ECU Health hosts third ED conference session to improve community crisis response and emergency care
ECU Health and the Pitt County Department of Social Services (DSS) hosted session three of the community-based Emergency Department conference, yielding more collaboration and progress toward improving access and preventing unnecessary ED visits across eastern North Carolina.
The third and final session, hosted Feb. 4, brought back together a multidisciplinary group of community partners to discuss multi-system collaborations and crisis response focused on five key priorities as identified from the previous two working sessions. The priorities are aligned with the North Carolina Department of Health Human Services goal of increasing access to crisis services across the state.
The five key priorities include:
- Increasing access to care across eastern North Carolina
- Building community-based crisis services capacity
- Workforce/system training and community education: grow workforce knowledge and kills
- Strengthen the eastern North Carlina crisis system
- Accountability and outcomes
“We’ve made tremendous progress in our goal of enhancing collaboration to reduce the significant over utilization of the emergency department where patients will often end up stuck with no timely plans for discharge, said Jacob Parrish, vice president of capacity and throughput for ECU Health. “I am thankful to the health faith and community-based organizations that spent three days alongside us, identifying important care needs in our region and designing solutions that will benefit us all. Moreover, I am tremendously grateful for our partnership with Sharon Rochelle, Director Pitt County DSS, who has provided the essential perspective of the DSS role and support in this process.”
Crisis response is a key function of emergency departments in general, but especially so for the emergency department at ECU Heath Medical Center which is home to the only Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Centers in eastern North Carolina. Still, crisis response happens beyond the walls of the hospital, which emphasizes the importance of community collaboration to ensure the hospital can best serve the community in the event of a crisis.
The third session, similar to the first two, was well-attended and included community partners from across eastern North Carolina including Juvenile Justice, Trillium Health Services, Public School leaders, NC DHHS, payors, faith leaders, DSS agencies and other eastern North Carolina hospitals and key stakeholders. The key stakeholders refined the recommendations and tactics to achieve the priorities listed above, including assigning specific responsibilities to drive forward the five priority areas. Regular progress checkpoints and collaborative meetings will continue to ensure alignment with state and community goals, reinforcing a sustainable crisis response system for eastern North Carolina.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Feb 19, 2025 – PEP Health, the AI-powered patient experience platform trusted by leading health systems, today announced a strategic partnership with ECU Health, a mission-driven rural academic health system known for its excellence in patient experience and commitment to rural health and wellness. This collaboration provides ECU Health with real-time, AI-driven patient and community insights, allowing for a more inclusive, proactive, and data-informed approach to improving the patient experience through the wisdom of unsolicited patient feedback.
“Creating caring experiences for our patients and team members is central to our mission and values,” said Dr. Julie Kennedy Oehlert, Chief Experience Officer at ECU Health. “PEP Health’s technology offers a new and comprehensive way to deeply listen to patients as well as potential consumers and puts us in a better position to make more informed experience decisions. This partnership supports our ongoing commitment to deliver safe, highly reliable human-centered care to the communities we serve.”
Transformative Technology for Rural Health Excellence
Today’s healthcare consumers expect transparency, responsiveness, and personalized experiences—and PEP Health meets this challenge by using AI, data science, and healthcare-specific natural language processing (NLP) to continuously analyze millions of patient interactions across online sources, including social media, review platforms, and patient forums. ECU Health will implement PEP Health’s proprietary AI analysis of unsolicited feedback from over eight million digital sources.
“Patient experience is the foundation of healthcare excellence,” said Dr. Mark Lomax, CEO of PEP Health. “ECU Health’s commitment to understanding patient and community insights sets a standard for human-centered care. With our technology, they can focus on what patients’ value most and continuously adapt to meet those expectations.”
Why This Matters for Healthcare Providers
The stakes for patient experience have never been higher. Patient sentiment directly influences HCAHPS scores, CMS Star Ratings, and financial performance. Traditional surveys offer limited, delayed, and often incomplete insights, capturing feedback from only a small percentage of patients. Meanwhile, millions of people—including patients, family members, caregivers, and future healthcare consumers—are already sharing their experiences online.
