JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Our community welcomed autumn last weekend with another memorable Scarecrow Skedaddle & Shindig! This event has become an annual tradition for our region, providing a chance for community members to get together for an afternoon of fall family fun. The modified race is the event’s signature feature, ensuring that children of all ability levels can participate in the day’s activities. Teams from East Tennessee State University Buccaneer athletics also joined to cheer the racers along the way! Hundreds of participants joined in for the day’s races, which included the modified race, a 5K and 1-mile fun run. The following Shindig brought everyone together at the ETSU Ballad Health Athletic Center for a fun-filled afternoon with special activities, vendors, fall treats and more. This event wouldn’t have been possible without our partnerships with The Goose Chase and ETSU. We’re proud to make this event an annual tradition that brings our community together!…

It’s that time of year again – the annual Spooky Trail Halloween celebration is set for Friday, Oct. 30. Team members are invited to participate in group-themed costumes in a reverse trick-or-treat event that helps bring the Halloween spirit to our patients. Time slots for the event are available from 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Please visit this link to register your team for the event. Since some patients might not be able to have candy, teams are encouraged to bring other treats like stickers, pencils, coloring books, bubbles, activities and Play-Doh. Any candy or other edible treat should be store-bought and individually wrapped from the manufacturer. When arriving for the event, teams should check in at the table that will be in front of Timmy’s Playroom at the first floor. The trail starts in the St. Jude Tri-Cities Affiliate Clinic, then moves up to the pediatric floor and ends in the PICU. Patients will…

Team members are invited to participate in the annual Spooky Trail at Niswonger Children’s Hospital! This is a safe, indoor event that gives pediatric patients an alternative trick-or-treat experience. Team members are invited to participate in groups with themed group costumes to hand out treats throughout the day. Groups will visit patient rooms throughout the hospital to bring some Halloween fun and a sense of normalcy for patients who are hospitalized and might miss out on traditional trick-or-treating. The event takes place on Halloween, with time slots available at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Click here to register for the event. Since many patients might not be able to have candy, stickers, pencils, bubbles, activity kits and Play-Doh also make great treats to hand out. Those who bring candy should ensure that all food items are store-bought and individually wrapped from the manufacturer. Teams who arrive at the hospital for the event should check in…

The Ballad Health Foundation is still actively running its Team Member Giving initiative — and there’s still time to take part and earn your exclusive branded T-shirt! If you’ve been thinking about giving back through payroll deduction, now is the perfect time. Whether you’re a new hire or a longtime team member, we encourage you to explore the Foundation Team Member Giving platform located in the HR & Payroll Service Center. Here’s what you need to know The opportunity to receive a branded T-shirt is only available during the month of April! If you are a first-time donor giving at least $6 per pay period, are already giving $6 or more, or you increase your current gift to at least $6 per pay period, you qualify for the T-shirt. Already have an ongoing payroll deduction gift from 2022, 2023 or 2024? Great news — your gift automatically rolls over and will continue until you choose…

As we navigate the holidays and flu season, don’t forget that Ballad Health Pharmacy offers walk-in testing and treatment for a variety of conditions. You can walk in without an appointment and receive testing – and a prescription or over-the-counter medication recommendation, if needed – for: Influenza Strep throat COVID-19 RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) * Tennessee locations only Urinary tract infection This service is available at Ballad Health Pharmacy’s Abingdon, Johnson City, Kingsport and Nortonlocations. Pharmacy locations and hours: Johnston Memorial Hospital Cancer Center lobby 276-258-1990 Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Johnson City Medical Center Lobby 423-431-2140 Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Johnson City 523 N. State of Franklin Road 423-926-6154 Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kingsport 1657 E. Stone Drive 423-247-2126 Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m….

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.— The continued close collaboration between Ballad Health and East Tennessee State University (ETSU) will now bolster sports medicine services across the region, with the introduction of Highlands Sports Medicine. A member of Ballad Health Medical Associates and powered by ETSU Health, Highlands Sports Medicine will bring ETSU Health’s current BucSports Medicine clinic into a growing network of sports medicine care that includes existing Ballad Health Medical Associates Sports Medicine practices in Johnson City and Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Click here to read the full press release announcing the opening of Highlands Sports Medicine. What services do they provide? Highlands Sports Medicine serves patients of all ages, helping them achieve their optimal physical well-being through a commitment to comprehensive care and a range of services that includes fitness, strength and conditioning training; sport-specific training regimens; sports physicals; injury prevention and rehabilitation for sport or recreation-related injuries; and access to skilled orthopedic surgeons. Additionally,…

A word from Dr. Lisa Smithgall, chief nursing executive Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Ballad Health Nursing Newsletter! As your chief nursing executive, I am thrilled to introduce this quarterly newsletter – a vibrant platform designed exclusively for you, our nursing staff. Our vision for this newsletter is simple yet profound: to inform, inspire, and encourage dialogue. In this edition, you’ll learn about an initiative in which we’ve incorporated your feedback and partnered with IT Clinical Informatics to help streamline workflows and eliminate unnecessary hurdles when using Epic. Your input matters. Based on last year’s electronic health record survey, our nursing and IT leadership collaborated to enhance elements of the EHR, resulting in positive impacts on nursing workflow. Notably, we successfully piloted Rover devices in a medical surgical unit, which significantly saved time for nursing team members when interacting with the EHR. Additionally, we adopted Flowsheet MACROS during the November Epic quarterly upgrade….

Ballad Health’s educational classes for Wednesday, Jan. 17, have been canceled due to inclement weather and potentially dangerous road conditions. An inclement weather message line – 423-431-1062 – has also been created to check the status of classes. A recorded message will alert callers if classes will be hosted as scheduled, or if the decision has been made to cancel based on weather concerns. NOTE: Exceptions to Ballad Health’s class cancellation policy are the systemwide classes and facility classes for new team member orientation, which will not be canceled. More info The Organizational Development team can be contacted by emailing OrgDevEducation@balladhealth.org or calling 423-325-8484. Epic questions can be emailed to EpicTraining@balladhealth.org. Clinical Education can be contacted at 423-431-5444 or ClinicalEducationDept@balladhealth.org. You can also reach out to the contact person listed in the Learning Management System (HealthStream) for the course. The inclement weather cancelation policy includes Epic classes and all American Heart Association classes at any location (BLS, ACLS, PALS, etc.)….