Ms. Barbara Kelly was appointed Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 12 Quality Management Officer on October 11, 2020. In this role, she oversees the Quality Management and Performance Improvement Program for the VA Great Lakes Health Care System, which consists of eight medical centers, 41 outpatient clinics, eight nursing homes, and seven domiciliaries. VISN 12 offers health care services to almost 800,000 Veterans who reside within its four-state (Illinois, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana) area. Facilities in VISN 12 operate 851 medical, surgical, and psychiatric hospital beds, as well as 938 community living center beds and 442 domiciliary beds. Varying in size and complexity, VISN 12 facilities play a fundamental role in training thousands of physicians and allied health care personnel each year.
Kelly has been a dedicated VA employee for more than 30 years. She began her nursing career as a Student Nurse Technician before being hired as a Registered Nurse for VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System (VANIHCS). She has served in a variety of clinical and administrative roles over the years at the VA, including staff nurse of Geriatric and Extended Care, Nurse Manager of the Acute Mental Health and Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Clinical Practice Guidelines Coordinator, Chief of Quality Management, and most recently Quality Management Officer.
Kelly has a strong background in Quality Management and Mental Health Nursing. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. Kelly has spent over a decade working as an adjunct clinical nursing professor at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Kelly is a Fellow of the VISN 11 Leadership Development Program. She is a certified mentor and has served as a Mentor at the VISN and local levels.