Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis Healthcare System announces the appointment of Jennifer Kern, RN, BSN, as patient care manager for Family BirthPlace.

Kern is responsible and accountable for the delivery of care, development of policies and procedures, standards of care and protocols, and assigns, directs and evaluates the work of the healthcare providers assigned to a specific area in accordance with the policies, procedures, philosophy and objectives of Saint Francis Healthcare System.

She has been a part of the Saint Francis team since 2002 and has worked as a nurse assistant in the Level III NICU, a new nurse on medical/surgical, and the last 11 years at the Family BirthPlace with the last year serving as a lead charge nurse.   

Kern earned her bachelor’s in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University.  

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.