Nash UNC Stories
Beth Garris: A Gift of Warmth that Warms Your Heart
As the weather gets colder and the holidays draw nearer, many people are in need of additional garments to keep warm during the winter season. This is especially true for the cancer patients receiving treatment at the Danny Talbott Cancer Center on the campus of Nash UNC Health Care. One community member and Nash UNC employee, Beth Garris, decided to make hats for the patients and donated 100 hats to the Cancer Center that she crocheted herself.
Read more about Beth Garris's Story
Pathway of Excellence: Nash Nurses Among the Best
Nash UNC Health Care was recently re-designated as a Pathway to Excellence organization by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). This marks the second time Nash UNC has received this re-designation. This year’s designation will last four years.
Read more about our Pathway of Excellence Designation
The Doctor is in: General Surgeon Excited to Serve Community
As the son of two surgeons, Dr. Reece Alkire had a clear vision of his career path from a very early age. Alkire is one of three new surgeons to join the team at Nash Surgery, a new general surgery practice opened by Nash UNC Health Care.
Read more about Dr. Alkire
Patient Relations: The Key to Success for New Nash Surgeon
Like most medical students, Zachry had options in multiple areas of the United States after her residency.
As she weighed her options, Zachry received an invitation from Nash UNC Health Care in Rocky Mount, NC to discuss a new practice that was in development, Nash Surgery.
Read more about Dr. Zachry
Surgeon Relishes Role as New Member of Local Practice
For 16 years, Caron Warnsby had been practicing general surgery in Marshall, MI, about 100 miles west of Detroit. Then, in the spring of 2020, she was invited to consider a new opportunity at Nash UNC Health Care.
Read more about Dr. Warnsby
Orthopedic Surgeon Returns Home to Fulfill Childhood Dream
Growing up, Clay Nelson would spend his Friday nights at high school football games in the Rocky Mount area. But unlike the rest of the crowd, he wasn’t there to support one of the teams. Instead, he was there to help his father, Dr. Greg Nelson, who was providing medical assistance as the local sports medicine expert.
Read more Dr. Clay Nelson's journey to home
Task Force: Ensures Effective COVID Response
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a special task force was created to make the key decisions that keep you and others safe in our facilities. From small signage and visitor restrictions to a complete renovation of a hospital floor, Nash UNC healthcare workers and the COVID task force were a part of every step of the way to your safety and care.
Read more about the decisions our task force made to keep you safe.
EVS Team: Raising the Bar for Cleanliness
With the coronavirus impacting our community and hospital, our EVS team has stepped up to the plate and raised the bar for cleanliness.
“We still want to bring the same high level of care to the patient day to day, because that’s what really matters, is the patient”
Read more on how our EVS team is raising the bar
Lynn Cash
When there's a medical emergency there's sometimes a financial emergency as well. Lynn Cash, one of our financial counselors, knows how medical bills can affect a patient's recovery and often goes above and beyond to ease their worries.
Read more about Lynn's Story
Catherine Johnson
When Catherine came into the ER for what she thought was a cold, she quickly found out that she was a lot sicker than she thought. She also found out how quickly she would bond with a few of our staff at Nash and eventually find another kind of family.
Read more about Catherine's Story
Fidget Blankets
When a group of women in the community heard about our fidget blanket project, they volunteered their sewing services and helped turn the idea into a reality for our patients. To our patients, the blankets are a way for them to keep calm in a scary situation. To the women who volunteered to make them, the blankets are like a love letter they send to someone they don't know.
Read more about the Story of our Fidget Blankets
Julie Szczypkowski
Julie Szczypkowski believes the foundation to good health care is compassion and kindness. Listening intently and building connections with her patients, their family, and her coworkers are just a few of the ways she cares for others.
Read more about Julie's Story
Debbie Sharp
Calming patients is a common task among nursing, but there are few that have the ability
to calm patients like Debbie Sharp. Debbie has a special gift for calming patients and is known for her gentle and empathetic ways of comforting not only her patients, but also their family members.
Read more about Debbie's Story
Felicia Gaylor
Though many wouldn't consider IT support as a part of the care team, Felicia Gaylor is an example of how good team support can improve the overall patient experience. Whether it's getting our printers to work or fixing a nurse's computer, you can always count on Felicia to come to the rescue and find the solution.
Read more about Felicia's Story
Kenneth Mullen
With a passion for his community and for this hospital, Kenneth Mullen helps build better patient experiences and promotes community education through his role on the Patient & Family Advisory Council.
