Celebrating Rural Health Day: The Beating Heart of Rural America’s Well-Being, Workforce and Economy
Dr. Michael Waldrum
Each year on National Rural Health Day, we pause to recognize the incredible contributions of those who provide care in rural communities. It is here, in rural America, where resilience, innovation, and compassion intersect to create lasting impacts in the lives of patients and their families.
But this day is more than a celebration of service. It’s a reminder that rural health care organizations are powerful engines of workforce development, economic vitality, and community well-being.
There’s no question that rural health care faces persistent challenges: workforce shortages, funding gaps, and infrastructure limitations. Yet, despite these realities, thousands of people across eastern North Carolina, and millions across the nation, go to work each day to care for others.
At ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, we understand rural health care because it is who we are and what we do. Our rural hospitals and clinics aren’t just a small part of a broader health system, they are the heart of our mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. Within their walls are the people who make our vision of creating the national model for academic rural health care a reality.
We are proud of our rural identity, and it guides us in everything we do. In towns where the nearest hospital may be miles away and the population sparse, rural health care providers are often the largest employers. Clinics, hospitals, and community health centers like ours don’t just deliver care, they create jobs, train future professionals, and anchor local economies. From nurses and lab technicians to IT specialists and administrative staff, rural health care organizations offer career pathways that keep talent rooted in rural America.
Moreover, organizations like ours are uniquely positioned to cultivate the next generation of health professionals. Through partnerships with schools, colleges, and workforce organizations, they provide internships, apprenticeships, and continuing education that open doors and meet community needs. These programs don’t just fill vacancies, they build futures and empower young people to pursue meaningful careers without leaving their hometowns.
The economic ripple effect is profound. A thriving health care sector attracts new businesses, supports housing markets, and enhances quality of life—making rural communities more attractive for families and entrepreneurs alike. When rural health care is strong, the whole community flourishes.
So, on this National Rural Health Day, let’s celebrate the caregivers, support teams, educators, and advocates who make rural health care possible. And let’s also commit to supporting the policies, investments, and partnerships that strengthen their role as workforce developers and economic catalysts.
Because when rural health thrives—America thrives.
Mike Waldrum, MD, MSc, MBA
Chief Executive Officer, ECU Health
Dean, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Identical twins Richard Gregory, DMSc, PA-C, and Kenneth Gregory, DNP, FNP-C, have spent more than a decade working side by side in the ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital emergency department, where their collaboration is as intuitive as it is impactful.
Their journey to saving lives and treating patients in need of emergency care began long before they donned scrubs. From high school classrooms to military service in the U.S. Army, Richard and Kenneth have always moved through life together.
That shared experience laid the foundation for their parallel careers in health care—Richard as a physician assistant and Kenneth as a nurse practitioner. Their bond, forged in discipline and purpose, has shaped not only their clinical practice but also their academic pursuits.
In 2025, the Gregory brothers reached a milestone few siblings achieve together: earning their doctoral degrees. Richard graduated from A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona, with a Doctor of Medical Science, serving as vice president of his class. Kenneth earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice from East Carolina University in Greenville.
“Although our programs differed, Kenneth and I shared the same motivation to grow,” Richard said. “We held each other accountable, often staying up late to discuss coursework, research and strategies for balancing academics with full-time clinical responsibilities. There was an unspoken understanding: if one of us advanced, the other would not be far behind.”
“We’ve always moved through life together,” Kenneth shared. “So earning these degrees side-by-side just feels right.”
Their academic journey was not without challenges. Balancing full-time clinical responsibilities with demanding coursework required late nights, sacrifice and mutual support.
“We were each other’s personal accountability partners,” Kenneth said. “Our support focused less on reviewing content and more on making sure the other didn’t burn out.”
For Richard, the decision to pursue a DMSc was driven by a desire to expand his impact beyond direct patient care. With more than 25 years of experience, including a decade in family medicine and 15 years in emergency medicine, he saw advanced education as a way to strengthen leadership, education and evidence-based practice.
“Completing the DMSc program enabled me to contribute to meaningful improvements in patient outcomes and team performance,” Richard said.
