Leadership at Clara Maass Medical Center

Located At:
One Clara Maass Drive
Belleville, New Jersey 07109

Teresa DiElmo, MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President for Patient Care Services, Clara Maass Medical Center

Terri DiElmo leads all aspects of nursing and the more than 700 nurses employed at Clara Maass Medical Center. With the perfect blend of knowledge, talent and expertise in nursing, strategic planning and development, and in quality of care and patient safety outcomes in which to lead the nursing and patient care operations with excellence. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in building and elevating nursing teams within an ever-evolving health care environment.

Prior to joining the team at Clara Maass Medical Center, Terri served as Assistant Vice President for Patient Care Services at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, a 665-bed urban quaternary teaching facility where she held overall responsibility for acute care nursing, planning development and operations. There, she was responsible for an $800 million budget, 800 FTEs, 26 divisions that included medical and surgical adult patient care units, oncology services, dialysis, critical care services for adults, pediatrics and a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Rapid Decision Unit, pediatrics, and respiratory services. Terri was also instrumental in the improvement of hand hygiene compliance as well as reducing various hospital acquired conditions. From 2014-2016, Terri served as Director of Patient Care Services at Newark Beth.

Terri has held various capacities at RWJBarnabas Health for nearly thirty years including Assistant Vice President, Workforce Strategies, Patient Care Services at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center from 2005 to 2014, where she led the implementation of initiatives to improve nursing recruitment and retention for the nursing workforce comprised of 6,000 nurses in six hospitals which resulted in a vacancy rate of 3% well below the national norm. Within the system, she has also served as a Nurse Recruiter; Nurse Manager of Adult Medical Oncology; Patient Care Manager on the Peripheral Stem Cell Transplant Unit; and Patient Care Coordinator for Adult Medical Oncology. Of particular note is Terri‘s career as a staff nurse on the Oncology Unit at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center from 1990 to 1994.

Terri earned a graduate degree in nursing from Drexel University, an undergraduate degree in nursing from Felician College, a diploma of nursing from Elizabeth General Hospital and an associate of science degree in nursing from Union College.

In 2009, Terri received the Humanism in Health Care Award for Compassionate Care from The Health Care Foundation of New Jersey, and in 2018, she received the prestigious Minnie L. Presley Quality Award from Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Terri has presented at national conferences on topics such as succession planning for nurse leadership and best practices for nursing recruitment and retention. She is a current member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and the New Jersey State Nurses Association.