Logan Craft’s passion for horses isn’t what led her to her career in Human Resources, but it certainly informs the way she serves ECU Health team members.
As a service representative, she plays a key role in supporting team members, from welcoming new hires to answering questions and providing guidance.
“I love customer service,” she said. “I got my degree in business administration with a concentration in management from East Carolina University, and it’s been a great opportunity to work here.”
That care and connection extends beyond Craft’s day job; she learned a lot about patience, responsibility and trust from the horses she trains and competes with.
“When I was five, I started with English riding,” she said, referring to the style of riding that emphasizes balance and precision. “I worked with many talented horses, and the experience shaped my skills and passion for the sport.”
Nine years ago, Craft took those skills and tried barrel racing for the first time.
“I knew some people who did barrel racing,” she said. “I thought it would be fun, so I tried it, and now I’m obsessed. I own three horses and do a lot of training and exercising, along with work and my social life, to compete across the state and the southeast.”
Her commitment has won her a few prizes and belt buckles along the way.
“I was the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) 2020 North Carolina 4D youth state champion and champion and reserved champion in my district a couple years ago,” she said. “I have also qualified for the NBHA youth and teen world championships between 2018 and 2021.”
A lot of Logan’s racing happens along the East Coast and in Benson, North Carolina. She was quick to note that barrel racing in rodeos and barrel racing with divisions differ primarily in structure and competition format.
“In rodeos, the fastest time wins, period,” she said.
Barrel racing with divisions means all riders, regardless of their skill level, run in the same race and have the chance to place. Each race includes four divisions based on time, from Division One (1D) to Division Four (4D).
Race day is a full-day event, from feeding and transporting the horses, to familiarizing the horses with the arena, to the race itself – which is always with three barrels and only lasts about 16 seconds. After everyone has raced, times are entered into the computer and winners of each division are notified.
“It keeps me busy. I take care of the horses and train them, because it’s a special skill to race. Every horse is different and they must stay calm and adapt to different environments,” she said.
Whether she’s guiding a team member through a new role or preparing a horse for competition, Craft approaches both with the same mindset: connection and consistency.
“Horses depend on me every day no matter how busy life gets,” Craft said, “and it’s the same for team members who come to HR for attention and care.”
To learn more about joining team members like Logan Craft at ECU Health, visit our Careers website.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health Beaufort Hospital – a campus of ECU Health Medical Center now offers the MISHA Knee System for patients suffering from medial knee osteoarthritis. The MISHA Knee System is designed to reduce the daily physical toll on the knee joint, offer rapid pain relief and preserve patients’ natural anatomy.
“The MISHA Knee System fundamentally changes how we can support patients living with medial knee osteoarthritis by giving them a joint preserving option that delivers real, measurable relief,” said Dr. Dimitri M. Thomas, orthopedic surgeon, ECU Health Beaufort Hospital. “For many people who want to stay active but aren’t ready for a knee replacement, this approach fills a longstanding gap in treatment options. It’s exciting to bring this level of innovation to our community and help patients regain comfort, confidence and mobility.”
Knee osteoarthritis affects more than 15 million Americans and can make everyday activities painful and difficult. Non-surgical treatments such as medications, injections or physical therapy sometimes do not provide relief, and they are often left with ongoing pain and limited mobility. The MISHA Knee System is a less-invasive approach designed to reduce knee pain and help patients return to the activities they enjoy by reducing the peak forces on painful knee joints while walking, running or simply standing. No removal of bone, cartilage or ligament is required.
“ECU Health Beaufort Hospital is committed to ensuring that patients in our region can access advanced, patient centered solutions close to home, and the MISHA Knee System is a powerful example of that commitment,” said Dennis Campbell II, DHA, RN, president, ECU Health Beaufort Hospital. “By offering this innovative treatment locally, patients do not have to travel long distances to receive cutting edge orthopedic care or to find relief earlier in their treatment journey. We are proud to expand access to high quality options that help people stay active, remain in their communities and maintain their quality of life.”