As part of his doctoral research, Richard explored the use of low-dose ketamine (LDK) for managing acute pain in the adult population within the emergency department. With opioid stewardship in mind, his work aimed to educate providers through a decision tree that highlights an active protocol already in place across the ECU Health system.
“This research is about improving pain management while reducing reliance on opioids,” Richard said. “It’s a practical tool to support evidence-based decisions and enhance patient care.”
This addition reinforces Richard’s commitment to clinical innovation and aligns with the broader theme of systemic improvement. It also complements Kenneth’s work on opioid use disorder, as both brothers are tackling different aspects of the same public health challenge.
Kenneth’s DNP journey was inspired by a desire to implement systemic solutions in rural health care. His doctoral project focused on integrating transitional care for patients with opioid use disorder into the emergency department—a complex initiative requiring research, operational planning and administrative coordination.
“I wanted to go beyond treating immediate symptoms and focus on evidence-based, systemic change,” Kenneth says. “The DNP program trained me to lead, translate research into practice and serve as an innovative change agent.”
Now, with degrees in hand, the Gregory brothers are focused on using their expertise to advocate for rural health care needs at ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital and in eastern North Carolina—as well as champion the meaningful difference continuing education can make.
“Don’t pursue a degree just for the titles,” Kenneth said. “Pursue it to address a clinical or systemic problem that frustrates you. Having a clear purpose will keep you motivated when the coursework feels overwhelming.”
“Do it and don’t let fear hold you back,” Richard shared. “Advanced education challenges you to view health care form new perspectives and helps you to become not only a better clinician but also a stronger communicator, leader and advocate for patients and peers.”
The 29 learners who started their quality improvement journey a year ago as part of the Teachers of Quality Academy (TQA) 8.0 cohort officially wrapped up their participation in the program at a recognition ceremony Oct. 22. While the ceremony marked the end of the cohort’s formal learning sessions in the program, the multidisciplinary group of health care professionals is now poised to take their knowledge back to their workspaces with the goal of driving continuous quality improvement across ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
TQA is a professional development program for health care leaders designed to fundamentally change care delivery through a curriculum focused on building knowledge and skills in Health Systems Science which comprehensively explores how health care is delivered.
“We hope the biggest take away from this last year of learning is the importance of taking what they’ve learned back to their teams so they can apply their knowledge and skills to be catalysts for positive change in their local communities and local teams,” said Dr. Jennifer Sutter, TQA physician director. “This is a diverse group of professionals who represent many different parts of the health system so we’re confident they can have a broad impact on driving quality improvement for ECU Health and those we serve.”
The 8.0 cohort included health care professionals from clinical, administrative, leadership and educational backgrounds, all of whom were selected from a highly-competitive pool of applicants.
“The work that we do in health care is purposeful work, but nobody would define it as easy,” said Dr. Niti Armistead, chief medical officer and chief quality officer at ECU Health, during remarks at the recognition ceremony. “What I’ve found in my own quality journey is that quality improvement is the antidote to burnout by converting the burrs in the saddle into problems to be solved. Quality improvement is a way to re-establish your agency and feel like there are real things you can do to drive improvement and make a positive difference.”
Throughout the past year, participants engaged in advanced learning in quality improvement, patient safety and team leadership, develop improvement projects to apply these skills across the health system, teach others in their environment about these concepts and evaluate the outcomes of improvement interventions.
Lauren Chambers, pharmacy supervisor at ECU Health Medical Center, and Brynn Schiller, who started the program as an administrative fellow but now serves as a workforce development project manager, partnered together on a project aimed at improving hyperglycemia management for medical intensive care unit patients. Hyperglycemia, otherwise known as high blood sugar, can result in organ damage and other serious complications if not treated and managed quickly and effectively.
Chambers said that when the two were deciding which project to pursue, they wanted to be bold and pursue something meaningful and sustainable. For Chambers and Schiller, their hope is that others will take advantage of the opportunities provided through TQA to explore important topics in areas meaningful to them while making important connections along the way.
