For Immediate Release

Mercy Names Fanning Chief Nursing Officer

Oklahoma City— Linda Fanning, RN, MS, has been named Mercy Health Center’s chief nursing officer.

As a director of nursing at Mercy since 2003, Fanning played a big role in leading Mercy to Magnet status in 2005—the first hospital in Oklahoma to receive the gold standard in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Prior to her stint as nursing director at Mercy, Fanning served as director of nursing at Deaconess Hospital from 1994 to 2004.

For 13 years, Fanning worked as a floor nurse at Mercy and other metro hospitals—from ICU to rehab, and oncology to home care. Born into an extended family of nurses, Fanning knew at a very young age that she would be a nurse. And in 1979, only five years after Mercy opened its new hospital on Memorial Road, Fanning worked as a nurse tech, then came on as a team leader in 1981, opening a brand-new ortho/neuro unit.

“Nursing is rewarding in a way I can’t even define,” said Fanning, who has served as Mercy’s interim chief nursing officer (CNO) since February. “I am honored to lead our team of nurses and I strongly believe in all nurses having a voice in how we better care for our patients. They are at the bedside every day, ensuring our loved ones get the very best care.”

Fanning received her bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1980, later completing a master’s in nursing administration at the University of Oklahoma in 1998. Fanning, who grew up in Ponca City, has lived in Oklahoma City since 1980 with her husband Tom. She has two grown sons, and in her spare time enjoys trail biking, yoga, travelling and gardening.

“Linda has served as interim CNO for many months and besides her evident experience, compassionate spirit and strong leadership, she is a great fit for Mercy because she already embraces the Mercy values,” said Jeff Johnston, Mercy’s chief operating officer. “She will lead our team of nurses to make the Mercy difference every day.”

Press release dated: July 15, 2008

Mercy Health Center, the first Magnet hospital in Oklahoma and among only 3 percent of hospitals in the nation to be awarded Magnet status, is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System. Magnet-designated facilities: report higher patient satisfaction rates, deliver better patient outcomes, provide more nursing care at the bedside of patients and consistently outperform non-magnet organizations.