JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Johnson City Medical Center’s laboratory team won’t be the same without Robert Cross, who retired after 56 years of service – with a team member ID number of 9. He ranked as the fourth-longest-serving team member across Ballad Health. He began his career as a medical technician at Johnson City Memorial Hospital in October 1963, after a short stint Emanuel County Memorial Hospital in Swainsboro, Georgia. JC Memorial later became Johnson City Medical Center, and he moved to the new facility. A graduate of Dell School of Medical Technology in Asheville, N.C., Robert later obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in health education from East Tennessee State University in 1971. One of his most memorable stories during his tenure at JCMC revolves around John Melton, former CEO of hospital. Melton used to make rounds down to the lab and often spoke with Robert. He called one day and asked Robert if…

In the days surrounding Doctors’ Day, which was officially March 30, 2019, we celebrated in different ways across Ballad Health, including with special meals and recognition for our physicians. Here’s a quick review of some of the happenings at our facilities. And again, we appreciate and thank our doctors for all they do to serve their patients and the community!

March 30 is National Doctors’ Day, designated to show our appreciation to physicians for the work they do for their patients and for our community. Across Ballad Health, we’re celebrating at our different facilities with special meals for the doctors. Watch a brief video message from Alan Levine about Doctors’ Day on the Ballad Health intranet homepage here. These men and women worked for years to become doctors, and they continue to work long hours treating illnesses and injuries, bringing new life into the world and helping us stay as healthy as possible. Every one of us has been served by a physician at some point in our lives. They are among the most respected positions within communities, serving as healers and advisers. Their expertise and guidance is valuable not just to patients but to us as a healthcare system. That’s why at Ballad Health we’ve made physician leadership a priority by placing doctors in…

Lynn Krutak, chief financial officer for Ballad Health, has been selected to the prestigious 2019 “10 Women Leaders to Watch in Healthcare” list announced by Modern Healthcare. The publication is a leading source of healthcare business and policy news, research and information across the nation. Each year it selects a list of “Top 25 Women Leaders,” accompanied by a list of “10 to Watch.” Krutak was selected among those 10 to watch – described as accomplished, rising women executives who are advancing healthcare. See Krutak and all the winners in the Feb. 18, 2019, print issue of Modern Healthcare, or ModernHealthcare.com/topwomenexecs. The biennial recognition program honors the top women healthcare executives who are influencing policy and care delivery models across the country. In doing so, the program also highlights the continued need to nurture diversity in the healthcare industry. Krutak played a key role in the merger of Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health’s Trish Tanner, assistant vice president and chief pharmacy officer, has been honored by the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) with a 2018 Award of Excellence for Patient Safety Leadership. The award recognizes an individual who has taken extraordinary and innovative steps to make patient safety and quality a top priority in their organization. Tanner serves as chairperson for Ballad Health’s Opioid Taskforce and has been a leading voice in the fight against opioid addiction, particularly since losing a nephew to an accidental opioid overdose in 2016. According to the THA: “Trish Tanner has dedicated her professional career to helping others as a pharmacist for more than 23 years. Leading Ballad Health’s charge on the system-wide war on opioid abuse, she helped reduce the number of inpatient opioid doses administered at Mountain States Health Alliance hospitals (now part of Ballad Health) by 40 percent last year. The system’s emergency department opioid…

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…

Physicians serve as dedicated members of their communities, taking care of vulnerable patients and working to keep people healthy. Hospitals and health systems across the country are taking time to honor and recognize this work as part of National Doctors’ Day on March 30.