The procedure is covered by Medicare. For those interested in learning more, please contact ECU Health Orthopedics – Washington at 252-946-6513.
The newly dedicated room in memory of Ann Parsons inside ECU Health’s Tender Evaluation, Diagnosis and Intervention for a Better Abuse Response (TEDI BEAR) Children’s Advocacy Center is filled with toys, games, puzzles, books and, of course, teddy bears, all designed to create a safe environment for children in crisis. For those at the clinic, dedicating the room to Parsons’ memory symbolizes her legacy as a nurse practitioner who committed decades of her life to supporting thousands of pediatric patients.
Parsons spent 17 years as the clinic’s medical provider. TEDI BEAR is a partnership between the Department of Pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center that serves children from birth through 18 who may be victims of abuse. TEDI BEAR and the Mt. Olive Children’s Advocacy Center in Duplin County are valuable resources for families in eastern North Carolina, an underserved region with few behavioral health options for children and adolescents. TEDI BEAR provides forensic interviews, medical evaluations, child advocacy and specialized therapy designed to help children heal from trauma.
Parsons was described as a committed advocate for the pediatric patients she saw at TEDI BEAR, always focused on doing what was best for victims in their healing process.
“She was so thorough,” said Wendy Shouse, a mental health manager at ECU Health who worked with Parsons for over 15 years. “I would not call her soft spoken, but she had a very calm, collected presence that put people at ease. I never really saw her feathers ruffled. That presence left an impression on the families, professionals and patients she worked with. If patients had questions about their long-term health after their experience, I knew they could count on Ann to answer them.
“Even at times when our team got frustrated over particular cases or systems, Ann would always say ‘We just have to do what we can to help the child.’ That was our focus.”
In 2025, Parsons died in the weeks following an unexpected medical event. It shocked her coworkers and supervisor, Dr. Matthew Ledoux, pediatrician in chief at ECU Health. He remembered Parsons as “a great colleague and friend.”
Upon reviewing Parsons’ tenure with the clinic, Ledoux, Shouse and fellow team members were stunned to discover she had examined or seen over 5,000 patients, a revelation that quantified the staggering impact she had across the region.
“It was so impressive,” Ledoux said. “Ann dedicated so much of her life to those many abused and neglected children. We felt there was a need to honor her dedication to those children.”
Team members considered dedicating an examination room in Parsons’ memory. Conversations on that topic turned to a different room that people who knew Parsons felt better reflected her impact on patients. It was the room where, after forensic exams and interviews on traumatic topics, kids could find a friend in the form of a stuffed animal, many of which are teddy bears from which the clinic draws its name. The comforting companions are donated by community supporters and Shouse said they serve as a reminder that patients will continue to receive support from TEDI BEAR team members.
“It’s a small something that helps them transition from their medical exam back to the world outside,” Shouse said. “You don’t want to open them up, talk about their abuse experience and then just kick them out the door. This room is a reset.”
In 2025, the 54 children’s advocacy centers across North Carolina served 11,844 children. TEDI BEAR and ECU Health’s Children’s Advocacy Center in Mount Olive serve approximately 1,000 children per year. The centers served about 930 children in 2025.
Research shows that one in 10 children are sexually abused by the age of 18 years old. Approximately 86% of that abuse goes unreported, and younger children aged one through six are likely to have more difficulties disclosing abuse compared to older children. A small amount of those disclosures, about 16%, are made directly to authorities, with most disclosures made to peers.
Parsons worked well with the various people who made their way through TEDI BEAR, be they parents, law enforcement officers or social workers. In their time together, Parsons provided medical examinations and Shouse administered behavioral health assessments. Their bond, forged by their proximity and strengthened through shared experience, was one based in mutual respect.
“What I appreciated most about Ann was that I could ask her any question,” Shouse said. “Nothing was ever ridiculous or stupid. I am not a medical provider — I am a therapist. We do not necessarily use the same medical terms. She never made me feel like I was inferior or bad at my job when I had to clarify things. I was always comfortable.”
