Brigid K. Toyne-Barfoot, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, has joined Blessing Health System as chief nursing officer. She replaces Tim Tranor, DNP, MBA, RN, who assumed the position of executive vice president/chief operating officer after having served as Blessing’s CNO since 2015.
Toyne-Barfoot has more than 15 years of experience in directing nursing programs and in organizational leadership. She joined Blessing after having served as associate chief nursing officer, nursing practice, innovation and professional development at University Health, Kansas City, Missouri, since 2023. University Health is an academic medical center with two acute care hospital locations, a Level 1 trauma center, more than 70 outpatient locations, Kansas City’s largest behavioral health program, a free-standing specialty and surgery center, a center for high risk pregnancy and OB/GYN specialty care, and more than 4,500 employees.
Before that, Toyne-Barfoot held positions including corporate director of nursing programs and director medical/surgical at University Health. She also served in leadership positions including director of nursing, operating room and laboratory as well as a nurse manager.
“When I learned Blessing was looking for a chief nursing officer, I reviewed the website, and the word ‘community’ kept coming up,” Toyne-Barfoot said. “A strong commitment to the community is something that I believe in, and I wanted my next role to be with an organization that believed the same. As I continue to meet Blessing team members, I see that deep commitment to the communities they serve in the work they do daily.”
Dr. Toyne-Barfoot earned her doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) and Master of Science in nursing, both in organizational leadership, from the University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City, Kansas, and her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Avila University, Kansas City, Missouri.
She also holds the status of nurse executive, advanced certification (NEA-BC) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, the American Nurses Association and the Illinois and Missouri organizations of Nurse Leaders.
Blessing Health System employs nearly 1,150 nurses at its hospitals and clinics in west central Illinois and northeast Missouri.