Ms. Cruz serves as director of risk and quality, infection control officer and patient safety officer at Carson Valley Health, a critical access hospital. There, she oversees risk management, patient advocacy, compliance, infection control, emergency preparedness and clinical analytics. She led Carson Valley Health’s overall readmission rate from 15.5% in 2018 to 13.9% through a multidisciplinary focus group and targeted reduction program, contributing to the hospital’s CMS star rating improving from two stars in 2022 to five stars in 2026. The hospital was also recognized by the CDC as one of only 12 critical access hospitals in the nation meeting best practices in all seven elements of antimicrobial stewardship, and was invited to help develop CDC guidelines for rural hospitals. Ms. Cruz was selected as one of 12 national critical access hospital quality mentors by Stratis Health from 2022 to 2024. In addition to being a registered nurse, she also brings expertise in healthcare quality, infection control and healthcare risk management.
