CLEARWATER, Fla., Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lynnette A. Clinton, who served as vice president of applications in BayCare Health System's information services (IS) department until last December, has returned to the health system as chief information officer – the department's top role. She also is a new member of the BayCare CEO Cabinet.

"I'm excited for Lynnette's return," said BayCare Chief Administrative Officer Tim Thompson. "Lynnette is an outstanding leader who worked with the BayCare IS team for eight years as a director and vice president. She will be an excellent addition to the executive team here at BayCare."

As leader of the 700+-member information services and clinical engineering department, Clinton is responsible for leveraging that team to support BayCare's technology needs, organizational strategies and mission. The department will be heavily focused on customer service and the advancement of digital health, she said.

Clinton left BayCare in December 2023 for the opportunity to be senior vice president and chief information officer at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. When the chief information officer (CIO) position at BayCare recently opened, she couldn't resist the chance to come back.

Her first official day back was Sept. 25. The next day, Hurricane Helene began swamping the west coast of Florida with historic flooding before going ashore in Florida's Big Bend area as a Category 4 storm. Twelve days later, Hurricane Milton whipped the same coastline as a strong Category 3 storm, leaving more than a million households without power.

During both hurricanes, Clinton led BayCare's IS Incident Command. She and her team executed their disaster preparedness plans to address a host of storm-related challenges so the health system's 16 hospitals and many other facilities would have access to the technology needed to serve patients during the storms.

Despite Mother Nature's inhospitable greeting, Clinton is glad she came back to BayCare and Florida.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity and thrilled to work with the team again," she said. "BayCare is home."

Clinton's journey to one of the top executive roles at BayCare began in Minersville, Pennsylvania, when her high school guidance counselor signed her up for an introductory computer class. She attended a local campus of Penn State University to earn an associate degree in computer science and later earned a bachelor's degree in information systems from Albright College.

She began her career in information technology with jobs as a programmer/analyst and project manager, then held several leadership roles during her nine years in the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 2016, Clinton accepted a job as director of financial/ERP applications at BayCare. In 2018, she was promoted to vice president of applications and worked full time while earning a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tampa.

About BayCare

BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information visit BayCare.org.

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SOURCE BayCare Health System