Shouse said that many patients keep the stuffed bear from their first visit, even after aging out of pediatric therapy when they turn 18. That is something she hopes reflects how the clinic, and Parsons, helped patients.
“I think she would appreciate the room and how it gives these kids some measure of comfort. It is the last step in making sure they are alright,” Shouse said. “That’s what Ann was all about.”
For more information about how you can support TEDI BEAR, please contact the ECU Health Foundation at 252-847-5626 or click here and complete the form.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health Medical Center is proud to announce the expansion of its Graduate Medical Education (GME) rural residency tracks in Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics-Gynecology and Pediatrics, supported by funding from the University of North Carolina System. This expansion enables ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University to launch and grow rural training programs in high‑need specialties, strengthening the physician pipeline for communities across the region.
Eastern North Carolina faces some of the most significant provider shortages in the state, with many rural counties lacking adequate access to primary care, specialty care and essential surgical services. ECU Health’s expansion of rural residency programs directly targets these gaps by training physicians within the very communities that need them most.
The initiative responds to a persistent national imbalance: although 20 percent of Americans live in rural areas, only about 10 percent of physicians choose to practice there. By embedding medical training in rural settings, ECU Health aims to build a sustainable workforce pipeline and strengthen care access across the region.
“This expansion represents a transformational step forward for Graduate Medical Education at the Brody School of Medicine and ECU Health,” said Dr. Mary Catherine Brake Turner, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the Brody School of Medicine and ECU Health Medical Center. “By embedding residency training within rural hospitals and clinics, we are strengthening the educational experience, preparing physicians to meet the needs of rural communities and building a sustainable pipeline of clinicians committed to serving rural areas.”
ECU Health’s newest rural residency tracks are modeled on the success of the ECU Health Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, launched in 2021. The Rural Family Medicine Program has already demonstrated strong early outcomes, with graduates choosing to remain in the communities where they trained, reinforcing the effectiveness of immersive rural training and providing a proven model for the new rural residency tracks.
Building on this foundation, ECU Health will launch the rural track for Internal Medicine in July 2026, followed by Surgery, Obstetrics-Gynecology and Pediatrics rural tracks in July 2027.
Internal Medicine
The Internal Medicine residency rural track will welcome its first rural track resident in July 2026. Residents will spend approximately 50 percent of their training in the rural setting as they rotate at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, ECU Health Chowan Hospital, ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital and ECU Health Duplin Hospital, gaining experience in inpatient medicine, emergency care, subspecialty clinics and community engagement activities.
General Surgery
The General Surgery residency rural track will begin training resident physicians once it welcomes its first cohort in July 2027, building upon the program’s long standing rural rotations. Resident physicians will complete foundational training at ECU Health Medical Center before rotating at ECU Health Community Hospitals and UNC Health Lenoir Hospital. These rotations will provide immersive experience in community hospital settings, increasing exposure to a range of surgical cases.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
The Obstetrics-Gynecology residency rural track will begin training resident physicians once it welcomes its first cohort in July 2027. Resident physicians will spend approximately 30 percent of their training at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital. The rural track will provide resident physicians with ambulatory and inpatient Obstetrics-Gynecology experience while maintaining access to subspecialty training at ECU Health Medical Center.
Pediatrics
The new Pediatric residency rural track will start welcoming resident physicians in July 2027. Resident physicians will spend approximately 30 percent of their training in the rural setting. This track will build on ECU Health’s longstanding commitment to improving child health outcomes across the region and will leverage existing partnerships with our ECU Health Community hospitals and expand partnerships with rural clinics.
“Rural residency programs are one of the most effective ways to reduce longstanding health care disparities, build a strong local health care workforce and increase the likelihood that physicians will continue practicing in the region,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health and Dean of the Brody School of Medicine. “Expanding our rural residency programs is a direct investment in meeting ECU Health’s mission to improve the health and well‑being of eastern North Carolina. We are grateful for the UNC System’s investment in our Graduate Medical Education programs and are excited to bring more physicians to the region.”