These unfiltered perspectives provide a wealth of actionable insights that hospitals and health systems can leverage to improve care quality, enhance trust, and drive better outcomes—if they have the right tools to capture and analyze them.
“Forward-thinking health systems like ECU Health recognize that these insights from unsolicited feedback are key to unlocking better outcomes, improved loyalty, and inspiring long-term patient trust. Our technology provides more visibility into actual patient sentiment—helping healthcare leaders take meaningful action before issues impact care quality or financial performance,” continued Dr. Lomax.
ECU Health nurses from across the system gathered at the Hilton Hotel in Greenville for the 11th Annual ECU Health Nursing Summit where they engaged with esteemed speakers and discussed the future of nursing across eastern North Carolina and beyond.
The summit aimed to address the transformative period nursing is experiencing amid complex challenges. It served as a platform for meaningful discussions on integrating leading-edge technology and innovative practices. Chief Nursing Executive Trish Baise shared that the nursing summit was one way to connect with and empower nursing team members to be a part of designing ECU Health’s future.
“The nursing summit provided a wonderful opportunity for hundreds of our ECU Health nurses from across the region to come together,” said Baise. “We were able to create a national-caliber conference in our own backyard tailored to the mission of our rural health care team. The energy of our nursing team was palpable.”
Keynote speakers included Rich G. Kenny, who explored the future of Generative AI for nurse leaders, and Sen. Gale Adcock, who discussed health care policy and advocacy. Brian Floyd, ECU Health’s chief operating officer, reminded nurses of their mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina, highlighting the organization’s unique care for the rural region.
The summit also included breakout sessions that covered topics like well-being, AI in health care, six dimensions for influencing team culture and nursing policy advocacy. Additionally, a panel discussion explored emerging trends in health care.
Keynote speaker, Olivia Lemberger, innovation scientist from the American Nurses Association, highlighted the future of nursing innovation and praised the camaraderie among nurses at the event.
“There is a deep sense of community among the colleagues at ECU Health,” said Lemberger. “There was a positive energy that was palpable. This is something I wish every nurse had.”
Mandi Civils, ICU and Central Staffing Office manager at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, reflected on the summit’s impact.
“At the heart of health care transformation for ECU Health was the great nursing summit, where dedication met innovation, and passion will fuel progress going forward,” Civils said. “It was my honor to be part of an event that inspired me to believe I can be anything I want to be when I grow up.”
For Melissa and Jimmy Worrell, their love story started with a horse. Melissa, a horse trainer and riding instructor at the time, met Jimmy when he brought his horse to the barn where she worked. That chance encounter led to marriage in 1988, a move from New Jersey to North Carolina and a life filled with love, adventure and raising their quadruplets.
But in recent years, their journey took an unexpected turn. Jimmy was diagnosed with kidney disease and placed on the transplant waiting list. For nearly eight years, he waited, knowing that each passing day brought him closer to dialysis—a life-sustaining but time-consuming treatment that filters waste from the blood when the kidneys can no longer do so.
“Dialysis is a lifeline for many patients, but machines just cannot do the work of an organ that works automatically, 24/7,” said Dr. David Leeser, professor and chief of transplantation at ECU Health Medical Center. “We know that when a patient is transplanted, they gain a tremendous boost to their quality of life, and they will live longer as well. Transplantation is by far the best available renal replacement therapy available to patients with kidney failure.”
Throughout the process, doctors frequently asked if he had identified a potential donor. Jimmy never asked Melissa to consider donating, but she made the decision on her own.
“I knew I was O-negative, so I figured I’d at least get tested,” Melissa said. “I thought, well, I had to at least try.”
The couple was shocked to learn she was a perfect match.
Throughout the process, Melissa was supported by a donor advocate at ECU Health—someone who had been through the experience and could provide firsthand insight. She believes this kind of support is crucial for potential donors.
“When you’re thinking about doing this, it’s good to talk to someone who has been there,” Melissa said. “It’s reassuring to know that life goes on and that we’ll both live normal, healthy lives.”