“You learn a lot about yourself and you get to connect with people you don’t normally connect with,” said Schiller. “I got to know Lauren who is clinical in pharmacy. My background is not clinical so it was really interesting to work together on a project where I didn’t know a lot but I learned a lot thanks to our work on the project together.”
“The program helped me reach my goal of working at ECU Health,” said Kara Dozier, a hostess with the Food and Nutrition Services team, of the NC Works program.
Dozier enrolled in the NC Works program in October of 2024 and served as its first participant at ECU Health.
NC Works is an initiative throughout North Carolina for young adults ages 18 to 24 who are interested in exploring health care careers. The program brings together various statewide agencies including the Department of Commerce, Public Instruction and the NC community college system to create opportunities for young jobseekers to find employment. ECU Health is one of many work sites across the state for the NC Works program.
Kara said she’d always wanted to work in the hospital setting. “I have family who work in the hospital and had heard great things about ECU Health,” she said.
When she was at a job fair at the Greenville Convention Center, she saw an ECU Health table. “I thought, let me go over there and see what this is about, and Ms. Toyta told me about the program. She wanted me to give her my resume.”
Toyta Kee, a talent pipeline consultant at ECU Health, said the program makes a lasting impact on participants.
“It’s like an internship model,” she explained. “This program plants the seeds that will affect generation after generation.”
Kee emphasized that ECU Health’s broad spectrum of career opportunities makes it the perfect environment for introducing young people to the health care field.
“There are so many opportunities for participants to further their education. They didn’t think they could work in health care because they didn’t want to be a doctor or nurse. Here at ECU Health, they can get the exposure and education to many other jobs, and they receive guidance and mentorship as they learn about health care roles,” Kee said. “It warms my heart to serve as the navigator to help them have a successful life, to be a blessing to themselves and their families.”
In addition to helping young adults gain valuable skills, the program also creates a pipeline of talent that potentially leads to participants becoming members of the ECU Health team.
That’s just what happened for Dozier.
During her time in the program, Dozier worked in production, the call center and Food and Nutrition. She felt supported by her team and Kee, and before the program ended, her colleagues and supervisors from each department advised her to apply for a full-time role.
“I decided to stay as a hostess in Food and Nutrition,” she said. “I love the people I work with, and it has a good vibe.”
“We are so appreciative to the Food and Nutrition Service department for their unwavering support of this program,” Kee added.
Dozier is now in school at Pitt Community College, wrapping up a degree in business administration. “This is my last semester,” she said. “I hope to stay with ECU Health and do work that’s aligned with my degree.”
“Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,’ and I believe in dreams,” Kee said. “This experience opens doors for people who might otherwise have socioeconomic barriers, and that’s what’s rewarding to my heart.”
To learn more about the NC Works program, contact Toyta Kee at [email protected], or visit the NCWorks website.
One of the newest education opportunities is the Learning Lab program, which provides ECU Health Medical Center team members the opportunity to earn their high school equivalency in partnership with Pitt Community College.
Housed on the Medical Center campus, team members who are accepted to and enrolled in the Learning Lab program can use the lab during their workday to complete schoolwork. Additionally, the program offers financial assistance for program-testing fees and compensates a portion of the team members’ school time.
A key feature of the Learning Lab is the one-on-one support from a Pitt Community College instructor, who helps with assignments and certain skill development such as organization and time management.
This spring, ECU Health celebrated its first three graduates from the program. Simone Cummings, a Central Services technician at the Medical Center and one of the graduates, has been with the health system for a little over three and a half years.
Simone praised the program and encouraged other team members to take advantage of this opportunity. “What I love about the program is that you can work at your own pace, have one-on-ones with the teacher if there is a topic you are having problems with and you’re with a small group which makes learning fun and more interesting,” she says.
Simone advises those interested in the Learning Lab to take action: “I would say to talk to your managers, get signed up. Time doesn’t wait on you; you wait on time. If you are thinking of going back and getting your GED or high school equivalency, I am so proud of you. Just by thinking about it you are already a winner, and your story has just begun. By joining this program, you already have a family to support and love you all the way because no one gets left behind.”Simone1.jpg
Programs like this one open doors for team members, providing the education needed to apply for other programs such as the NA I, NA Advancement, the HomeGrown program or to explore other opportunities in the organization that require a high school diploma or equivalent.