Dr. Michael Waldrum
Across rural America, healthcare is under attack. Pressure is mounting from looming federal cuts, including those to Medicaid, and increasingly aggressive behavior by large, for profit insurance companies. In eastern North Carolina, we are on the defensive, fighting every day to preserve even the most basic access to care, whether that means delivering a baby close to home or seeing a primary care provider.
Rural health systems are already stretched to the limit. We serve older, sicker, and poorer populations. We provide more uncompensated care with thinner margins and fewer alternatives than our urban counterparts. As proposals to reduce federal healthcare funding advance, pressure on rural hospitals continues to grow.
I recently shared these realities during my testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means.
The hearing focused on affordability and access — two issues that will determine the future of rural healthcare. I shared ECU Health’s uniquely rural story, made possible only through the commitment of 15,000 team members who lead with purpose to deliver high quality care across our region.
I also shared a sobering truth: our organization faces a potential compounded loss of more than $1 billion over the next 10 years from Medicaid reductions included in H.R. 1.
Against this backdrop, we recently made the difficult decision to go out of network with UnitedHealthcare. This was not a tactic or a shortcut, but a last resort taken after years of imbalance and grounded in our responsibility to sustain access to care for communities that rely on us.
Rural hospitals operate on razor thin margins. We do not have billion dollar surpluses or large markets to subsidize rural care. Every dollar we earn supports patient care, our workforce, and maintaining access across a vast, rural region. When a health system with a large mix of Medicare and Medicaid patients is forced to accept an unsustainable contract by a dominant, for profit insurer, the consequences fall on patients: fewer clinicians, longer wait times, delayed services, and, in some cases, the real possibility of losing care altogether. This is the result if we allow healthcare to be treated as a profit-making tool by UnitedHealthcare, extracting value from our region and our state at the expense of rural communities.
Our approach to UnitedHealthcare has been in good faith, intended to reach an agreement that would preserve in-network access for our patients. Throughout this process, we have made every attempt to engage constructively and move negotiations forward. However, those efforts have been met with delays, limited responsiveness, and proposals that do not reflect the realities of providing care in our region.
When our attempts over the past year to reach a partnership with UnitedHealthcare proved unattainable, we faced a choice: accept a status quo that steadily erodes rural access or take a stand for our patients and communities. We chose to stand.
Our priority is supporting impacted patients and care teams through this transition. We continue to reach out directly to those affected to ensure they know what options are available to support the care they need.
At ECU Health, our obligation is clear. We exist to serve patients, families, and communities — not shareholders. Standing up for rural healthcare is not easy, and it sometimes requires saying no to powerful interests. Protecting access, supporting our workforce, and preserving the future of care in eastern North Carolina is not optional. It is our mission and it is worth fighting for.
Greenville, N.C. – Three ECU Health leaders have been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review on its list of 2026 Rural Hospital and Health System Presidents and CEOs to Know. Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health and dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Dennis Campbell, II, RN, president of ECU Health Beaufort Hospital – a Campus of ECU Health Medical Center, and Brian Harvill, president of ECU Health Chowan, Bertie and Roanoke-Chowan Hospitals were all named to this year’s list.
The recognition identifies leaders whose work drives tangible growth through innovation while navigating issues like recruitment and retention which are felt hardest in rural spaces.
Becker’s acknowledged Dr. Waldrum’s commitment to improving rural health care for eastern North Carolina and beyond, as well as his advocacy for critical funding that supports patients in the academic health system spanning 29 rural counties.
Campbell’s collaborative leadership approach, focused on culture and connection, was credited for improved team member, physician and provider satisfaction and retention during his tenure. He was also credited for his commitment to local education and healthcare workforce pipeline development.
Harvill has spent more than a decade in leadership at ECU Health and continues to do so at three community hospitals serving rural populations, with a focus on operational excellence and community health. Under his leadership, ECU Health Chowan, Bertie and Roanoke-Chowan Hospitals have earned national recognition for patient experience, excellence in patient outcomes and overall quality.
