Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin Welcomes New CNO

Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin welcomes Michael Plankers as its new Chief Nursing Officer. Plankers has more than 24 years of progressive leadership experience and a broad clinical knowledge base to lead the hospital’s patient care team.

“After an extensive national search, we are pleased to have someone with Michael’s clinical experience and dedication to patient care leading our nursing departments,” Memorial President and CEO Gary Looper said. “He brings a strong focus on quality and patient experience, and we look forward to him joining our team.”

As the Chief Nursing Officer, Plankers will oversee the nursing leaders and staff that are responsible for meeting patient and family care needs in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He will collaborate with Memorial’s clinical staff and physicians to provide the utmost in quality patient care, while serving as a role model for the hospital’s nursing team.

Formerly, Plankers served as the Administrative Director of Patient Care Services at Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos. In this role he provided clinical leadership to the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Progressive Care Unit, Medical Surgical Unit, Inpatient Wound Care, Trauma Service, Interventional/Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization Lab, as well as Vascular Access, Dialysis, Stroke and Cardiovascular service lines. Plankers previously held the roles of Director of Clinical Services/Chief Nursing Officer and Interim Chief Operating Officer at Stone County Hospital in Wiggins, Miss.

Plankers earned a Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.  He is a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Texas Nurses Association (TNA), as well as being an active registered nurse in the state of Texas.

Plankers will assume his new duties on July 22.