As a case manager at ECU Health Medical Center, Sara Beard-Linton described her role – and the role of all case managers – as the mortar that helps piece bricks together.
She works with patients, physicians, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, insurance providers and more to help come up with a care plan, both in the hospital and after discharge, that works for everyone.
She’s also taking on an important role to help case managers across North Carolina and the country to bring best practices to the work she and her colleagues do each day.
Recently, Beard-Linton was named president-elect for the North Carolina Chapter of the American Case Management Association (ACMA) and will take over as president in 2026.
She said she’s excited for the opportunity and has appreciated learning from other board members in the state and nationally. She’s especially appreciative to represent ECU Health, share what she believes is working well for the system and hear from others about opportunities for growth.
“It’s nice to put us on the roadmap of making changes and being a part of that change for case management as a whole,” Beard-Linton said. “It’s really important to put any egos aside and not saying ‘We’re doing this better.’ It’s all about what we can all do better together to advocate for patients and their families.”

Since joining the board three years ago, Beard-Linton said she’s seen tremendous growth in the North Carolina chapter as its membership rose from about 200 to more than 1,000 today. The chapter includes representation from 64 organizations and even includes retired case managers taking the opportunity to give back to their profession.
Beard-Linton is one of three ECU Health team members on the North Carolina ACMA board, with Amanda Hargrove, executive director of Care and Utilization Management at ECU Health Medical Center, and Tracy Simerson, system manager of Care Management at ECU Health Medical Center, serving as Members-at-Large.
Hargrove has been a board member for North Carolina’s ACMA for five years. She said that seeing ECU Health on a national stage and in a position to influence positive change has been an exciting step for the department.
“I’m so proud of our case management team and being able to represent ECU Health on the board, at the conferences, doing podium presentations, and poster presentations, really getting ECU Health out there over the last couple of years,” Hargrove said. “I’m very proud of the work the team has done and now being able to help lead the North Carolina chapter of ACMA.”
Beard-Linton said one of her favorite parts of participating in the board is the opportunity to be a voice for the patients and families the health system serves. She shared that her background as a social worker made her a passionate advocate for people and she’s grateful to take a larger role in that work with North Carolina’s ACMA as president.
“We have a committee that looks at government policies on a state and federal level and actually goes to Washington, D.C. to meet with Senators and members of Congress to talk about things that are impacting our patients, whether negatively or positively, so our voices can be heard,” she said. “To me, this is a great opportunity to give back and encourage others to give back and advocate for changes for the communities we serve.”
She said she would encourage other team members to get involved in similar groups related to their field, take opportunities to learn from others and be a leader even if they’re not serving in a leadership role with the system.
Nancy Keith, Hargrove present at national conference
During the ACMA National Conference in April, Nancy Keith, system manager for Case Management at ECU Health Medical Center, and Hargrove had the opportunity to present some of their recent work to attendees in Denver, Colorado.
Their poster presentation focused on nearly three years of work to develop and implement a system-wide case management leadership model. In 2022, the team piloted a shared leadership model with three ECU Health community hospitals in an effort to better share resources and support team members across the system.
Keith and Hargrove said the pilot program was a runaway success and lead to implementation across the system. Keith said the work helped reduce the average length of stay for patients while getting them the care they needed more efficiently, improved team member satisfaction and alleviated time-consuming tasks for case managers, allowing for more interaction with patients.
“The biggest takeaway from the project for me was the change in team member morale. I think case managers in the community hospitals realized the amount of support and additional resources we could provide by coming in and redesigning the leadership model,” Keith said. “I’m glad to see the program has helped them along the way and the support has remained and carried forward as we’re moving along.”
Hargrove said she is grateful to have teams believing in the process and she’s proud of the growth she’s seen across the system. While she said they’ve received positive feedback from team members and from attendees at the conference, the team is constantly evaluating and refining the program to best fit the needs of team members and patients in the system.
These efforts are just a few examples of how ECU Health team members go above and beyond their daily roles to share their expertise and learn from others in their fields while serving on state and national boards. These opportunities help drive innovative solutions to help the system meet its mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.