“We are proud of Mike, Dennis and Brian for their commitment to driving forward ECU Health’s mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Andy Tewari, chairman of ECU Health’s Board of Directors. “Their vision and commitment are helping shape the national model for academic rural health care at a time when innovation and collaboration matter more than ever. The 1.4 million people we proudly serve in eastern North Carolina can confidently know they are in the caring, safe hands of over 15,000 team members guided by nationally recognized leaders.”
Windsor, NC – ECU Health Bertie Hospital has been recognized as a top 20 critical access hospital for patient perspective by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.
“ECU Health Bertie Hospital is proud of the efforts of the physicians and team members who have contributed to our hospital achieving this recognition,” said Brian Harvill, president of ECU Health Bertie Hospital. “Our results as a top 20 critical access hospital for patient perspective means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future. I am grateful to all those who make ECU Health Bertie Hospital an excellent place to receive high-quality care.”
ECU Health Bertie Hospital is a six-bed critical access facility committed to providing high-quality care close to home. The hospital offers a broad range of inpatient and outpatient services, including radiology, rehabilitation, and laboratory diagnostics. It also features a specialty clinic delivering advanced care in areas such as pain and wound management, podiatry, nephrology, ENT, and more.
This dedication to excellence has earned ECU Health Bertie Hospital national recognition. In addition to being named a 2026 Chartis top 20 critical access hospital, the hospital achieved an overall five-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in October 2025.
The top 20 distinction is based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®, a comprehensive and objective framework for assessing how rural hospitals are performing. INDEX benchmarks are relied upon by rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure performance across multiple areas impacting hospital operations and finance.
“At a critical access hospital, each interaction truly matters and can make a lasting difference for our patients,” said Dr. Julie Kennedy Oehlert, chief experience officer at ECU Health. “Delivering an exceptional experience goes beyond a metric—it reflects how we bring our values to life through safe, reliable, and compassionate care. It means listening closely, treating every person with dignity and respect, and fostering an environment where healing can thrive. The dedicated team at ECU Health Bertie Hospital exemplifies our mission, vision, and values through their unwavering commitment to the patients and communities they serve every day.”
Greenville, N.C. – Dr. Carlos Marroquin, a physician at ECU Health Medical Center and adjunct professor in Surgical Immunology, Transplantation and Surgical Oncology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, performed the health system’s first procedure with the Edison® Histotripsy System, a groundbreaking, non invasive technology designed to treat liver tumors using focused ultrasound energy, on April 21, 2026. ECU Health is the first health system in North Carolina east of Winston-Salem to offer this innovative therapy, expanding treatment options for patients with primary and metastatic liver tumors.
“Our patients deserve access to the highest level of care without the burden of traveling long distances for advanced treatment options,” said Jay Briley, president of ECU Health Medical Center. “This technology reinforces our commitment to ensuring that world‑class, innovative care is available right here in eastern North Carolina. I am proud of the team that made this possible.“
The Edison System is the first non‑invasive, non‑thermal, non‑ionizing treatment option for destroying targeted liver tissue with a novel mechanism of action called histotripsy. It delivers sound waves that mechanically break down targeted tissue without incisions, needles, heat or radiation. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, offering a new option for patients who prefer a non-invasive approach or who may not be candidates for an invasive surgical approach for many other medical reasons yet have cancer in their liver. Since they would not tolerate an invasive procedure and the associated challenging recovery, histotripsy offers a viable option to treat their tumor. Histotripsy’s unique mechanism of action helps physicians precisely destroy liver tumors while preserving surrounding healthy tissue.
“We are proud to offer cutting-edge treatment options for patients facing liver cancer,” said Dr. Marroquin. “The Edison Histotripsy System enhances our ability to deliver personalized care by giving us a non invasive way to target tumors that may be difficult to remove surgically or to combine with other therapies. This technology represents an advancement in liver tumor care and reflects ECU Health’s commitment to bringing the most promising, patient-centered innovations to eastern North Carolina.”
