MemorialCare’s Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women’s Hospital Long Beach has named Abbey Herrera-Williams as Vice President of Human Resources and Heather Foster as Vice President of Quality & Patient Safety.
“I am pleased to have Abbey and Heather join our executive leadership team at our two MemorialCare Long Beach hospitals,” says Blair Kent, chief executive officer, of MemorialCare’s Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. “Abbey and Heather bring proficient backgrounds in human resources and quality and patient safety, respectively, to enhance our recruitment efforts and secure the best talent, as well as elevating our quality metrics and patient safety programs.”
As Vice President of Human Resources Herrera-Williams will provide strategic human resources and talent guidance. She will create a workplace culture desired by potential candidates and current employees that includes an engaged workforce committed to celebrating an inclusive organization that embraces the uniqueness of all people and is committed to providing equitable access to excellent health care for all.
“MemorialCare is continually recognized as a top workplace throughout Southern California,” says Herrera-Williams. “I am honored to be joining such an amazing group of people and collaborating closely with our dedicated teams to identify, create, and execute strategies ensuring an engaged staff and the ability to continue to recruit nationally renowned talent.”
Herrera-Williams has more than 30 years of human resources and leadership experience with a background in non-profit hospitals and health care systems. She has held various leadership positions. Prior to her appointment at MemorialCare, Herrera-Williams worked at Adventist Health, and St. Vincent Medical Center. She holds a degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resources Management, an MBA in Health Care, as well as advanced human resource certifications.
As Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety, Foster will work collaboratively with the executive leadership team to oversee all clinical quality and patient safety processes at Long Beach Medical Center Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. Foster will oversee the continuous improvement of safety, quality, and patient satisfaction in the clinical care delivery system. She will facilitate and act as a resource for the clinical teams, the administrative team, and medical staff, to improve patient outcomes and quality metrics.
Foster has more than 20 years of quality, patient safety, and health care risk management experience and has demonstrated success in both acute and ambulatory environments. Foster also has extensive knowledge of, and a strong background in clinical risk management, patient safety, quality and process improvement, as well as malpractice claims and litigation. Prior to her appointment at MemorialCare, Foster worked at Sutter Health and Stanford University Health Care. She is an attorney by background, obtained her Certified Professional in Health Care Risk Management (CPHRM) and is also certified from Stanford University’s Strategic Decision and Risk Management Program.
“Joining MemorialCare, which is recognized for its exceptional patient experience within the health care industry, is an exciting opportunity,” says Foster. “I am a passionate advocate for patient safety and quality of care, and my goal is to continue to highlight the incredible skills and expertise that our care teams provide to patients every day here at MemorialCare. I am proud to join this team and excited to help contribute to ensuring that our patients and families receive the highest quality of care during their MemorialCare experience.”