr, “The Nicklaus family established The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, which provides generous support to a number of children’s causes here in South Florida. St. Mary’s gives us a solid foundation, and we are in the process of developing a premiere, full service pediatric medical center offering the highest quality care and services to children and families here. Children will not have to leave Palm Beach County anymore to receive full-service pediatric care.”

The $6 million, 4-story facility features the largest and busiest pediatric intensive care unit in the region, as well as a 45-bed neonatal intensive care unit. It is one of only 13 state-designated pediatric trauma referral centers and has the only dedicated, 24/7 pediatric emergency department with board certified pediatric emergency physicians in the region.

The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital emergency department staff celebrates their 15 year anniversary as a separate dedicated pediatric emergency room in front of the hospital’s entrance.

The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is known for its excellent Hematology-Oncology department. There is a 22-bed Hematology-Oncology unit, and the Cancer Program is a member of the Pediatric Oncology Group Childhood Cancer Cooperative Clinical Trials, sponsored by the National Cancer institute.

Knarr is excited about the opportunity to develop a new facility. “I have been in a number of leadership positions throughout my career, progressively advancing from supervisor to department director. I began my nursing career in adult critical care, and then moved to the emergency department and trauma. Before coming here, I had made the switch to pediatrics; I was director of the pediatric trauma program for All Children’s. I guess I could say that along the way I caught the leadership bug. I love management, and I got my masters in management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.”

She is eagerly putting those leadership skills to work as she and The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital team define the needs of the region’s children and families and design services to meet those needs.

“I came here to take a wonderful foundation and build it up to become a regional pediatric center, serving a five-county area. We have all the specialty services here – child life, speech therapy, OT, PT and behavioral health. We have an environment that is geared specifically to children Pediatrics is a different world and the needs of children are unique. The environment has to reflect that and meet their needs in a different way.”

A native of Pittsburgh, Knarr is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and has resided in Florida for 20 years. She is a past president of the Tampa Bay Organization of Nurse Executives and a board member of the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives. Knarr serves on the faculty for the University of Phoenix, teaching graduate courses in health care administration.

Joey Bulfin, RN, BSN, MBA, Chief Nursing Officer for St. Mary’s Medical Center, shares Knarr’s excitement about The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center. “We are pleased to bring a professional with Lori’s credentials to our team. Her extensive hands-on experience with young patients and their families will be a tremendous resource to the staff. Through her leadership, we continue to build upon our strong foundation so that all children will have an opportunity to receive the highest quality medical care without ever having to leave Palm Beach County. Our physicians and staff are committed to delivering the best medical care available to pediatric patients and their families in a five-county area.”

The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, created by golfer Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara, is a non-profit established to provide charitable support for activities that advance and enhance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood diseases and disorders. The Foundation also supports non-profit programs and projects that address issues of children’s health.