Dr. Rachael Tate, OB/GYN Will Serve as First Chief Medical Officer (CMO)

Kenneth Cochran, RN, DSc, FACHE, President & CEO of Opelousas General Health System announces the selection of Dr. Rachael Tate, OB/GYN, as the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) effective December 12, 2022.        

As CMO, Dr. Tate will be responsible for optimizing clinical operations using performance excellence tools.  She will serve as the liaison between administration and medical staff and will be responsible for recruiting and training healthcare physicians, ensuring that all staff adhere to safety standards, while delivering the highest quality of medical care.  As a member of the health system’s Senior Leadership Team, she will be the catalyst for clinical quality improvement and acknowledge the concerns of the medical staff throughout the entire health system. Dr. Tate will oversee evaluation and management of the clinical practices within the hospital and physician practices. 

“As our health system has grown, we have found the need for additional physician leadership to serve as a liaison to the non-physician leaders with the goal of improved quality care. I’m delighted Dr. Tate has accepted this position as we physicians admire her always stepping up to fill the need,” said Dr. Kim Dakin, Chief of Staff at Opelousas General.  

An Opelousas native, Dr. Tate earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University Shreveport.  She also completed her Internship and Residency from LSUS. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Prior to this role, Dr. Tate ran her private OB/GYN practice on the campus of OGHS for 11 years.  In addition to serving as our first CMO, Dr. Tate currently serves as the Medical Director of the health system’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Department as well as the Medical Director of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) program. 

“We are very pleased that Dr. Tate has accepted this opportunity.  She brings both extensive knowledge and immense experience to this leadership role.  As an active member of our medical staff, she understands the challenges we face in health care and is more than capable of managing these responsibilities,” said Kenneth Cochran, President & CEO.  “She is also already a part of our family,” he added. 

Dr. Tate is married to Michael Burnell, M.D. and together they have five children, Ben, Collin, Grace, Olivia, and Jackson. 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Tate as our Chief Medical Officer.