Their transplant surgery was successfully completed Nov. 12, 2024. Melissa, now a recreational therapist and volunteer with Team River Runner in Wilmington, which provides veterans and active-duty military with healing opportunities on the water, specifically outrigger canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and rowing, took time off to recover. Jimmy returned to work earlier than expected, eager to get back to normal life. More importantly, the transplant has given them back their active lifestyle.
“Before, if I asked him to go for a walk, he’d say, ‘I can’t do that,’” Melissa said. “Now, we can do things together again. It’s a big change.”
The couple enjoys boating along the Intracoastal Waterway, dining out, going for walks and simply spending time together. Beyond her personal experience, Melissa hopes to raise awareness about living kidney donation.
“It’s amazing how something so small can make such a big difference in someone’s life,” she said. “People are often surprised when they hear what I did, like I was risking my own health. But the doctors wouldn’t have allowed it if I wasn’t okay. I think if more people heard these stories, they might consider donating. I especially want to thank the friendly and caring transplant team at ECU Health, who provided great pre and post care.”
For the Worrells, this journey has deepened their bond and given them a renewed appreciation for the simple joys of life. Now, with Jimmy’s health improved, they’re looking forward to many more years of adventure together.
Resources
Scott Alford, the manager for grounds and guest parking at ECU Health Medical Center, generally considered himself to be healthy. Then, in 2023, Alford received some surprising news: his A1C, a blood test that measures the average blood sugar level over the last two-to-three months, was 10.9. For reference, a normal A1C level is less than 5.7. Prediabetes is 5.7 – 6.4, and diabetes is 6.5 and higher. “I was clearly in the diabetic category,” Scott said. “I asked the doctor what I should do. He gave me two medications and told me we’d revisit the issue at my next appointment.”
That solution didn’t sit well with Scott, so he made a decision. “I knew about ECU Health’s Lifestyle Medicine clinic because I knew some co-workers had used it,” he said. “I called them up and told them my story. They wanted to get me in right away. By the end of that call, I had an appointment with the nutritionist and a lifestyle coach for the very next week.”
Lifestyle Medicine is an evidence-based approach to preventing, treating and reversing diseases through healthy behaviors, and the ECU Health Lifestyle Medicine clinics offer many individual, group and virtual services to help community and team members meet their personal health goals.
“Our team of professionals includes providers, registered dieticians, lifestyle coaches, exercise physiologists, nurses and chefs who recognize the importance of including the six pillars of lifestyle medicine into the individualized care plans for our patients and team members,” said Brenda Leigh, the director of Lifestyle Medicine at ECU Health. The six pillars include increasing the consumption of whole, plant-based food, increasing aerobic activity, getting enough sleep, decreasing unhealthy substances (like tobacco or alcohol), maintaining healthy relationships and managing stress.
Scott first met with Lindsay Luschwitz, clinical dietitian III, to begin his Lifestyle Medicine journey. “I don’t drink and I don’t smoke, but I did drink between five and seven big soft drinks or sweet teas a day,” Scott shared. “I was also in the habit of stopping at McDonald’s every morning for breakfast and going out for lunch every day.”
When Scott shared this information with Lindsay, she didn’t shame him as he expected. Instead, she gave him different strategies and choices to try. “When we first met, Scott told me he wasn’t going to bring his lunch to work,” Lindsay recalled. But after working with Lindsay for more than a year, Scott said he now brings his lunch to work most days of the week. “She never said it was something I had to do,” Scott said. “It was always my decision. She’d suggest options and sometimes I liked them and sometimes I didn’t.”
Now, Scott drinks water or Sprite Zero instead of regular sodas and sweet tea, and he eats smaller portions while making better choices. “I eat more fruit now than I ever have in my life,” he said. Lindsay also suggested he use an app, Yuka, on his phone to track the nutritional value of the foods he ate so he could make informed decisions. “I love ice cream,” Scott said. “And I used the app to find an ice cream I could eat. I took the options to Lindsay and she pointed me to a Greek yogurt brand that I really like.”
