Ascencion Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital has announced new leadership roles

MIRAMAR BEACH — Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast is under new leadership.

Trey Abshier was named the new president and CEO of Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, effective July 15, according to a news release. Abshier succeeds Bryan Walrath, who will become the president and CEO of Ascension St. Vincent's Clay County in the Jacksonville area.

The release said Abshier's extensive work experience, most recently as the CEO of HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.

Abshier is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and earned a master's in health administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Abshier's new leadership team includes BJ Fontaine, who returns to Sacred Heart Emerald Coast as chief nursing officer and chief operating officer after serving in the same role at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay for the past two years.

Fontaine has previously spent more than 18 years at Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, serving as the CNO for almost four years. She received her master's in nursing from American Sentinel University and bachelor's in nursing from the University of Alabama.

"I am looking forward to being a part of the community and contributing to the continued growth and success of Sacred Heart Emerald Coast,” Abshier said in a news release. “It’s my great pleasure to be able to serve alongside BJ Fontaine."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Ascencion Sacred Heart Emerald Coast hospital has announced new leadership roles