ATLANTIC- The Iowa Organization for Nursing Leadership (IONL) named Cass Health Chief Nursing Officer Amanda Bireline as the 2021 Outstanding Nurse Executive.

“I am grateful for and humbled by this recognition. Never could I claim success alone, though. This award belongs as much to our Cass Health team as it belongs to me. I am forever grateful to the people who have put a little faith in me along the way and allowed me to join them in their journey to make a difference in the lives of others,” said Bireline.

As Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Cass Health, Bireline serves as the primary executive overseeing hospital nursing and clinical services. She gained clinical and leadership experience in a variety of healthcare settings, including a for-profit residential substance abuse treatment center, a non-profit hospice home, rural health clinics, and critical access hospitals. Bireline received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Administration with a certificate in Organizational Leadership from the University of South Dakota.

In 2019, she participated in the first American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Nurse Executive Fellowship. The AONL Nurse Executive Fellowship is a highly interactive nine-month program designed for nurses in a senior executive role.  Throughout the program fellows develop critical executive competencies to lead in complex systems and to influence and inspire the nursing workforce and others.

In 2020 and 2021, Bireline used the skills learned as an AONL fellow to co-teach two sessions in the IONL Nurse Manager Leadership Workshop. Her programs entitled “Personal and Professional Accountability for Nurse Leaders,” and “Strategic Management for Nurse Leaders,” armed new nurse leaders with skills for advancing the nursing profession. She has been asked back to teach in the 2021 – 2022 workshops due to the popularity and success of her previous sessions.

“Amanda is a vital member of our leadership team at Cass Health and is a well-respected health care leader throughout the state. Amanda is smart, humble and has an amazing work ethic,” said Cass Health CEO Brett Altman.

Both Altman and Bireline noted that the clinical teams throughout the hospital deserve much of the credit for three national awards including Performance Leadership Awards, Top 100 Critical Access Hospital awards, and most recently, the Top 20 Critical Access Hospital overall award winner. Additionally, Cass Health has been selected as a Des Moines Register Top Workplace in Iowa for seven consecutive years due to high employee satisfaction.

“Amanda is truly exceptional with her skills, knowledge, and leadership. I have found Amanda to be enthusiastic, polite, honest, intelligent, compassionate, loyal, and hard working. Simply stated, she is the best CNO I have ever had the privilege of working with,” said Altman.

Bireline was recognized on October 7^th as a part of the Iowa Hospital Association’s Virtual Annual Meeting.