Its All About Raleigh - Frayser - North Memphis November 2015 Its All About Raleigh-Frayser-North Memphis | Page 11

uo of Healthcare

P AGE 11

O & COO of Methodist Healthcare North
Q: What is your title at Methodist
Healthcare North and how did you come
to be in that position?
A: Vice President/Chief Operating Officer
Q: Are you a native Memphian?
A: Yes - Straight Outta South Memphis
Q: Tell u s about your childhood and your
background.
A: I grew up in a household with 2 brothers, 1 older and 1 younger, but never felt like
the “middle child”. I attended three schools...each of which were in the neighborhood I
grew up in so I was always surrounded by friends: Alcy Elementary, Corry Jr. High, and
Hamilton High School, all here in Memphis. Although my family was your typical working poor family, I didn’t realize it or notice that I was missing out on much because many
of my friends grew up in similar situations. My parents placed great emphasis on education and had a zero tolerance policy for poor academic performance. In fact, they went
to great lengths to sacrifice their own needs and wants to offer incentives to my brothers
and I for doing well in school. They wanted us to learn early in life that the only way to
have the things you wanted and desired out of life was through hard work. While at
Hamilton I was exposed to the field of hospital administration during a career day. Prior
to that I had dreams and aspirations of becoming a physician. The 30 minute presentation by Dr. LaDon Jones changed my life and inspired me to pursue a degree in
healthcare administration and planning. Through God’s grace and the support of not only
my parents, but outstanding teachers and amazing mentors I excelled academically and
progressed professionally to lead me to where I am today.
Q: What are your daily duties and responsibilities?
A: I'm responsible for the day to day operations of the facility. That's everything from ensuring that the lawn remains cut and the lights remain on, to ensuring that our patients
receive outstanding care from the nearly 1,200 Associates we employ. In order to do so I
must ensure that they have the tools, supplies, and resources needed to treat the patients
that trust us with their lives during their most vulnerable moments.
Q: Walk us through a day in your shoes while at work?
A: No two days are ever really the same, but my day generally starts with me reviewing
the prior day's Emergency Department dashboard to determine how many patients entered our facility. I also take inventory of how many patients we admitted from the ED
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