McAllen, TX – Rio Grande Regional Hospital (RGRH), an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, named Laura Disque as chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2023. Disque served as RGRH's chief operating officer and the ethics and compliance officer over the past year and, before that, as their assistant chief nursing officer.
Driven by her passion for helping others and contributing to the community that has seen her grow, Disque, whose hometown is Pharr, Texas, started her nursing career at RGRH in 1995 and quickly developed into a high-performing executive. With over 28 years of healthcare experience in nursing, operational leadership, and business development as chief operating officer, Disque enhanced strategic initiatives at RGRH, such as the development and grand opening of their 15-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit. In addition, under Disque's leadership, RGRH attained the hospital's fourth and fifth surgical robots, positioning RGRH as the only hospital in Rio Grande Valley (RGV) with five surgical robots in the same surgical department. The addition of the robots places RGRH as one of the leading robotic facilities south of San Antonio and the first and only hospital in the RGV to earn the distinguished designation as an epicenter for surgical robotics. In addition to her operational success at RGRH, Disque completed the revered HCA Healthcare executive development program in December 2022. She holds a masters of science in nursing administration from the University of Phoenix and is a certified gastroenterology registered nurse.
Disque serves as a governor-appointed member of the Texas Board of Nursing and the community advisory committees for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Nursing and South Texas College Nursing & Allied Health. She is also a member of the Texas Nurses Association, a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a mentor for HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division colleagues. In 2022, the McAllen International Airport recognized Disque as an International Women's Day Honoree. In 2021, she was honored by the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as a Woman of Distinction for Healthcare.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to serve as Rio Grande Regional Hospital’s CEO and to lead a talented team that is truly vested in providing quality healthcare in a positive work environment,” said Disque. “I am confident my leadership experience and clinical expertise will contribute to RGRH's growth in service lines and brand expansion in the RGV. I look forward to cultivating new relationships, working closely with our board of trustees and medical staff, developing leaders, and ultimately fulfilling our mission to improve human life.”
Disque and her husband, Ted, have four children, one son-in-law and one granddaughter. She is the daughter of former Mayor Leo "Polo" Palacios Jr., the late Mary Palacios of Pharr, and daughter-in-law of Joe(†) and Karen Disque of McAllen.
To learn more about services provided at Rio Grande Regional Hospital, visit RioHealth.com.