Life-long resident named interim health director
Tallulah – The last two local health directors have both had the addendum of ‘interim’ tacked onto the front of their job titles.
But there is nothing temporary about Graham County’s latest appointment to the role.
In fact, you might say that Donna Stephens is a bit partial to seeing improvements across the board at the health department – after all, she is homegrown. Aside from a few years spent in Andrews, Stephens has resided in Graham County since birth.
The qualifier of ‘interim’ is really a formality: Stephens is in it for the long haul.
“It feels wonderful,” Stephens said of her latest assignment. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude.”
And it’s not like Stephens is an unfamiliar face: she was the administrator at Britthaven (now Graham Healthcare & Rehabilitation) from 1997-2012. After departing the 15-year stay, Stephens worked as the nursing administrator at nearby Swain County Community Hospital in Bryson City from 2012-14; put in another time of service as Britthaven administrator; and then began working for the Cherokee Indian Hospital in 2019 as the administrator over Tsali Care Center.
So chances are, if you or a loved one have ever needed regional medical care, you have interacted with Stephens.
Stephens received her LPN (licensed practical nurse) from Appalachian Technical College (now Chattahoochee Technical College, Jasper, Ga.) in 1994; her RN (registered nurse) from Tri-County Community College in 2002; and received her administrator license while working at Britthaven through UNC-Chapel Hill.
And yet, there is still one caveat needed to remove ‘interim’ from her latest job title: much like her time at Britthaven, she is completing more on-the-job education, as she has enrolled in an online course at Boise State University (Idaho) to obtain a bachelor’s in public health.
A 1983 graduate of Robbinsville High School, Stephens is light-hearted about continually finding ways to stay in a classroom.
“All of my college credits transferred, so I hope to be finished up with the bachelor’s in a year or so,” she added.
Local gameplan
Stephens unquestionably has the professional background and local familiarity to fill the role of health director, which became open after the departure of Beth Booth on Feb. 3. Booth had served as the director since Nov. 2, 2017.
Meggan Smith – another local, who works as a nurse practitioner at Graham County Urgent Care and cut her teeth in the healthcare field under Stephens at the local nursing home – filled in as interim health director until Stephens took over March 2.
Being a local has an advantage: Stephens has grown up observing both rural healthcare needs and challenges. And she has already set the ball in motion for addressing gaps.
A glaring example of something once missing from the Graham County Health Department (191 P and J Road) was the ability to do wellness labs. Stephens was elated to find out that the facility can now begin doing simple bloodwork once again – an approval she just learned of last week.
“People used to come here and get their labs done,” said Stephens. “Now, you can come in and get your CBC (complete blood count), plus metabolic and thyroid panels – all for $40.”
Services like physicals, CDL exams and community education are also on her checklist.
“When I was growing up, you could go to the health department five days a week and get whatever you needed done,” Stephens pointed out. “I want us to get back to where we have a provider here more than twice a month.”
Gauging public input has also spurned more ideas for Stephens to make a reality.
“We need more health and fitness services in the county,” Stephens noted. “We have peer-support specialists that we’re trying to keep; our grant runs out in August and with the opioid crisis, that’s very needed and a very positive program for both the health department and the school (system), because they work hand-in-hand together. We really want to provide services faster. We have always had to share an environmental specialist with Swain County, but now we have Shelby Owens certified to do water and sewer permits. We have a second environmental specialist that is going through training and hope to have them certified by the fall.”
Boasting an infectious smile and personality – along with a deep base of knowledge about healthcare – Stephens is passionate about ‘helping everybody in our county.’
“I’m very excited to offer more services for the community; not just people needing the nursing home and rehab,” Stephens said. “My vision is offering more programs for women, children, elders and anybody we can help in the community.”