Southampton, NY—Althea Mills, RN, has been appointed Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President of Patient Care Services of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. The announcement was made by Robert S. Chaloner, Chief Administration Officer.
“Althea joins the leadership team bringing a vibrant vision for nursing education,” said Mr. Chaloner. “She will play an instrumental role in recruiting and training staff, including for The Phillips Family Cancer Center which opens in December."
Over the past few years, Ms. Mills successfully led the Hospital’s nursing team through two joint commission visits. She also worked closely with the Cardiac Specialists at Stony Brook Medicine to train staff for Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s new Electrophysiology Lab which opened this past August and the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, which since opening in 2017, has had more than 300 successful cases to date.
“Nursing Education is my calling,” said Ms. Mills. “I look forward to developing and implementing programs to help our nursing staff develop their full potential as part of the Hospital’s mission of providing the best patient care on the East End.”
As a nursing student in Trinidad, West Indies during the early eighties, Althea was advised by her nursing professors to become a nursing educator. She moved to the United States in 1990, and after receiving a Master’s Degree in Nursing Education from Molloy College, taught at Suffolk Community College where she is still an adjunct professor.
Ms. Mills joined Southampton Hospital in 2014 as a Per Diem Nursing Administrative Supervisor and became fulltime in 2015. In January 2017, she was made Director of Nursing Education and later that year was promoted to Associate Director of Nursing. From April 2018, Ms. Mills served as Interim CNO replacing Patricia Darcey who retired after holding the position for 13 years.
About Stony Brook Southampton Hospital
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is staffed by approximately 250 physicians, dentists, and allied health professionals representing more than 50 medical specialties. A campus of Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital offers a diverse array of clinical services, ranging from primary medical care to specialized surgical procedures, including orthopedics and bariatrics. The sole provider of emergency care on Long Island’s South Fork, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is a provisional Level III adult Trauma Center. The hospital includes a Heart and Stroke Center, Breast Health Center, The Center for Advanced Wound Healing, and 32 satellite care centers throughout the South Fork of Long Island. The hospital is the largest employer on the South Fork with more than 1,200 employees.
Photo of Althea Mills, RN by Lenny Stucker.