The work paid off. In 2024, at his next doctor’s appointment, Scott was pleased to find that he was down 25 pounds and his A1C was a 5, well within the normal blood sugar guidelines. He is now off all his daily meds and only takes a once weekly medication to help. “I am practicing the strategies Lifestyle Medicine gave me. I’ve improved my diet, and I’ve increased my exercise. And I can see the difference in the mirror. I’m down a size in my pants and shirt. My joints don’t hurt so much when I stand up from a chair, and my vision, which I thought was an issue with my contact lenses but was actually due to high blood sugar, has improved. I just feel better.”
Scott’s co-workers also noticed changes, and some approached him about what he was doing. “They initially noticed I wasn’t going out to eat for lunch as often, so I talked with them about what I was doing.”
Scott has been doing more than just sharing information; he’s also been a key player in encouraging his team to get healthier. “Lindsay shared during one of our bimonthly meetings that they had a teaching kitchen in the Lifestyle Medicine Clinic within the Wellness Center and they wanted to have people come out and learn recipes and information about healthier meal options. I told her I’d bring my team, and that’s what I did.” Scott brought members of his grounds and parking team to the Wellness Center for an hour-long session with Lindsay, Dr. David Michael and Dr. Susan Houston, where they cooked, ate and talked about how the Lifestyle Medicine clinic can help.
“This is our Dining with a Doc series,” Lindsay explained. “Dr. Houston and I are culinary trained chefs, so she or I prepare a meal, and Dr. Michael is there, and we talk about the meal we’re making and nutrition. And then we go through Lifestyle Medicine and what we do.” The Lifestyle Medicine clinic offers the monthly Dining with a Doc program free for community members through a grant from Pitt Partners for health. As a result, Alford said other members of his team are now making positive changes and some are visiting the Lifestyle Medicine clinic.
While it hasn’t always been easy to make these lifestyle changes, Scott said they’ve been worth it. “It’s tough sometimes. Life is busy, and sometimes you just have to decide to get more steps or stand up rather than sit at your desk. But the clinic has made things easier because they give me information that’s proven to help.” And, he emphasized, seeing and feeling the difference has been key. “At first it was that 10.9 A1C that made me want to change,” Alford said. “That number really shocked me. But now I can also see and feel a difference and that’s why I want to keep doing this. It’s a conscious decision every day to make the best choices.”
Lindsay emphasized that a person knowing their “why” is very important. “We are here to support you and give you education and resources, but when you’re not here, the choice is up to you. If you know your ‘why,’ you won’t revert to old habits,” she said. Scott agreed, saying that he plans to continue practicing the new skills he’s learned the past year. “I intend to keep using these strategies,” he said. “Doing better isn’t that hard; all I had to do was ask for that support. Lifestyle Medicine has a great program, and you just have to reach out to them and take that first step.”
Both Scott and Lindsay want more people to also take that first step to learn more about the Lifestyle Medicine clinic and the services it offers. “It was incredibly easy to get started,” Alford said. “I called them and there was no excess stuff to do, no preapproval, no paperwork. It’s an easy in and out, and if you can’t make it in person, they’ll do telehealth visits.” Supporting team members in this way is very important, Lindsay said. “We want to target our team members because it benefits everyone,” she said. “Healthier team members are more productive, have fewer sick days and are generally happier. We want to expand our reach and make it more approachable.” Lindsay noted that they take various forms of insurance, and for ECU Health team members on the medical plan, they are eligible for up to six free visits with a dietitian, among other free services. “Our message is that many chronic issues like diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol can be improved by lifestyle changes and nutrition. Even if you’re not ready to make a huge change, we’re ready to meet you where you’re at.”
To learn more about the Lifestyle Medicine clinic, Leigh encourages community and team members to visit their website here or call at 252-847-5590 for more information.
Amidst the relentless demands of health care, three exceptional nurse leaders are making significant strides as leaders at ECU Health and as district representatives for the North Carolina Organization for Nurse Leaders (NCONL). Laura Respess, nurse manager of Patient Care Services, Renal Dialysis Unit at ECU Health Medical Center, Dawn Tetterton, vice president of Inpatient Nursing at ECU Health Medical Center and Jenny Parnell, manager of Patient Care Services, ICU at ECU Health Duplin Hospital, exemplify a bold, collective commitment to elevating patient care and advocating for the nursing profession statewide.