In North Carolina, incidence and late-stage diagnosis rates of liver cancer are slightly higher than national averages, according to the National Cancer Society. These challenges are even more pronounced in rural and eastern parts of the state, where higher burdens of chronic liver disease and limited access to specialty care contribute to worse outcomes. In addition to primary liver tumors, many patients in the region also face liver metastases from other cancer conditions that similarly lack accessible, non invasive treatment options. Bringing a non-invasive, advanced treatment like histotripsy to ECU Health Medical Center directly addresses these disparities and expands access to lifesaving care for the region.
ECU Health team members that were part of the new procedure include: Carlos Marroquin, MD, Kelly Giordano, RN, Kierra Gainer, RN, Jessie Sbrocco, CST, Paula Boyd, CST, Connor Lawler, DO, Daniel Lavalley, MD, and Ryan Louer, MD.
On any given day the 5,000-plus nurses across ECU Health’s system find themselves tackling tasks that go above and beyond their perceived jobs. Between their clinical duties placing lines, hurrying to codes and prepping patients for procedures are moments where service takes the form of a compassionate hand on the shoulder, a shared moment of grief or a celebration as their patients are discharged after a medical success.
Nurses advocate for, support and respond to the needs of patients. It’s not just their job, it is an inherent part of who they are as people. To kick off National Nurses Week, leaders from across the ECU Health system got to witness firsthand just how hard nurses work during a “Walk-a-Mile with Nursing” shadowing experience at ECU Health hospitals. This is the second year that ECU Health has held a Walk-a-Mile experience to help celebrate Nurses Week.
For ECU Health Chief Nursing Executive Dr. Trish Baise, Walk-a-Mile is one of the most meaningful highlights of Nurses Week, observed through May 12 to recognize the vital role nurses play in healthcare. The experience provides leaders with the opportunity to step alongside nurses, hear their perspectives firsthand and deepen their understanding of the compassion, expertise and strength nurses bring to every patient interaction. It also reinforces the importance of listening as a foundation for effective leadership and meaningful connection across teams.
At a debrief after their shadowing, leaders used terms like “compassion,” “kindness” and “teamwork” to describe what they saw in their respective experiences with nurses. Those who shadowed were impressed how Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses knew their tiny patients by their big personalities, or how Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit nurses could band together and provide some degree of comfort during life’s most difficult moments. In the 2 North Progressive Care Unit, Carlester T. Crumpler, Chairman of the Board of ECU Health Medical Center, learned what it takes to care for patients who have moved out of intensive care but still need close monitoring. He witnessed a patient receive a blood transfusion and was deeply impressed at the professionalism and care nurses showed during the procedure.
Getting to see nurses work firsthand also spoke to how important hospitals are to communities as a whole, Crumpler said, and gave him important perspective as a leader.
“I have a responsibility not only to all of our team members, but also to the community and the region to help us fully realize our mission and vision as a hospital and a health system,” Crumpler said during a debrief following the shadowing. “I don’t know anyone who wants to live in a community without access to a strong hospital nearby. This is a crown jewel asset for the region, and we must continue to strengthen it through strategic partnerships. It’s important for people to understand what we see and experience every day.”
“I’m grateful for this experience, because I know it’s going to help me and my fellow board members be better stewards of service for our community.”
Baise shadowed Kandace Six, a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit nurse at ECU Health Medical Center, throughout the event. Six has been at ECU Health for about two years. She said getting to hear board members and other leaders express their appreciation for nurses throughout the day was uplifting, and a great way to kick off Nurses Week.
“I know this is cliché, but when you feel seen, you feel heard,” Six said. “When leaders are actively involved and express real interest in our work, ask how we feel about our units or check to make sure patients’ needs are being met, it speaks volumes for us. It’s a chance to tell our story and let them know what is working.”
Six said she wants people to understand that, at the end of the day, nurses are people with human emotions working their absolute hardest to care for patients.
“We have to bottle up a lot of things,” Six said. “Even when we are sad or upset, it feels like we have to reflect happiness. We care, and we are constantly on the move to make sure our patients are taken care of, even when people don’t see it.”
