HealthLeaders | The Exec: Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital Has a New CNO

HealthLeaders recently interviewed Jessica “Jess” Almeida, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, about her career path, how the hospital supports nurse wellbeing and her perspective on emerging technology trends.

Almeida told G Hatfield, HealthLeaders nursing editor, that many mentors and leaders guided her and fostered her career growth.

“They really influenced my career more than they probably will ever realize,” Almeida said of the nurse managers, directors and chief nursing officers who have exposed her to new opportunities.

She told Hatfield the new Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital—expected to open in late 2026—has been a helpful tool in recruiting nurses. The hospital will feature outdoor terraces and calming meditation areas to emphasize work-life balance and wellness, along with state-of-the-art tools and technology to make nurses’ jobs easier.

As leadership prepares to move into the new hospital, they’ve encouraged career growth and helped nurses reach their goals, she said, through open communication with staff members about their individual aspirations.

“My success may not be somebody else’s success,” Almeida said. “Everybody has a different path. Even our nursing assistants may not want to be nurses. And that’s OK—we need every role. So, what can we do to support them and grow them within their idea of success?”

Growth can include developing new skills and using new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to improve patient care. Nurse leaders can help staff members adopt this new technology and feel comfortable using it, Almeida told Hatfield.

“AI is probably more familiar than people realize,” she said. “It’s [more about] how do we use that and bring that into a facility to benefit our clinicians and our patients.”

Click here to watch the complete interview on HealthLeaders.