Mrs. Elizarraraz is a graduate of the University of North Texas (BS & MPA – Emergency Management Planning and Administration) and the Community College of the Air Force (AAS, Information Systems Technology).
Lorrie has over twenty years’ of safety experience with fifteen of the years’ in healthcare safety; most recently, Lorrie served as contracted hospital Safety Officer at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, developing a comprehensive Safety Department and Program. She also worked full-time at Harris Methodist H.E.B. Hospital and Cook Children’s Medical Center, both in Fort Worth, Texas. In her duties as a Director of Safety, Lorrie has wide experience in all seven areas of the Environment of Care®, with particular focus in the areas of Emergency Management, Fire Safety, and Safety management. As a facility Safety Officer, Lorrie has helped her organizations prepare for The Joint Commission® survey, as well as responsibilities related to regulatory compliance for OSHA, EPA, FDA and local authorities having jurisdiction.
As a regular part of her role, Lorrie has broad responsibilities in conducting Emergency Management Programs, drills/exercises and managing the complex setup of decontamination teams. With the sub-specialty of Emergency Management, Lorrie has conducted and developed a training program for the First Receiver Operations Level Training, Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) training. In the course of her experience as a Safety Officer, Lorrie has acquired certifications in Emergency Management, NIMS, HICS, First Responder, HAZWOPER, ergonomics, and a variety of OSHA areas including “train-the-trainer” programs.
As a Senior Staff Consultant at Safety Management Services, Inc., Lorrie conducts audits of Physical Environment (PE) Programs, prepares facilities for TJC survey, and consults on-site for EC Program development.
Early in her life, Lorrie served in the United States Air Force as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and is now a traditional reservist as a Master Sergeant in USAF Reserves. In her nineteen years of military experience, Lorrie is serving as the First Sergeant for a Medical Squadron. She has served as a tactical radio operator, Career Advisor, Flight Supervisor, Anti-terrorism Training Coordinator for an Aeromedical Evacuation Unit and did one tour of duty as a part of “Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.” Lorrie is a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®), American Society of Healthcare Engineers (ASHE), holds the professional designations of Certified Healthcare Safety Professional (CHSP), Certified Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professional (CHEP) and Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM).
