Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to welcome three new leaders, including Chief Nursing Officer Carla Zupko; Wendy Franke, Director of Quality; and Wendy Ryan, Director of Surgical Services.
Chief Nursing Officer Carla Zupko
As chief nursing officer, Carla Zupko’s responsibilities include nursing and patient care in hospital nursing services, the emergency department, and surgical services, clinical education, and social work services, as well as collaborating with nursing services in the clinic settings. In this role, she will be an active participant on Riverwood’s senior leadership team, participating in strategic and operational decision making.
Carla Zupko, Chief Nursing Officer
Zupko has worked in health care for more than 25 years with 10 of those years in leadership roles. Most recently, she has served as vice president of patient care services for CHI St. Gabriel’s Health in Little Falls since 2016. At CHI, she has managed many services and departments, including surgical services, emergency department operations, outpatient services, same day services, infusion operations and pre-op services. She is certified as an A-3 Problem Solver with LEAN process management, attended a Quality Leadership academy, and is also a certified ALICE (active shooter response training) instructor.
Previously, Zupko worked for CentraCare in St. Cloud in several roles, including nursing supervisor and site manager for family medicine, homecare and hospice nurse, and staff nurse for the hospital. She also worked as a registered nurse and licensed practical nurse for Family Medical Center in Little Falls.
Zupko earned her Registered Nursing degree at Central Lakes College, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the College of St. Scholastica in 2009, and her MBA degree in Healthcare Management through Western Governors University in 2016. She is pursuing a doctorate degree in Executive Nursing Leadership.
Zupko is a member of the American Organization for Nurse leaders and the Minnesota Organization for Leaders in Nursing.
Director of Quality Wendy Franke
As director of quality, Wendy Franke is responsible for developing, implementing and coordinating the quality improvement/risk management program to ensure compliance with quality patient care consistent with the mission and goals of Riverwood. Her job duties include ensuring compliance with all pertinent regulatory agencies such as Joint Commission, also safeguarding security and confidentiality of data and information according to HIPAA guidelines. In this role, she also provides oversight for medical staff credentialing.
Wendy Franke, Director of Quality
Franke is a health care administrator with over 22 years of military service. Prior to military retirement, she served as commander and administrator at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. She led a squadron of approximately 141 active duty and civilian personnel in providing operational support to the 2d Medical Group clinic and over 17,000 beneficiaries within the Barksdale Air Force Base area. She served as the principal advisor to the Medical Group commander/CEO and was responsible for the execution of strategic initiatives, $21.7M operations budget, 12 War Reserve Material projects worth $2.1M and the stewardship of a 12-building medical campus. She further led the 2d Medical Group’s $18.2M ancillary service operations including pharmacy, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services. Finally, she spearheaded TRICARE Operations, Patient Administration and Health Information Management activities within the clinic.
Franke enlisted as an aerospace medical technician in 1998, moving on to become a public health technician in 2003. She received a direct commission into the Medical Service Corps in 2005. She held numerous positions varying at levels of responsibility.
A member of the American College of Healthcare Executives since 2005, Franke achieved her Fellow status in 2012. Additionally, Wendy became a member of the Project Management Institute and certified as a Project Management Professional in 2016.
Director of Surgical Services Wendy Ryan
Wendy Ryan, Director of Surgical Services
In her role as director of surgical services, Wendy Ryan has responsibility and accountability for safe and efficient patient care delivered within the surgical services department, which includes the operating rooms, post-anesthesia care unit, sterile processing and GI endoscopy.
For the past eight years, Ryan has worked at Riverwood in the post-anesthesia care unit as the supervisor. Before coming to Riverwood, she worked as a pre-op, post-anesthesia care unit registered nurse and operating room/post-anesthesia charge nurse at Sanford Hospital in Bemidji. She also worked as a neurosurgical ICU nurse in a hospital in Fargo, North Dakota.
Ryan earned her nursing degrees at St. Cloud State University, the College of Saint Benedict in St. Cloud, and Tri-College University in Fargo. She is certified in Peri-Anesthesia Nursing.