NCONL is a state-level affiliate of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. NCONL transforms patient care and serves as a voice for North Carolina nurse leaders, aiming to shape health care through innovative and expert nurse leadership.
The organization strengthens nursing leadership through professional development, facilitates nursing research to advance practice and influences health care policy regarding the value of the nursing profession.
Laura Respess & Dawn Tetterton
Having recently concluded her term as a district representative, Respess was responsible for member communication to district VI, one of the largest districts in North Carolina. She organized quarterly meetings and planned educational sessions. She coordinated contributions for events like the annual conferences and drove the request for abstracts and Quality Initiative work from members in the region to share at the NCONL conference.
“One of the things we’ve always advocated for at ECU Health is having nurses on boards,” Respess said. “Being a representative comes with the benefits of staying informed about statewide developments and sharing best practices. As a NCONL representative, you gain a good understanding of legislative matters from the perspective of nursing, and how our profession is being represented in the legislature.”
“Through NCONL, members can showcase the excellent work being done at ECU Health,” said Tetterton, who recently stepped in to fill Respess’ role. “We submit several posters and abstracts annually and have had winners chosen for podium presentations to share nursing best practices they have developed.”
“Laura has done an amazing job,” Tetterton said, “and truly was part of the reason I felt like I needed to step forward. She has worked tirelessly the past six years, exemplifying leadership at this level.”
Respess also praised Tetterton for her leadership and is confident she will be amazing in her Regional NCONL Representative role.
“My challenge for Dawn is to drive our district’s diversification, which is one of our strategic goals,” said Respess. “We primarily focus on acute care, but we recognize the need to reach out to nursing leaders in ambulatory care and health departments across the state. It’s important to involve these sectors because they play a significant role in our overall mission.”
Jenny Parnell
Jenny Parnell was inspired to join NCONL many years ago by a nurse leader at ECU Health.
“A past nurse leader encouraged many of us to join, and throughout my time as a leader with ECU Health, it has been incredibly beneficial,” said Parnell. “I attended numerous conferences and met many leaders. In the last several years post-COVID, the organization has really come back strong.”
When a district representative position opened up, Jenny was serving on the practice committee, which focused on evidence-based practice. She wanted to take on a larger role and self-nominated for the district representative role.
“My hope is to help others grow and share things I’ve learned through the years,” she said. “Laura and I worked together many years ago on CIU as young nurses, so we’ve kind of grown up together. Even if you’re not the district representative, there are other committees that you can serve on. There are many ways to serve within the NCONL, Laura will continue to serve on the board in another role and be close by to help in our region. That’s what NCONL is all about, those nursing connections.”
Learn more about nursing at ECU Health by visiting ECUHealth.org/Nursing.
High school students from Health Sciences Academy in Duplin and Pitt counties recently had the opportunity to explore the medical field firsthand at the “Chat With a Doc” event. ECU Health physicians from various specialties engaged in candid conversations about their careers, educational paths and the realities of medical careers.
Students heard from specialties including pediatric, pathology, emergency medicine, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, palliative care, trauma and internal medicine. The event not only highlighted the different specialties within medicine but also underscored the commitment and dedication required to pursue a career in health care. From years of education and training to the challenges of balancing patient care with personal life, the physicians provided an honest and engaging perspective for students considering the field.
Dr. Yaolin Zhou, a pathologist at ECU Health, spoke to students about the importance of having a passion for taking care of patients when going into the medical field.
“Whatever you do within health care, you want to do what’s right for your patients, for the community, and make a difference and make your little corner of the world a better place,” said Dr. Zhou.
Dr. Zhou also described the critical role of pathology in diagnosing diseases, including cancer.
“Pathologists are trained physicians who specialize in diagnosing diseases,” Dr. Zhou said. “I examine samples from the human body to determine what’s going on.”
Dr. Nicole Toney, an emergency medicine physician, provided students with a glimpse into her field, emphasizing the fast-paced and unpredictable nature of emergency care.
“Emergency medicine is exciting because you never know what’s coming next,” Dr. Toney said. “You might see someone having a heart attack, a trauma patient, or something entirely unexpected. It’s all about problem-solving and acting quickly.”
