JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of 18-year-old Dakota Johnson, who suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy and passed away on Friday morning, April 26, at Johnson City Medical Center. Dakota was a student at Science Hill High School; one of his dreams was to receive his high school degree, and he was able to do that in a small ceremony in his room at JCMC two days before his death. Here’s an article and video clip from WJHL-TV about Dakota. His family had special thanks for the Johnson City School System and for the nurses at Johnson City Medical Center. You can also see a short video clip on Ballad Health’s Facebook page of Dakota receiving his degree from Johnson City superintendent of schools Dr. Steve Barnett. It’s an emotional moment.

Please find attached a statement from the Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner regarding the consolidation of Level III NICU services at Niswonger Children’s Hospital. We appreciate the diligent work from the Department of Health to evaluate our Level III NICU proposal, and we believe they made their decision based on what is best for patients. We agree with and will implement their additional recommendations. Improving the outcomes for our most vulnerable children and their mothers is our top priority, and we will continue to work with physicians and nursing staff to provide exceptional women’s and children’s care in Kingsport and the region. We will provide you updates as we move forward.

Around the system, our laboratory teams posed for photos April 21-27 as they celebrated National Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Week, which honors the essential behind-the-scenes work done by lab teams. Medical laboratory testing plays a crucial role in patient care as an estimated 60-70% of all decisions regarding a patient’s diagnosis and treatment, hospital admission and discharge are based on lab test results. Check out the smiling faces from facilities around the system as lab teams enjoyed games, meals and goodies, photo booths, team member appreciation gifts, group dancing and more. You’ll probably see someone you know!

Our “Kudos & Recognition” feature highlights team members and others from across Ballad Health who have earned honors, awards, professional certifications or done other notable things worth recognizing. If you know a team member who might qualify, email information to doug.janz@balladhealth.org. Chris Chamberlain named Greene County Outstanding Team Member GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Congratulations to Chris Chamberlain, RN, in the Greeneville Community Hospital East (formerly Laughlin Memorial) emergency department, for being named Greene County Outstanding Team Member. A few weeks ago, a critical situation with a patient impacted the staff, other patients, and families for several hours, and Chris went above and beyond in communicating with the patient to trust him and convinced the patient to let him provide care and keep the patient and everyone else in the unit safe.  Chris ended up staying well past his time off because he genuinely cared about the patient’s outcome. Thank you, Chris, for the care and compassion you…

The hospital is partnering with local dentists, Mission Dental Virginia to open dental clinic in Abingdon ABINGDON, Va. – In Southwest Virginia, as many as 68% of residents live without dental insurance to help cover the costs of dental care. That’s compared to the national average of 33.6%. According to the Urban Institute, nonelderly adult Virginians without insurance were more likely to have lost one or more permanent teeth to decay or gum disease than those with insurance in 2016. Even for those with dental insurance, it may be difficult to get timely care, as Southwest Virginia does not have enough dentists to support the population. According to U.S. Census data, more than 160,000 residents in Southwest Virginia do not have adequate access to a dentist. This dire need for dental care in Southwest Virginia was one of the catalysts for Johnston Memorial to plan a dental residency program that will offer advanced training to dentists…

ABINGDON, Va. – After five years of planning and construction, the 1.6-mile Urban Pathway celebrated the opening with a free community kickoff event on April 12. Between the Creeper Trail and the Urban Pathway, it is possible to go almost anywhere in Abingdon without hitting major traffic outlets. The newly opened pathway will allow people to walk from one end of town to the other. The trail runs east to west from Tanner Street to the Abingdon Muster Grounds. It is open to pedestrians and bicycles and intersects with the trail head of the Virginia Creeper Trail on Green Spring Road. Also celebrated was the kickoff of the Urban Pathway Corporate Challenge which is co-sponsored by Ballad Health, Food City, the Town of Abingdon and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. The corporate challenge is a way to encourage more people to walk throughout town. Each participant will track their own steps throughout the challenge…

If you haven’t seen this already, it’s worth checking out: A nursing student who was badly injured in a car crash was still able to experience her graduation pinning ceremony, despite the fact she was undergoing treatment at Johnson City Medical Center. Brenna Jones of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology’s nursing program thought she would have to miss the pinning ceremony, but she got a big surprise thanks to her school, her classmates and Johnson City Medical Center. Check out this inspiring story, which received TV coverage from WCYB-TV and WJHL-TV. And congratulations and good luck to Brenna!

URGENT: Our Ballad Health wellness screenings are underway! Screenings are scheduled through June 5 at locations across the system. See the full schedule listed below this article, or click here to view it on the intranet. NOTE: The wellness survey opened on Monday, April 1, and is now available. For more FAQs on the screenings, survey and health portal, check out this separate article. Ballad Health is committed to providing benefits that help team members manage and maintain their health. One of the ways we do this is through our voluntary team member wellness program, which consists of two components – a wellness screening and health coaching. By participating in the wellness program, team members not only can get and stay healthier, but they also receive lower medical insurance premiums than if they choose not to participate. The insurance premiums are lowest for team members who are non-tobacco users AND who participate in the wellness program….

Ballad Health has launched a system-wide poll to take the pulse of our organization, and we want to hear from you! The poll is open through Friday, April 26. The goal of this survey is to learn more about your thoughts on our path forward as a health system, your role in our future and how we communicate with each other. The survey is anonymous, and no personal information is being collected other than which market you’re in and whether you serve in a clinical or nonclinical role. Click here to access the survey. It should take no more than five minutes to complete. Note that the poll is embedded on our intranet site, and is only accessible on the Ballad Health network. Moving forward, your feedback will be put into action across the organization, and the poll will be repeated on a regular basis to check in and see how we’re progressing as a…