Read more about Kenneth's Story
La'Shawnya Norman
Practicing patience and showing compassion is second-nature to La'Shawnya. Her ability to make a patient feel cared for and loved has been recognized by her patient's family as a special gift.
Read more about La'Shawnya's Story
Christopher Mercer
Christopher knows that personal experience is the best way to prep for a career. That's why he actively pursues his education by allowing our employees to mentor and teach him with hands on experience, outside the classroom.
Read more about Christopher's Story
Cynthia Floyd
Teary eyed, Cynthia Floyd tells the story of how Nash Wound Care Center saved her foot over the course of 6 months.
Read more about Cynthia's Story
New Year Baby Basket
Every birth is undoubtedly special, but there is a small pool of people who can say they've had the first baby of the new year. To celebrate the first baby of the year born at Nash Women's Center, local businesses collaborated together to offer the parents a gift basket full of goodies.
Read more about the Story of the New Year Baby Basket
Ricky Evans
When Ricky sees a need, there is no hesitation. He never fails to lend a helping hand to those who need it and never fails to do it with smile.
Read more about Ricky's Story
Dr. Mark Cheltenham
With a vision and a dream, Dr. Mark Cheltenham is making a difference in our community when it comes to mental health. A true advocate for his patients, he continuously delivers care with nonstop compassion.
Read more about Dr. Mark Cheltenham's Story
Margaret Applewhite
Margaret Applewhite was diagnosed with cancer just a few months ago. Though it was scary and hard to overcome, she surprisingly enjoyed receiving treatment because of the friendship she found with her nurses, Kim and Chastity.
Read more about Margaret's Story
Tree Lighting Crew
A sure sign that the holidays have arrived, Nash UNC's Christmas Tree spreads cheer to all who drive by. But what many don't know is exactly how much effort and careful consideration is put into preparing this tree.
Read more about our Christmas Tree Story
Mary Davis
Mary is often the first person patients come into contact with on their visit to Nash UNC's Emergency Department. Her kind smile and ability to stay calm and focused often puts family's and patient's worries at ease.
Read more about Mary's Story
Kirk Williams
Often known to save the day, Kirk's ability to connect with others, along with his willingness to help those in need, is second to none. His kindness and compassion often brightens the spirits of visitors, patient's, and employees alike.
Read more about Kirk's Story
Therapy Dogs
“There’s just something about petting that soft head and seeing those kind eyes that just makes you feel better. It’s not something you or I or even a doctor can do for a patient. It’s a unique therapy that only a dog can offer”
Read more about our Therapy Dogs
Nash UNC Women's Center Team
The Women's Center team not only supports the women in our community within the walls of the hospital, but passionately supports them through community organizations such as My Sister's House, a nonprofit organization that provides support services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Read more about the Nash UNC Women's Center team
Jeff Pridgen
From surgery to rehabilitation, Jeff Pridgen shares how the Joint Replacement Team worked together to ease his worries and helped him through the healing process.
Read more about Jeff's story
Kevin Booker
Two different industries— one life-saving mission. Pfizer and Nash UNC work together to impact families just like Kevin's.
Read more about Kevin's story
Flight Crew
No one expects a medical emergency. But when the unexpected happens, it’s comforting to know our flight crew of highly skilled professionals are ready to get you where you need to go, and will care for you on the way.
Read more about our Flight Crew's story
Lakae Silver
From a young age, Lakae has taken care of others. Using her personal experience with her parent's health, she always remembers to care not only for her patient's physical needs, but for their emotional needs as well.
Read more of Lakae's Story
Gordon Hammiel
Gordon sees every patient he crosses paths with as worthy of love and empathy. From taking moments to encourage his patients, to obtaining his barber's license to help them feel their best, Gordon has found that there isn't much he wouldn't do to help his patients.
Read more of Gordon's story
EMS Team
Communication and trust—that's the recipe for good patient outcomes, according to the teams working for Nash County's EMS and Nash UNC's Emergency Department.
Read more of their Story
Emily Deans
Emily is known for taking our Carolina Care philosophy outside the workplace and into the community. She says "Thinking with empathy and acting with compassion—it's just what we do"
Read more of Emily's story
Barbara Edge
Whether it's cleaning their room or offering a few words of encouragement, Barbara says she can't leave a patient in need without trying to help them.
"We all do what we can to help people,” she said.“For me, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”
Read more of Barbara's Story
Otis Barnes
Otis Barnes has been taking care of his community at Nash UNC since 1982. Starting as a CNA and now serving as a security officer, he continues to help patients in stressful situations by keeping things calm and positive.