“The Learning Lab program is so beneficial to team members at the Medical Center because it provides a stepping stone to other programs we offer,” says Doris Hill, Workforce Development Consultant, and organizer for this program.
Team members interested in the Learning Lab program must complete the application process to be considered. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for fall and spring semesters. For more information about the Learning Lab program, click here or contact the ECU Health Workforce Development office at 252-847-3174.
Education is one of ECU Health’s IC-EAST Values, and our team members exemplify and live these values each day. Kimalie Robinson, Central Services Technician, is a great example of how the Value of Education is lived out.
Kimalie has been a team member at ECU Health for more than two years. As a Central Service Technician, he is responsible for collecting, cleaning and delivering equipment throughout ECU Health Medical Center.
Kimalie learned about the Learning Lab through a coworker who was already enrolled in the program. He was inspired to learn more about it as earning his high school diploma was a personal goal.
“I got involved in the program because when I migrated from Jamaica. I didn’t have a high school diploma, and I thought this would be a great opportunity for me,” he said.
Once accepted into the program, Kimalie adapted to balancing work and school. He credits the program coordinators with making his experience positive, saying, “My favorite thing about the Learning Lab is that it is well-organized, and the coordinators are very professional. Information and help were readily available.”
Support from coworkers and classmates was crucial to Kimalie’s success. “My classmates/colleagues were helpful in my journey,” he said, “my advice to others is to go for it, this is a great opportunity.”
Team members interested in the Learning Lab program must complete the application process to be considered. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for fall and spring semesters. For more information about the Learning Lab program, click here or contact the ECU Health Workforce Development office at 252-847-3174.
Kelly Spivey received a call from an ECU Health recruiter during a difficult time of her life.
“I was in a vulnerable situation at home, and I was looking for a way out,” she said. “I cried out to God about what to do. Then the recruiter called me.”
The recruiter invited Kelly to a job fair, citing an application Kelly had filled out. The only catch was Kelly hadn’t filled out an application.
“Then how did your information come across my desk?” the recruiter asked.
“I felt like God was telling me where to go, so I went to the job fair,” Kelly said. “I received three job offers that day. I packed up me and my two boys and moved with nothing. I’ve been here ever since.”
That was in 2012. Kelly began working in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) unit as a care partner, and she loved it.
“I had always felt a calling to work in health care, and in this job, I got to work with a special population of patients. I also met my now-husband, Lee Spivey, who was a charge nurse there.”
When a physical therapy technician announced his retirement from the rehab team, he suggested Kelly apply for his job.
“I interviewed and started working as a tech in 2014,” she said. “I joined the military in 2016, but I stayed at the hospital PRN. Lee and I got married in 2016, and he transferred to [ECU Health] Edgecombe Hospital, but I stayed in Greenville working in rehab, drilling for the National Guard on weekends and serving as the after-school director at my kids’ school.”
Even when the pandemic shut down schools, Kelly still worked PRN at ECU Health Medical Center and in a remote position at the Down East partnership. Over the next few years, Kelly found out she was pregnant, had a miscarriage, left the military, discovered she was pregnant again and supported her husband when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma and later had a heart attack.
“During all of this, Edgecombe hospital and the whole community supported our family,” Kelly said. “I was able to stay on at work because my team worked with me. They have a special part of my heart,” Kelly said. “It’s been such a roller coaster, but the two hospitals gave us hope.”
In June 2024, Kelly received a call from a friend at ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital asking if she’d like to apply for a community health position.
“I really loved working in rehab, but the manager reminded me community is what I do,” Kelly said. “I prayed on it and applied, and I got the job. I’m so glad I did. It’s truly been a blessing.”
A legacy of service
Community is what Kelly does. In addition to her professional work, she established a community pantry, which she runs out of her own house, in April 2018.
“I was coming home one day with my children, and there was a homeless man on the street,” Kelly said. “My son wanted to give him an oatmeal cake, but the man didn’t want to take it. It was laid on my heart to give people a place they could get what they needed and not feel like they were taking it from someone.”