Throughout Nurses Week, ECU Health celebrates its nursing team by providing meals, hosting appreciation events and sharing stories that highlight the many ways nurses make a difference in their communities, transform lives and improve patient outcomes. These efforts reflect ECU Health’s continued commitment to recognizing, supporting and investing in nurses—not only during Nurses Week, but every day.
“We are incredibly proud to have such a talented and dedicated community of nurses at ECU Health,” Baise added. “On behalf of all of us, thank you to our nurses for the innovation, collaboration and excellence you bring to your work each and every day.”
When Ashley Dunn, a quality nurse specialist on the ECU Health Medical Center patient safety team, graduated from nursing school in 2008, she found a place in Pitt County Memorial Hospital’s labor and delivery unit. She loved her team and her work, but in 2014 she was sidelined with an unexpected diagnosis.
“I found out I had cystic fibrosis, which I was not expecting. That took me away from the bedside, so I worked in outpatient case management with Access East until 2016.”
Ashley then switched to working in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), but the pandemic required another change.
“My doctors did not want me anywhere near the bedside, but I still wanted to work with the hospital. That’s when I found this role in patient safety. Everything fell into place like it was meant to be.”
An unexpected journey
Around the same time she joined ECU Health, Ashley and her husband, David, also wanted to grow their family. Despite polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), her cystic fibrosis diagnosis and the everyday stress of life and work, Ashley said she and David assumed things would work out.
“Nothing was happening,” she said. “We didn’t feel pressed to do IVF early on, but then suddenly I was 37 and we felt like we were running out of time.”
Ashley and David underwent IVF and over the next couple of years, she had three embryo transfers.
During that time, she needed multiple testing modalities and a surgery to improve her chances.
“Three transfers didn’t work, and we had one left,” she said. “We said this is it, the last chance, so we threw everything but the kitchen sink at it to make it work. And that last embryo stuck.”
Once pregnant, Ashley said she was doing well until she started leaking amniotic fluid at 28 weeks.
A strong start
“It was a Wednesday and I went to the hospital, knowing I wouldn’t be coming out without a baby,” she said. “I wasn’t in active labor, so they hoped I could get to 34 weeks. Just in case, they gave me steroid shots and magnesium to prevent complications.”
By that Saturday, however, Ashley began feeling mild contractions. They progressed throughout the day, until by that evening, Rhys Dunn was born at two pounds, 14 ounces.
“He came out kicking and screaming,” she laughed.
Rhys was born a fighter, but at 28 weeks, he needed to go to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital. This was challenging, especially when it was time for Ashley to discharge home.
“It’s so hard to leave the hospital without your baby,” she said. “There was a lot of back and forth for us. But we felt at peace about him being there because we had a team that knew what it was doing and cared about us.”
There was even a camera set up so Ashley and David could check on Rhys anytime of the day or night, and the staff were available by phone if they wanted to call for an update on Rhys’s status.
“The nurses were so attentive; the doctors were great. A speech therapist helped him with his feeding. The care partners and the volunteers were helpful,” she said. “The team in labor and delivery were supportive and checked in on us. We felt Rhys was well taken care of, and when he came home, he was ready.”
After 71 days in the NICU, Rhys went home on Father’s Day weekend, and now, he is a happy one-year-old.
“He’s hit all his milestones and he’s very much a happy baby,” Ashley said. He’s sweet as pie, and he brings us so much joy. We have been so blessed.”
Ashley emphasized that she and her family are fortunate to live close to the Maynard Children’s Hospital and the high-quality care they provide.
“I was in a NICU support group and so many parents had to drive two or three hours to see their babies. How lucky we are to have a NICU in our backyard,” she said. “To have that quality of care so close is a luxury.”
The whole experience was a “whirlwind,” but Ashley said it’s been worth it.
“The life we have now wouldn’t be possible without the hospital and the people working there,” she said. “We are so thankful to each and every person.”
Share your story with us at go.ecuhealth.org/gratitude. Stories like these show the lasting impact of the Maynard Children’s Hospital.