St. Mary’s Healthcare Announces New CNO and COO Promotions

Amsterdam, NY (January 4, 2023) – St. Mary’s Healthcare is pleased to announce that Raquel “Rocky” Parisi has been promoted to Vice-President of Nursing and St. Mary’s Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). St. Mary’s is also happy to announce that as Rocky takes on her new role as CNO, St. Mary’s current CNO, Patricia “Trish” Sanders, has been promoted to Vice-President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO).    

Rocky has been with St. Mary’s for 41 years in various roles of increasing responsibility, especially within the Nursing Division. Most recently, Rocky has been in the Senior Director of Clinical Practice position and worked closely with Trish throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic. She has done a terrific job in that role, and St. Mary’s Healthcare is excited to promote her to the CNO role.    

“Rocky is a trusted and respected leader with the passion, clinical competencies, and extensive nursing leadership experience to support a dedicated workforce and foster continuous quality improvement. She is an exceptional nurse and committed to being a servant leader,” said Trish Sanders, St. Mary’s Vice-President of Operations and COO. “Rocky will provide clinical and administrative leadership for organizing, directing, monitoring, and evaluating safe, high-quality patient care in this new role. She has a gift for recognizing the holistic needs of the community we serve and our associates. These skills have been especially invaluable during the pandemic. In addition, Rocky is committed to our mission of promoting wellness and providing the highest quality of care to all we serve.”  

As mentioned, Trish Sanders will be moving out of her current role as Vice-President of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer and has accepted a more expansive role as the Vice-President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this COO role, Trish will continue to provide Senior Leadership over the Laboratory, Medical Imaging, and Cardiopulmonary services. In addition, she will also take on areas of increasing responsibility, including Behavioral Health, Facilities, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Services, and Emergency Management. Trish has been with St. Mary’s for 16 years, and the St. Mary’s board and leadership team are excited as she begins this new opportunity.   

“We are fortunate to have Trish continue in a senior leadership position by guiding the operations team as the Vice-President and COO,” said Scott Bruce, President, and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare. “Trish is an inspirational leader with proven talents for identifying best practices and creating areas of improvement in support and clinical practice throughout the communities we serve. We are pleased to continue to have her as part of our executive management team.”   

Please join St. Mary’s Healthcare in congratulating Trish and Rocky on their new roles.