Students in attendance found the event inspiring and informative. Kennedy Jones, a student from Duplin County, came to explore different medical career paths.
“I used to have a big interest in obstetrics, then that changed to pediatrics,” Jones said. “Hearing from a pediatrician today and learning about how they take care of the whole family when a kid gets sick was really interesting and gave me more insight into what’s ahead and helped me think more about my future.”
With the demand for health care professionals on the rise, events like “Chat With a Doc” play a crucial role in inspiring the next generation of medical professionals and helping students navigate career paths in medicine.
Despite declining cancer death rates overall, new findings from the 2025 American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures reveal a troubling increase in cancer incidence among women, particularly in two key age groups: younger than 50 and 50–64. These findings highlight the importance of proactive lifestyle changes and regular screenings in mitigating cancer risks.
For women under 50, the risk of developing cancer is now 82 percent higher than their male counterparts, up from 51 percent in 2002. According to the study, contributing factors include lifestyle changes among women born after the 1950s, such as increased smoking rates, obesity and sedentary habits.
“This increase in cancer diagnoses among women younger than 50 years old is largely breast and thyroid cancers,” said Dr. Mahvish Muzaffar, a hematologist/oncologist at ECU Health. “This reinforces the critical need for routine mammograms and awareness of risk factors in this demographic. Advances in diagnostic technologies, like incidental findings during scans, have contributed to the rise in finding thyroid cancer cases.”
While lung cancer rates are declining overall, the decrease has been more significant for men than for women. In 2021 among adults younger than 65, more women were diagnosed with lung cancer than men.
“Men adopted smoking earlier but also quit sooner and more aggressively, resulting in a three percent annual decrease in lung cancer cases compared to a 1.4 percent decrease among women,” said Dr. Muzaffar. “Smoking cessation remains a crucial intervention, particularly for women who began smoking later and have been slower to quit.”
Advancements in cancer screenings and awareness campaigns have played a significant role in reducing cancer rates for some types. Prostate cancer cases among men, for instance, have declined due to more judicious use of PSA screenings. Similarly, HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening have decreased rates of HPV-related cancers. However, some groups, particularly women aged 30–44, have seen an increase in cervical cancer incidence, potentially due to under-screening.
Dr. Muzaffar emphasized the role of lifestyle factors and screening in addressing these trends.
“The three most common cancers—breast, lung, and colorectal—all have effective screening methods,” said Dr. Muzaffar. “It’s crucial for women, and everyone, to prioritize their health, get routine mammograms and undergo screenings for these common cancers if they meet the criteria.”
As researchers continue to analyze cancer trends, further studies will be needed to explore the impact of factors like vaping, dietary habits and environmental exposures, Dr. Muzaffar noted. She also said ECU Health has observed an increasing number of younger patients with advanced cancer diagnoses.
“We haven’t conducted a formal study to compare our regional trends to national data, but anecdotally, we are seeing more young patients with cancer,” she said. “This could be an area for further research.”
The increase in cancer rates among women underscores the need for continued public health efforts focused on prevention, early detection, and lifestyle modifications. Women, particularly those over 30, should remain vigilant about their health and take advantage of available screening options to catch cancer early when it is most treatable. For more information about cancer screenings and treatment options, please visit ECUHealth.org/Cancer.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can be a challenging journey, but ECU Health has resources to help with a comprehensive range of weight loss and lifestyle medicine services tailored to individual needs. Whether someone is starting their weight loss journey or seeking support to maintain progress, ECU Health offers personalized, evidence-based solutions to help people succeed.
Dr. Hannah Florida, a board-certified physician in obesity medicine at the ECU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, emphasized the importance of addressing obesity holistically.
“Excess body weight is multifactorial, often influenced by unhealthy nutrition, lack of physical activity, poor sleep, unmanaged stress, a lack of support systems and substance dependence – whether that be caffeine, sugar or another substance,” Dr. Florida said. “Our approach is to meet patients where they are, assess what changes they are ready to make and guide them with the tools and accountability they need to succeed.”
