CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice and Kleberg President Richard Morin Addressing DMC Summer Graduates on Aug. 19 in Selena Auditorium
College graduating first class of RN-to-BSN degree completers as part of Class of August 2022,; Morin is 1994 alumnus of DMC Registered Nurse Program
Article by Melinda Eddleman
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The graduation ceremony will be a homecoming of sorts for Richard “Rick” B. Morin, President of CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice and Kleberg. The Del Mar College (DMC) alumnus will address the College’s Class of August 2022 during commencement on Friday, Aug. 19, in Selena Auditorium. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m.
The summer ceremony will mark a milestone for the DMC Nurse Education Department from which Morin earned his associate’s degree to become a registered nurse (RN). Not only will he address the Class of August 2022 but also the first cohort of Nurse Education students to complete the new RN-to-BSN degree program. The 14 “prospective” graduates began the College’s first bachelor’s degree program in fall 2021. (see RN-to-BSN program announcement release).
“I owe Del Mar College a great deal of gratitude for both giving me the opportunity to earn my associate’s degree in nursing in 1994 and also for this opportunity as an alumnus to address the upcoming graduating class,” Morin said. “As the healthcare landscape continues to change, the South Texas region is fortunate to have DMC also changing and expanding training to meet the needs of our patient population. Today, as I walk in our various hospital units in Alice and Kleberg, we have numerous nurses who are also grateful to Del Mar College for their opportunity to earn a nursing degree. Many are working hard to obtain their BSN degree as well, so DMC will once again answer the call to fulfill this need.”
Overall, the College will graduate 356 students who have completed 424 degrees and certificates combined. On Friday, 211 of these individuals will walk the stage.
Morin began work in health care as a RN after graduating from Del Mar College in 1994. During his 28-year career with CHRISTUS Spohn Hospitals, he moved up the ranks to become President of their Alice and Kleberg hospitals in February 2020. His role includes responsibility for the operations of the two full acute care service hospitals that provide 96 and 135 licensed beds, respectively, and are consistent with two Level IV Trauma Centers.
Under Morin’s leadership for the past two-and-a-half years, the two hospitals have earned awards and high ratings for quality and the services provided to patients in the Alice and Kingsville areas. CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice recently (June 2022) received a 5 Star CMS Quality Rating and earned the Merative Top 100 Hospitals Award (2022) as well as four consecutive Leap Frog Group “A” Hospital Safety Grades, ranking the hospital in the top one-third in the country. CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Kleberg was recognized as one of the Top 25 Safety-Net Hospitals in the United States by Washington Monthly magazine with the hospital ranking 12th in the nation as well as earning several Healthgrades Patient Safety Awards. In addition, the Kleberg facility has been a CHRISTUS Health leader in staff satisfaction (engagement) with scores consistently above the 90th percentile.
Among additional services and improvements Morin has implemented for these hospitals’ South Texas patients are on call Obstetrics, Pediatrics and General Surgery; 24/7 Cardiology on call coverage in Alice and Tele-cardiology coverage in Kingsville; COVID-19 safety processes and HUB vaccinations; and an OBGYN Outpatient Clinic (Alice).
Prior to becoming President of CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice and Kleberg, Morin served as Vice President of Operations for both facilities (April 2017-January 2020) and in the same role for Corpus Christi’s CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Shoreline and Memorial (May 2016-April 2017). Other positions he has held are Director of Perioperative Services (2001-2007) at the Kingsville hospital, Director of Perioperative Services (June 2007-May 2013) at CHRISTUS. Spohn Hospital South and Chief Nursing Officer at the Kingsville hospital for three years beginning in May 2013. Throughout these positions, Morin has raised the bar for quality care and services available to patients.
Morin’s studies in higher education first began at Texas Tech University as a business major. After earning his associate’s degree from DMC in 1994, he then earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio in 2007. The following year, Morin was ordained through the Permanent Diaconate Program at Saint Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. In 2015, he completed his Master of Business Administration degree in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University-Texas.
Morin is a member of several professional organizations, including the Texas Hospital Association (THA) for which he is currently on the Member Solutions Board. He previously served as a member, Vice Chair and Chair of THA’s Leadership Development Council. He has been a member of the Texas Organization for Nurse Executives, the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (obtained CNOR in 2004) and Sigma Theta Tau International, which is the national nurses honor society.
As a community leader, Morin has been a board member of the Kingsville Boys and Girls Club, and is a current board member of the Kingsville Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Council, Advisory Board of Kleberg Bank; and is a permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Corpus Christi with his current assignment at St. Gertrude the Great Catholic Church in Kingsville.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.