Kelly cleaned up some old furniture, collected food and toiletries, and announced the pantry on her Facebook account.
“It became a hit – people were using it,” she said.
Now, Kelly said people frequently donate to and take what they need from the pantry.
“People might clean out their closets, or those of a loved one, and drop off clothes,” she said. “Sometimes people drop off one thing and pick up something else. Grandparents come and get snacks for their grandkids, or people get a boxed cake mix for a birthday celebration.”
Kelly cited her parents as inspiration for her passion for service.
“My dad could fix anything outside the house, and my mom could fix things inside,” she shared. “My dad always had a huge garden, and he’d drop off food to people in the neighborhood. My mom could sew, and she made us clothes and even made a wedding dress and all the bridesmaid dresses for a woman who was getting married. She was always that person in the family. When I received the Governor’s Volunteer Award, I drove all the way home to Whiteville to give it to her.”
The “sandwich lady”
In her current role, Kelly was instrumental in bringing the Summer Meal Program to Tarboro. She and her team landed on using Braswell Community Center and Park in Tarboro as the hub for their program.
The Summer Meal Program is a partnership between ECU Health and Sodexo, the ECU Health Foundation and Food Lion Feeds to provide free meals to kids, teens and those with disabilities throughout the summer. Free meals are also offered in Ahoskie, Bethel and Greenville.
“It gave people a place they could play, eat and have access to air conditioning,” Kelly explained. “Seeing kids run up and get something to eat – it took me back to my own days as a single mom. I had a calendar with local restaurants’ ‘kids eat free’ days, and that’s how we ate for a while. It upset me to think of those kids not having something to eat.”
Kelly said now she’s known throughout the community as the “sandwich lady,” but for her, the service is not just about providing a meal.
“We offer healthier options for free, and this opened opportunities to share mental health resources. I’ve helped people sign up for ECU Health Now, and I’ve given them information about support groups. This bridges trust between the hospital and the community.”
Kelly said her passion for service has been fueled by her own experiences, and these are opportunities to give back.
“Everyone is going through something, and we’re not meant to do life alone,” she said. “We truly need each other, and this is my purpose.”
Across ECU Health Medical Center and the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital, three dogs named Clive, Erving and Sam are leaving pawprints in the heart of patients, their families and team members alike. Whether in rehabilitation or pediatrics, these four-legged friends bring joy, motivation and emotional support to patients and their families.
Clive, an eight-year-old golden retriever and lab mix, has been working in the medical center’s rehabilitation department for more than three years. Originally trained through Canine Companions, a non-profit organization that trains and matches service dogs, the program released Clive due to his anxiety riding in cars. but retained all his training and social skills. His puppy raiser, Tanya Bowen, who serves as an outpatient rehab supervisor, connected with recreational therapist Kasey Shue, and found a way to put Clive’s training and social skills to use in therapy work. He typically works two days a week and specializes in emotional support, stress relief and anxiety management. His gentle demeanor makes him ideal for comforting patients and staff.
Shue describes him as a “snuggly bug,” and though he’s older and slower, Clive’s presence continues to make a powerful impact.
Erving, a golden retriever and the newest member of the rehab team, joined in May of 2025. Also raised through Canine Companions in Florida, Erving underwent professional training in Orlando and now works full-time with recreational therapist Kristen Jones. With 40 commands under his belt and certification through Assistance Dog International, Erving supports patients in physical and occupational therapy. His ability to retrieve, tug and interact with patients helps challenge their balance, build strength and boost motivation. Patients often find themselves more willing to participate in exercises when Erving and Clive are involved.
“One patient we had arrived at ECU Health’s rehab unit experiencing pain in his legs and physical therapy was proving difficult,” said Shue. “He didn’t want to walk. The pain was too much, and he was resistant to every attempt to get him moving.”
Then Clive entered the room.
The patient had dogs at home and immediately responded to Clive’s familiar energy.
“With Clive, he agreed to walk around the gym, something he hadn’t been willing to do before,” said Shue. “The pain was still there, but Clive helped him push through it.”