ECU Health Lifestyle Medicine provides a multidisciplinary team of experts, including board-certified obesity physicians, registered dietitian nutritionists, lifestyle coaches and exercise physiologists. Together, they offer comprehensive care to address every aspect of weight management, ensuring patients receive the support they need at every step.
No two weight loss journeys are the same, which is why ECU Health offers customizable programs to fit a variety of needs:
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss: Tailored treatment plans, including lifestyle modifications and medications, prescribed by board-certified obesity physicians.
- Medical Nutrition Therapy: Personalized assessments and eating plans from licensed dietitians to support sustainable weight loss and address conditions like diabetes and high cholesterol.
- Meal Replacement Programs: Supervised liquid meal replacement plans to jumpstart progress.
- Culinary Medicine: Individual and group sessions teaching participants how to prepare plant-based meals that align with their goals.
- Pre-Surgery Optimization: Dietitian-guided programs to optimize nutritional health before bariatric or orthopedic surgery for improved outcomes.
Dr. Florida uses anti-obesity medications when appropriate to jump start patients in making lifestyle changes. These healthy lifestyle changes are the key factors to achieve sustainable long term weight loss, according to Dr. Florida.
“Medications, for example, can temporarily suppress appetite, but lasting results require adopting healthier habits,” she said.
Lifestyle coaches at ECU Health help patients set and achieve specific goals, such as improving sleep, managing stress, or incorporating regular exercise.
“For instance, if someone struggles with getting enough sleep, the coach might help them set small, actionable goals like limiting screen time before bed,” Dr. Florida said.
Exercise physiologists at ECU Health further support patients by creating personalized exercise plans. These programs often begin with one-on-one guidance and transition patients to sustainable fitness routines, whether through gym memberships or at-home activities.
Addressing obesity not only improves physical well-being but can also alleviate related chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic pain, and kidney disease.
“When we treat obesity, we often see significant improvements—or even reversal—in these chronic conditions,” said Dr. Florida.
ECU Health’s Lifestyle Medicine Clinic offers flexible options for individual appointments, group-based education, and cutting-edge culinary medicine.
“Our goal is to meet patients where they are and empower them to make sustainable changes,” says Dr. Florida.
For some individuals struggling with weight-related health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and sleep apnea, bariatric surgery may be the most effective solution.
ECU Health Medical Center offers advanced surgical options, including:
- Gastric Bypass: Reduces the amount of food you can eat and the calories you absorb by creating a small stomach pouch that connects to the small intestine. This helps you feel full faster and absorb fewer calories.
- Sleeve Gastrectomy: Removes up to 85% of the stomach, creating a sleeve-like structure that holds less food and reduces hunger hormones.
Bariatric surgery often results in greater weight loss compared to medical treatments alone and can significantly improve chronic conditions linked to obesity. While surgery is highly effective, it is not without risks, including bleeding, infection and nutritional deficiencies. Speak with your primary care provider to learn if this option is right for you.
Ready to Begin Your Journey? Take the first step toward a healthier you with ECU Health. To learn more about ECU Health’s weight loss services at the ECU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic or to schedule an appointment, visit the ECUHealth.org/LifestyleMedicine or call 252-847-9908.
A multidisciplinary group of physicians, health professionals, care teams, residents, fellows and students came together Wednesday for the 9th annual ECU Health Quality Improvement Symposium at Eastern AHEC. With educational sessions, a keynote speaker, podium presentations and a poster session, the day was jam packed with quality improvement initiatives and ideas from across ECU Health and East Carolina University’s Health Sciences Campus.
Dr. Michael Waldrum, ECU Health CEO and dean of the Brody School of Medicine, provided opening remarks at the symposium and reflected on his personal journey in quality improvement, which began 35 years ago and continues today.
“And in that 35 years, so much has changed, but really so much hasn’t changed. The essence of collaboration and caring and love is the essence of quality,” said Dr. Waldrum.
“The fact that you all care about your environments and each other and the patients we serve is what inspired me 35 years ago. Now, with changing technologies like artificial intelligence and other impacts to the care environment, the essence of quality, caring, taking care of each other and loving each other has never been more important. Thank you for doing that and carrying that message out for our organization, working in your units every day and living our values. That is who we are at ECU Health as we create the model for rural health care and educate the future health care professionals.”
