Ballad Health was well-represented at the 2018 Healthcare Heroes awards, presented by the Business Journal of the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia. Fourteen team members, ranging from volunteers to physicians to leaders, were honored at an awards ceremony at The Millennium Centre.
The Healthcare Heroes program is The Business Journal of Tri-Cities, TN/VA’s effort to call the attention of the business community to the individuals and organizations making a positive impact on the provision of care from Greeneville, Tennessee, to Marion, Virginia.
“Since 1994, we’ve recognized individuals and organizations who go above and beyond their normal duties to make sure healthcare is as good as it can be,” said Scott Robertson, managing editor of the Business Journal.
We’ve included short bios below on our 14 Ballad Health team members who were honored. To read more about them, and all the other Healthcare Heroes, check out the Business Journal’s Healthcare Heroes issue digitally here. There’s more information on each winner plus additional photos.
Thank you to all our recipients for being a hero, and congratulations on the award!
Dr. Jerry London, Holston Valley Medical Center
(Cup of Kindness Distinguished Service Award)
This Cup of Kindness honor goes to a provider who has shown leadership and excellence over a sustained period of time. During his long career as a gastroenterologist with Gastroenterology Associates in Kingsport, Dr. London has been instrumental in bringing new technology and procedures to Holston Valley Medical Center and to the area, including the technique known as endoscopic chole-docho-scopy, which allows for an endoscopy inside the liver or pancreas. He also has a long history of leadership, both with Holston Valley and beyond, serving as president of the hospital’s medical staff, chairman of the Marsh Regional Blood Bank, member of both the Wellmont and Holston Valley boards of directors and in numerous other roles.
Lisa Carter, Niswonger Children’s Hospital
(Cup of Kindness Meritorious Service Award)
This award is presented to someone who has shown excellence in administration. Lisa began her career as a bedside nurse at Johnson City Medical Center and served as chief nursing officer for JCMC and Niswonger Children’s Hospital before becoming CEO at Niswonger Children’s Hospital. She also serves as vice president of Ballad Health’s pediatric service line, and was instrumental in the creation of the Special Care Unit for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, as well as the Families Thrive program that provides care and guidance to new mothers suffering from drug addiction.
Heidi Dulebohn, Niswonger Children’s Hospital
Heidi served in many Mountain States Health Alliance volunteer roles and also was director of community engagement. She was instrumental in bringing the Baby Box program to Mountain States Health Alliance, in an effort to cut down on unsafe sleeping habits that were a leading cause of infant deaths in the home. This program provided new mothers with a free Baby Box, made from durable cardboard and outfitted with a tight-fitting mattress covered with a breathable cotton sheet. Each Baby Box also came with free educational materials and newborn essentials such as diapers, baby wipes, brain-boosting activities and more to help the family get started.
Dr. Brandon Green, Niswonger Children’s Hospital
Dr. Green is a pediatric orthopedist with Mountain States Medical Group’s Pediatric Orthopedics clinic at Niswonger Children’s Hospital. His services were badly needed as there were no other pediatric orthopedists in the region. The clinic provides expert treatment of the unique needs of children, from mending broken bones using brightly colored casts to performing surgery for complex conditions. Since the clinic opened, he has performed more than 100 surgeries and managed more than 2,000 office visits.
KJ Gulson, Mountain States Medical Group
KJ has shown innovation and dedication in her role as AVP of operations for Mountain States Medical Group. Among the initiatives she’s spearheaded was a campaign to reduce hospital readmissions due to medication-related issues. She helped create a clinical pharmacy team that led to a reduction over the following year of more than 500,000 hydrocodone tablets being prescribed.
Freddie Horn, Bristol Regional Medical Center
Freddie, a Servant’s Heart Award winner for Ballad Health, is director of Bristol Regional Medical Center’s radiology department. He’s known for going the extra mile to help his patients and their families. One example was the time he traveled well out of his way on a snowy night to help a patient get settled at home after they’d been discharged. In another instance, he made special efforts to help a family – who’d had members diagnosed with brain tumors in the past – to immediately receive brain screenings themselves.
