Karen Labonte named Chief Nursing Officer at Unity Health

Unity Health has hired Karen Labonte, MSN, as its Chief Nursing Officer, effective May 30. Labonte will lead nursing services across the Unity Health enterprise.

Labonte brings more than 40 years of clinical leadership experience to her new role. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Support at Community Hospital Corporation. In this role, she supported clinical, quality, productivity, and regulatory compliance initiatives for CHC’s owned, managed, and leased facilities.

Prior to joining the corporate office, she served as the CNO of a CHC-managed hospital in Cortez, Colorado. She has worked in leadership roles in obstetrics, medical-surgical, operating room, and quality.

“We are excited for Karen to join the Unity Health family. Her expertise, experience, and personality will allow us to accelerate our vision for serving our communities and elevate nursing practice across the organization,” said President and CEO Mark Amox. “She is a great fit for our team, and we look forward to having her in this important role.”

With a Master of Science in Nursing from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Maine in Fort Kent, Labonte is returning to her home state of Arkansas, where she received her associate degree in nursing from Southern Arkansas University.

“I am honored to serve as the CNO for Unity Health. I look forward to working with such an incredibly talented team to continue the health systems outcomes, sustainability, and reputation while serving this community,” Labonte said.

Unity Health is an Arkansas healthcare system consisting of four hospitals, 13 family practice clinics, and specialists and specialty clinics consisting of 15 areas of practice.