Then there was a patient recovering from a stroke. She couldn’t speak and hadn’t smiled since arriving.
“After a session with Clive, she smiled,” said Shue. “Her face lit up. When the session ended, she pointed to Clive and then to her bed because she wanted him to stay.”
As Clive curled up beside her, the patient’s daughter cried, the doctors cried, and so did the therapist.
“It was a breakthrough moment, thanks to Clive,” said Shue.
For one young girl with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Clive and Erving demonstrated how service dogs could support independence. She practiced real-life tasks with Erving like opening doors and pushing buttons and left excited to begin the process of getting a dog of her own.
According to Jones and Shue, even the staff feel the impact. On a day when a patient coded and did not survive, Erving was there to comfort the doctors who had administered CPR. His quiet support helped them process the grief.
A few steps away from rehab in Maynard Children’s Hospital resides Sam, a black golden retriever, lab and poodle mix trained through Canine Assistants, another non-profit organization that raises hospital facility dogs and personal services dogs. Her arrival was the result of nearly eight years of advocacy and planning by Child Life specialists Ashton Ayers and Chelse Smith, along with colleagues Jaymi Mendoza and Christy Denius. ECU Health Foundation provided the funding to bring Sam on board. After years of research and collaboration with the ECU Health Foundation, funding was secured and Sam officially joined the team in November 2023. Sam was matched with handlers Ayers and Smith after they were vetted through the organization and the hospital.
Ayers and Smith helped build the facility dog program from the ground up. Ayers was inspired by a facility dog handler who spoke at a child life conference, while Smith had firsthand experience with pet therapy and saw its impact in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) settings.
Sam now supports pediatric patients, including those in the ICU, offering comfort during procedures, emotional support during difficult moments and motivation for children facing medical challenges.
“We have a 16-year-old oncology patient,” said Smith. “He was slow to warm up to the hospital environment, but he definitely bonded with Sam. He met Sam when he was newly diagnosed with cancer.”
With his particular diagnosis, it was very important for him to get up and walk for his growth and healing, and to get him out of the room for his emotional state also, according to Smith.
“His care team told us he needed to get out of his room, but he didn’t want to,” said Smith.
Smith and Ayers brought over Sam and offered for him to take Sam outside and throw the ball for her. He surpassed all of his physical therapy goals that day and got to go outside and play with Sam.
“He came back last week and the first thing he said was, ‘I really missed Sam,’” said Ayers. “That’s always the first thing when he’s here, he wants to see Sam immediately.”
Whether it is comforting a child, motivating a patient or supporting a grieving doctor, Clive, Erving and Sam are more than therapy dogs.
“I’ve had people walk by and say, ‘You have the best job in the hospital,’” Shue said. “And now it’s even better – because there are three of them.”
Resources
For Tracie Costin, a staff nurse I in the ambulatory med unit, getting married in ECU Health’s Healing Garden made perfect sense.
She and Matt Costin met at work; he was a nurse and she was a nursing assistant in a behavioral health unit in Wilmington, North Carolina. Eight years later, Matt proposed.
“He proposed in January 2025, and we were already planning a trip to Scotland and Ireland for September, so I said let’s get married Aug. 15 and the trip can be our honeymoon,” Tracie said. “We were going to get a magistrate to do it, but then we discovered the magistrate’s office is at the juvenile detention center,” Tracie laughed. “Matt and I didn’t want to get married there, but we only had a few months to figure out a new plan.”
After looking at a few other options, Tracie’s co-worker offered a solution.
“I was talking to a colleague at work, and she was the one who suggested we get married in the Healing Garden.”
The Healing Garden at ECU Health Medical Center’s Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Tower gives patients with cancer and their families a calm and relaxing outdoor space that incorporates babbling fountains, medicinal herbs and flowers and a tranquil place to sit and relax.
“My co-worker knew this place was special to me because of my brother, and the garden is gorgeous,” Tracie said. “I talked to my manager about it, and she confirmed we could get married there. That’s how it happened.”
