Deputy Network Director for Clinical Contact Center, VISN 8
VA/VHA
St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Suzanne M. Klinker was appointed September 16, 2018, to the position of Deputy Network Director of the Clinical Contact Center in VISN 8, St. Petersburg, Florida. She developed, implemented, and leads VHA’s first comprehensive Clinical Contact Center providing urgent and episodic virtual care to Veterans across VISN 8 on a 24/7/365 basis as a virtual medical center.
Ms. Klinker was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in April 2009. She served as the Director of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System from May 2012 to September 2018. Prior to her roles in Florida, she served as Medical Center Director of the VA Medical Center in Battle Creek, Michigan from April 2009 through April 2012. Ms. Klinker previously served as the Associate Medical Center Director at VA Western New York Healthcare System. During her 26 year VA career, she has also held positions at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas; VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System; and Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka, Kansas. In September 2020, the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center was recognized by the VA Secretary and VHA Executive In Charge with a HeRO Award for virtual care and services provided to Veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic with commitment to being an high reliability organization.
Ms. Klinker began her Federal service working for then U.S. Representative, Jim Slattery, from 1989 through 1994 in Washington, DC, and Topeka, Kansas. Ms. Klinker was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring in Finance from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, and a Master of Science in Management from Baker University in Topeka, Kansas.
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