Read more of Otis's story
Christine Dixon
Christine believes in the power of a friendly smile. She says that many of her patients are uncomfortable before their sonogram. Her solution is to treat them like she would want to be treated.
Read more of Christine's Story
Jackie Price
Jackie is known for her smile and assistance to patients as she delivers food to their rooms. "When I look at my patients, I often see my mother. So I take care of the patients like I'd take care of her."
Read more of Jackie's story
Janey Richardson
Diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in 2006, Richardson said while it’s a concerning diagnosis, she credits Dr. Jenee Bowman with helping her learn how to live with COPD and pushing her to try things like the Cardiac Rehab program at Nash UNC.
Read more of Janey's Story
Mandy Triplett
“You just never know when you will have an impact on someone in need,” Triplett continued. “I think at Nash UNC, we all assume we can help make someone’s day better, in some way. That’s our goal.”
Read more of Mandy's story
Owen Ellis
Owen believes that when people feel better, they heal better. His actions on the job include helping patients with daily living and hygiene needs, but he says the overall theme to what he does is spread kindness and compassion to his patients and their families.
Read more of Owen's Story
Lorrie Batson
Lorrie Batson wants everyone in the waiting room at Nash UNC's Emergency Department to be cared for as if they were her family. She makes it her duty to know who needs what and to provide that care for them—whether it be a blanket, a hug or a listening ear.
Read more of Lorrie's story
Edith Skinner
When Edith found out she had to have brain surgery, she found comfort in the trust she had built with Dr. Lindsay Tyler.
Read more of Edith's Story
Janeeka Harris
The day Janeeka Harris saved a woman from suffering serious effects of a stroke started out like any other day.
Read more of Janeeka's story
Joint Replacement Center Team
Great patient care is bigger than one person, it's the teamwork behind the care that makes it great. That's the philosophy that orthopedic surgeon Dr. McAvoy and his teammate nurses, Ann and Mildred, use to deliver the best patient experience they can from start to finish.
Read more of the Joint Replacement Center team's story
Boyd Family
The Boyd family details the kindness and compassion they received at the Nash UNC Pediatric Emergency Department while seeking treatment for Henry's baseball injury.
Read more of the Boyd family's story
Dianne Bulluck
Dianne Bulluck believes good nursing is more than the medicine; it involves caring for the patient's emotions. Dianne has a special talent for calming the fears of her patients before entering surgery.
Read more of Dianne's story
Marlo and Garrett Williams
When Marlo and Garrett Williams welcomed their twins into the world early at 33 weeks, the Nash UNC Special Care Nursery team was there to provide personalized care for the entire family.
Read more of Marlo and Garrett's story
Marcia Ratcliff
Nash UNC Physical Therapist Marcia Ratcliff empowers patients to be independent and believe in themselves while working on their road to recovery.
Read more of Marcia's story
Kim Bullock
Switchboard Operator Kim Bullock staffs the Nash UNC front desk with a smile and creates a positive first impression for patients, families and visitors.
Read more of Kim's story
Marie and Jim Gardner
When Marie Gardner fell ill while she and her husband Jim were preparing for a trip out of the country, they found themselves at the Nash UNC Health Care Emergency Department for medical treatment. The Gardners could not have been more pleased with the care Marie received at Nash.
Read more of Marie and Jim's story
Tacitha Grant
Hospice CNA Tacitha Grant has the unique ability to connect with patients and their families while providing compassionate care.
Read more of Tacitha's story
Ashleigh Hudson
Ashleigh Hudson, Nurse and Cardiac Observation Supervisor, eases patient fears and forges meaningful connections with all who she encounters.
Read more of Ashleigh's story
Deontrae Collins
Deontrae Collins is a food associate who serves up compassion to families he sees coming to the cafeteria. By making visitors smile or laugh, Deontrae believes he is helping people cope with the difficult emotions that arise from hospital visits.
Read more of Deontrae's story
Sharon Anstead
Phlebotomist Sharon Anstead aims to calm patients’ fears when drawing blood by making them feel relaxed and more comfortable.
Read more of Sharon's story
Dr. Jay Manikkam
Medical Oncologist & Hematologist Dr. Jay Manikkam invests his full heart into his work, and his patients appreciate his passion.
Read more of Dr. Manikkam's story
Luxley Daniels
Emergency Department Nurse Luxley Daniels takes time to sit down with his patients and their families to listen and address their concerns.
Read more of Luxley's story
Patricia Alford-Harrison
Patricia spreads comfort and joy to her patients by sharing the gift of music. Her voice brings peace to even the most stressful of situations.
Read more of Patricia's story