A new cohort of leaders has successfully graduated from Ballad Health’s Excellence in Leadership Program! The program is designed to instill new and important skills in newly hired or promoted leaders. Throughout the program, which includes five class sessions, participants explored key topics such as human resources policies, best hiring practices, finance, personality insights through DiSC, trust and engagement, the Ballad Experience, and Crucial Conversations for Accountability. The latest group graduated March 18, with the next cohort beginning on April 8. There are spots available for the July cohort, which runs on Tuesdays from July 1-29. “What set this group apart was their eagerness to connect and collaborate, their ability to ask insightful questions, and their willingness to share their own experiences and ideas,” said Sarah Nave, program coordinator and senior training specialist. “Their commitment to growth and leadership will undoubtedly make a lasting impact!” Graduates include: Amanda McDonald Holly Guy Jessica Norris Jina Boyd…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Ballad Health has been featuring the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos. This is our final profile of the 2024 recipients — and the nomination process for the 2025 awards remains open through Dec. 31, 2024. Stacy Stacey, a registered nurse at Bristol Regional Medical Center, has the incredible ability to take care of a full assignment of patients while making each one feel like she is there for them alone. Working in the hospital’s Family Birth Center, Stacy is one of the most frequently requested nurses by returning patients. Stacy has more than…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Ballad Health has been featuring the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and our nomination process for the 2025 awards remains open through Dec. 31, 2024. Rhonda Perkins, a volunteer at Johnston Memorial Hospital’s Cancer Center, models an incredible dedication to her work and an inspiring level of care for the patients she serves.  Rhonda has been volunteering at the cancer center since 2016. She has more than 2,000 volunteer hours working directly with the staff and patients in the chemotherapy infusion unit.  Although her shift is one day a week, Rhonda always checks…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Ballad Health has been featuring the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and our nomination process for the 2025 awards remains open through Dec. 31, 2024. Tina Gay, a mother of nine with 32 grandchildren, still finds time to volunteer at not one, but two hospitals. She volunteers Tuesdays in Holston Valley Medical Center’s surgery waiting area and Thursdays and Fridays in Indian Path Community Hospital’s gift shop. Tina has been volunteering since 2018, and she is the only volunteer who serves at both hospitals. She always greets patients, family members, caregivers and team members…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Ballad Health has been featuring the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and has opened the nomination process for the 2025 awards. When it comes to serving patients at the Rural Health Clinic in Lebanon, Virginia, physician assistant Kelsey McCoy believes patients should “never leave empty-handed,” a philosophy she learned from herlongtime mentor, Norman Rexrode, MD. Kelsey began her career in healthcare at Russell County Hospital’s emergency department, working alongside Dr. Rexrode. Her dedication to the community was evident from the many long hours she spent caring for patients there, and when the…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Over the coming weeks, Ballad Health will feature the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and has opened the nomination process for the 2025 awards. Whether through medicine or mentorship or managing a public pollinator garden, Karen Elmore, MD, has dedicated her life to serving those around her. As a physician, she has impacted thousands of lives in Southwest Virginia with her medical expertise and compassionate demeanor. As an educator, she invests much of her time training the next generation of healthcare professionals. On numerous occasions, she has gone to great lengths to…

The Young Fellows Association (YFA) of the American College of Surgeons has selected Ballad Health’s Dr. Elizabeth Jackson to join its Governing Council. She serves as chief medical officer at Holston Valley Medical Center and system medical director for surgical services. Following a competitive selection process with many impressive applicants, Dr. Jackson was chosen for her insight, enthusiasm and commitment to advancing the YFA’s mission. This nomination is a key step toward fostering leadership and active involvement among the next generation of Fellows in the ACS. Dr. Jackson joins the Governing Council for a three-year term, lasting from October 2024 to October 2027. As a council member, she will play an instrumental role in representing the interests and addressing the concerns of Young Fellows, enhancing YFA’s engagement and influence within the ACS. The YFA Governing Council consists of 15 national and international Fellows under the age of 46, who are dedicated to promoting active participation…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Over the coming weeks, Ballad Health will feature the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and has opened the nomination process for the 2025 awards. Annette Silvers, RN, BSN, is a nurse at Franklin Woods Community Hospital in Johnson City, serving in the intensive care unit and the progressive care unit (ICU/PCU). Known as a skilled, confident and caring nurse, she also makes sure to share her knowledge and help develop her fellow team members, particularly the newest ones. Annette has a sixth sense for quickly identifying issues with patients and expediting their…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Over the coming weeks, Ballad Health will feature the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and has opened the nomination process for the 2025 awards. Velvet Vanover, RN, manager of Ballad Health’s clinical education department in the Northern Region, has made a lasting mark on clinical education in the region. Velvet is a dedicated nurse who has held a variety of nursing and education positions in the last 40 years. In that time, she has given generously and sacrificially to her patients, her fellow team members and her profession in countless ways. Over…

Five team members with Ballad Health were among 40 young professionals recognized as part of the 40 Under Forty class of 2024 by The Business Journal of Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia. The awards honor the best and brightest young professionals throughout the region, who are judged based on their business success and their achievements as an active member of the community. Our Ballad Health recipients are: Catherine Brewster, director, rehabilitative services, Johnston Memorial Hospital, Russell County Hospital Hunter Hamilton, administrator, Hawkins County Memorial Hospital Rachel McGlothlin, Ballad Health corporate director, marketing and communications Dr. Sean Ochsenbein, chief medical officer, Sycamore Shoals Hospital, Unicoi County Hospital, Johnson County Community Hospital Jesse Osborne, manager, respiratory services, Bristol Regional Medical Center We are very fortunate to have brilliant and dedicated individuals like these on our team, elevating our coordinated system of care across the Appalachian Highlands and setting the standard for rural healthcare quality and access. Be on the lookout…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. These recipients have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. Over the coming weeks, Ballad Health will feature the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and will open the nomination process for the 2025 awards. As the retail director for Ballad Health, Jennifer Johnson is an unsung hero. In her official role, she manages the gift shop at Johnson City Medical Center and works with the hospital volunteers. She never talks about what she does for others, but the good deeds she performs for those in need have been numerous. Her compassion for others is evident in her job, as well as at home…

Ballad Health honors a select group of team members each year with the Scott and Nikki Niswonger Servant’s Heart Award, the organization’s highest honor. Over the coming weeks, Ballad Health will feature the 2024 Servant’s Heart Award winners through videos, stories and photos — and will open the nomination process for the 2025 awards. The award is given to members of Ballad Health who have been recognized by their peers for displaying the heart of a servant by going above and beyond the normal call of duty in helping others at work and in the community. It honors four categories of team members: volunteers, physicians, front-line team members and leaders. More about the Servant’s Heart Award This award is named in honor of Scott and Nikki Niswonger, who have exemplified what it means to have the heart of a servant throughout their lives. The Niswongers were the lead benefactors in creating Niswonger Children’s Hospital and…