Dr. David Tillman, chair of the Department of Public Health at Campbell University, provided keynote remarks to the group of 143 in-person and 63 virtual attendees. His presentation, “Rooted in Rural: Enhancing Patient Care and Quality Improvement by Valuing the Rural Context,” focused on understanding how engagement with rural communities provides essential insights for effective and empathetic health care.
“I’m based at Campbell and get to work closely with the communities in eastern North Carolina as do so many of the attendees here, and so often the rural context is forgotten in the broader quality improvement context,” said Dr. Tillman. “Having this topic as the keynote puts ‘rural’ at the center of quality improvement efforts. You can’t just replicate quality improvement efforts in rural communities. Instead, you have to think deeply about how it applies.”
The symposium showcased more than 40 projects related to system improvement, practice redesign and other methods for improving quality within health care and here in eastern North Carolina. The projects, categorized into podium presentations, poster presentations and works-in-progress presentations, offer a snapshot of ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine’s commitment to driving continuous quality improvement across the health enterprise.
Awards for the top podium and poster presentations were announced following the showcase.
Podium Presentation:
Outstanding Podium Presentation: Michelle Ball, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CIC, Infection Prevention, ECU Health Medical Center – “Standardization of Skin Antisepsis for Hip Replacement Surgery
Honorable Mention Podium Presentation: Dr. Nusiebeh Redpath, Perinatal-Neonatal Medicine, ECU Health Medical Center – “Increasing Parenting Activities in the NICU by Parents with Very Preterm Neonates”
Quick shot podium presentation:
Outstanding Quick Shot Podium Presentation: Alissa Meyerhoffer, MS2, LINC Scholar, Brody School of Medicine, ECU – “Improving Patient Throughput at the ECU Health Pediatric Specialty Clinic”
Honorable Mention Quick Shot Podium Presentation: Pankti Sheth, MS4 LINC Scholar, Brody School of Medicine, ECU – “Timely Extubation in Low-Birth Weight Preterm Infants Using a Standardized Protocol”
Honorable Mention Quick Shot Podium Presentation: Dr. Greeshma Sheri, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, ECU – “Improving Inpatient Sleep Quality”
Poster presentation:
First Place Poster Presentation: Mariam Tariq Awana, MD, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Brody School of Medicine, ECU – “Enhancing HIV PrEP Prescription Adherence through Physician Education and Assessment”
Second Place Poster Presentation: Aimee Dunn, BSN, RN, CCRN, SCRN, Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, ECU Health Medical Center – “Targeted Interventions for CAUTI Prevention: A Success Story in Reducing Infection Rates in the NSICU”
Third Place Poster Presentation: Missy Barrow, MA, LSSGB, Internal Medicine Community, ECU Health Medical Center – “Communication Between Hospital Allied Health and Primary Care Practitioners: A Collaborative Approach to Improving Hospital Discharge Summaries”
Dr. Jennifer Sutter serves as the current physician director of the Quality Improvement Symposium, helping presenters with their projects and supporting the judges as they review each body of work. But it wasn’t long ago that she herself was standing at the podium presenting her quality improvement work. The experience, she said, can benefit health care professionals in powerful ways.
“As a presenter, it can be nerve wracking to put yourself out there, but you get so much great feedback that can help you move your project forward,” Dr. Sutter said. “From my standpoint now, it’s great to create this environment where that learning and growth can happen. It takes a team to do quality improvement, and we have people here from across the health system who are collaborating to do just that. There’s nothing better.”
The day closed with two educational sessions designed to help those in attendance take the day’s learning and apply it to their mission-driven work.
Erika Taylor, clinical faculty member and instructor in the Division of Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine, and Patricia Huerta, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine, hosted “Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills for Medical Providers” to encourage health care providers to engage with a variety of coping skills to support their mental health and the mental health of their patients.
Randy Cobb, director of Talent Development at ECU Health, led a session called “Leading Change: Two Success Factors” where participants explored the importance of leading people through change by crafting a change plan via an interactive experience.
To learn more about the symposium and view a list of presentations, please click here.