Diane Karriker, Smyth County Community Hospital
A volunteer at Smyth County Community Hospital, Diane has logged more than 14,000 hours at the front desk and the gift shop. She has provided support for patients and visitors as well as for her fellow volunteers in many ways, and she’s known for her acts of kindness. She received a Ballad Health Servant’s Heart Award earlier this year.
Charlie Lawson, Bristol Regional Medical Center
A talented musician, Charlie has provided music therapy for many years to visitors at Bristol Regional Medical Center through his regular piano playing in the lobby, despite arthritis that sometimes makes it a struggle for him. One story about Charlie has often brought people to tears when they hear it – when his playing inspired a wheelchair-bound husband with Parkinson’s disease to rise out of the wheelchair and dance with his wife. It’s just one example of the impact Charlie has on people through the soothing music he makes. He’s also a winner of the Servant’s Heart Award from Ballad Health.
Ned McIntyre, Johnson City Medical Center
A registered nurse at JCMC, Ned finds ways to help his patients, both through medical treatment and in other ways. He helped care for one patient’s dogs while that person was in the hospital; he spent extra time reading aloud to a patient who was gravely ill and unable to sit up. That patient eventually passed away, but the patient’s family was so moved by Ned’s care that they made it a point to give him the book. He received a Ballad Health Servant’s Heart Award, as well.
Chris Miller, Johnson City Medical Center
Chris Miller, also winner of a Servant’s Heart Award from Ballad Health, sets an example by helping others in ways both large and small. The associate administrator and chief experience and outcomes officer at JCMC is there for fellow team members in need just as he is for the hospital’s patients and families. He and his wife adopted a baby with neonatal abstinence syndrome and he later spoke in Washington, D.C., about his experiences. One enduring example of his passion for helping others was the service project he helped start at JCMC, where team members volunteer once a month to cook and serve food at the local soup kitchen for about 200 people.
Dr. Candi Overholt, Takoma Regional Hospital
After seeing the problems caused by poverty and substance abuse while growing up in rural Parrottsville, Tennessee, Dr. Overholt has made it her life’s work to fight those problems. She founded Empower Cocke County, a charitable organization that brings together multiple churches and works to improve the community’s wellbeing by providing numerous resources, including counseling, substance abuse treatment and financial assistance. She goes out of her way to help her patients at the hospital and also serves in leadership roles at Takoma Regional Hospital.
Trish Tanner, corporate pharmacy
Trish is AVP for corporate pharmacy and serves as chairman of Ballad Health’s Opioid Taskforce. After losing a nephew in the military service to an accidental overdose, she has devoted herself to honoring her nephew by helping others avoid the same fate. She completed an 18-month Fellowship Program and has helped spearhead a 40-percent reduction in inpatient opioid doses administered at Ballad Health hospitals.
Beverly Tester, Bristol Regional Medical Center
Beverly’s hard work over many years has helped Bristol Regional Medical Center trauma patients. As trauma services office coordinator, she provides invaluable behind-the-scenes work building the trauma registry, submitting trauma information on a timely basis to state and national agencies, and preparing the program for accreditation site visits. As a teenager she was struck by a car and spent weeks as a trauma patient, and more than three decades later, that experience motivates and inspires her. Beverly also received a Servant’s Heart Award from Ballad Health.
Kevin Williams, Johnson City Medical Center
Kevin is a nurse at JCMC with the outpatient observation unit who is known for his positive, encouraging attitude and for consistently putting the needs of others first – with both patients and fellow team members. One patient had only a hospital gown to wear and needed pants. Kevin went to the store after his shift and, with his own money, bought the patient a new pair of pants. It’s just one example of the extra effort he makes to help others. These qualities helped Kevin earn a Servant’s Heart Award from Ballad Health, as well.
