Nurse practitioners combine forces to provide shot in the arm for rural-healthcare gap
Tallulah – Citing “ongoing unexpected financial issues,” The Graham Star was informed just as the final copies of its Aug. 24 edition rolled off the press that Graham County Urgent Care & Family Practice was closing exactly one week earlier than believed.
Dr. David Booth confirmed to the Star at 10:42 a.m. Aug. 23 that he was closing the doors to the clinic the following day, rather than the Aug. 31 date that had been publicly announced. Patients were informed that they could call the office to obtain their medical records; allegedly, the lines were so jammed from individuals calling repeatedly that many thought the phones were out-of-service already (they were not, only working overtime).
Urgent-care staff packed their belongs the following day and the practice was declared inactive at 6 p.m. Aug 24.
Included in the emotional exit was Meggan (Orr) Smith, a lifelong resident of Graham County and a popular nurse practitioner that saw patients at the clinic. She had spent weeks praying for a sign of positivity about the direction things were headed in her professional life – and not just for the paycheck, either: Smith’s patients are quick to note her bedside manner is second-to-none.
That’s something Donna Stephens has loved about Smith from their first gig together: Smith sat as a newbie under the current-day Graham County Public Health Director’s learning tree at the local nursing home (now called Graham Healthcare & Rehabilitation). Their paths crossed again earlier this year when Smith pulled double-duty at the county’s urgent-care and as the interim county-health director until a permanent solution could be found.
The fix? Stephens, who has been proactive in her quest to restore the facility at 191 P & J Road to its days of being a one-stop shop for anyone needing a local medical-care provider.
Admittedly, Smith knew there was an opening for a nurse practitioner at the health department in the waning days of her time at the county’s urgent care. She chose not to apply and that ushered in the full-time arrival of Norma Burdette, who displays the exact mixture of compassion and knowledge Stephens wants in a family-care provider. Her hiring was announced via a Facebook post from the department Aug. 17; her start date was Monday.
As was Smith’s.
Burdette and Smith gathered outside the department’s headquarters around 11 a.m. Monday for a photo; Smith only finding out about her nearly-secret hire 90 minutes before. Stephens was asked to join for a picture that was posted in the breaking-news bulletin on the Star’s Facebook page an hour later; you could not have removed her smile with any amount of surgical equipment in the world.
“The county commissioners fully supported the decision to hire Meggan; nobody wanted to lose her,” Stephens said. “The county wants to get local healthcare here.”
Stephens remained publicly quiet about her work to bring Smith aboard with Burdette. She told the Star on Monday that the two will have their salaries paid for thanks to a $118,000 grant from the Great Smokies Health Foundation.
A Bryson City native, Burdette has worked as the health department’s contracted nurse practitioner since 2019, which meant she would only be on-hand to see patients twice a month.
Now, she is at the building on a full-time basis and was brimming to see patients when the newest chapter of her career began Monday.
“When they asked me if I wanted a full-time position, I ran over here,” Burdette said. “I love it over here, so this was a very easy decision. I know the community needs all the resources that they can get.
“I think I was led here: this was meant to be.”
Burdette haș been a nurse since 2007, working in ER, ICU, medical-surgical nursing and telemetry at Harris Regional (Sylva) and Swain Community (Bryson City) hospitals for 12 years. In 2019, she enrolled at Western Carolina University to obtain her masters and become a family nurse practitioner.
Addressing the local need for an acute (urgent-care) clinic, women’s planning and CDL physicals is on Burdette’s immediate checklist.
“This is the only job I’ve ever had,” Burdette said of her love for medicine. “Even in high school, I was working in a doctor’s office, putting charts away. I was a CNA in high school; I would go and work at the nursing home. I’ve always wanted to do this, so I went for it and I did it.”
Smith expressed her gratitude toward the county and its commissioners for wanting to put healthcare first – and for being willing to clear up a few areas of concern that she now deems as “miscommunications.” She will be at the facility in a primary-care capacity on a part-time basis: two days a week. For now.
“I am very thankful to have the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Graham County and surrounding counties,” Smith said. “When everything was ‘up in the air,’ my heart was broken for my community. I prayed and I prayed, and I knew others did also.
“I knew I had to do anything possible to stay local. I had a few offers from surrounding areas, but it didn’t feel right in my heart. No matter how much I tried to force myself to move on, I couldn’t. As soon as Donna called me and said she had good news, I knew everything was happening for a reason. I feel beyond blessed, especially with how quickly it worked out. God is good.
“I want to thank Donna and her staff – as well as the board of commissioners – for believing in me and for making this happen. I also want to thank the community for their continued support.”
Stephens said the health department is full-speed ahead on acquiring the proper credentialing to see as many patients as possible. As of right now, Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare and Aetna insurances are being accepted.
For details, call 828-479-7900.