A difficult diagnosis
Back in 2017, at about the same time Tracie and Matt started dating, Tracie’s brother – also Matt – was diagnosed with glioblastoma.
Tracie and her brother were close, and despite receiving the best of care at ECU Health’s Cancer Center, he wasn’t doing well. Tracie and Matt eventually moved to Ayden to be closer to family – especially Tracie’s brother.
“I was in nursing school in New Bern,” Tracie said. “Matt’s daughters lived in Plymouth, and my daughter lived in Wilmington. Both of our parents needed care, and my brother was nearing the end of his cancer treatments, but he was getting sicker and sicker. Ayden was a good halfway point for us.”
In April of 2022, Tracie’s sister-in-law, Kelly, called with news.
“New scans showed my brother’s cancer had returned on his brainstem, and there was nothing they could do,” Tracie said.
Tracie’s brother entered hospice, and she dropped out of nursing school to spend more time with him.
On June 10, Tracie and her family had spent the day at her brother’s house.
“Our mom, dad, me and everyone else had been there all day, and we were getting ready to go home,” Tracie recalled. “I noticed The Wizard of Oz was scheduled to be on TV that night at 9 p.m.
That movie was special to us; we watched it together at least once a year. It was something we did together. I promised him I would watch it at my house, and he could watch it at his.”
Back at home, Tracie watched the movie. Kelly called around 8 p.m. to let Tracie know that her brother’s breathing had changed, and just as the last movie credits rolled at 11 p.m., Kelly called again. Matt had passed away.
More than 300 people attended Matt’s funeral, and Tracie said she misses him every day.
“He was one of those people everyone loved,” she said. “He had a smile that lit up the room. I want to call him all the time, but the time I did have with him was precious. A lot of people don’t get that time.”
There’s no place like home
After her brother’s passing, Tracie returned to nursing school, and after graduation, she found a job at ECU Health Medical Center on 4 North, the TSIU. Her now-husband is also a nurse at the medical center in the rehabilitation department.
When a position opened in the cancer center’s outpatient infusion unit, Tracie said, “That’s where my brother went for so many years – I have to apply for this job.”
The same day she applied, Tracie was invited to an interview. When she mentioned her brother, they stopped in their tracks.
“They said, ‘We loved your brother,’” she said. “I knew that was true, because he loved those nurses and doctors. Matt used to talk about getting his treatments there, and how everyone was great. They kept him and Kelly going, even on the days he didn’t want to. Dr. Pam Lepera pushed for every treatment available. He lived for over five years when his prognosis was 14 months.”
That afternoon, they offered Tracie the job.
“Ever since I walked through those doors, I’ve felt at peace. I can’t describe it. The place felt like home”
Meant to be
On Aug. 15, 2025, Matt and Tracie, along with their daughters, gathered in the Healing Garden to exchange vows.
“When we finished the ceremony, we heard this knock on the window, and my whole nursing staff was there waving,” she said. “It was a perfect moment.”
Tracie said it felt right to get married in the Healing Garden, surrounded by people who cared for her brother while he received his cancer treatments.
“As cheesy as it seems, the way everything happened, from getting the job to us getting married – it’s like it was meant to be.”
It has also felt right to work in the cancer center and serve patients with cancer and their families.
“I feel like I’m a better nurse, a better caregiver, because of my experience with my brother,” she said.
“I can talk to the patients and comfort them because I know what they’re going through and how scared they are. I just love them and take care of them and their families. When I go to work, I say this is my place. Like Dorothy says, there’s no place like home.”
Established in 1979, the North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award honors the true spirit of volunteerism in individuals and groups who make a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service. Individuals or groups from the public, nonprofit and private sectors may be nominated for this award. This year’s winners include one ECU Health team member, Jennifer Congleton, and two ECU Health Medical Center volunteers, Mattox Piscorik and Deborah Coleman.
Jennifer Congleton
Jennifer Congleton grew up volunteering.
“My family owned small businesses and were connected to our community. We always volunteered and gave back,” she said. “It wasn’t new to me.”
The East Carolina University (ECU) graduate said during her time in college she continued to find many ways to serve others.
“I was the ECU Women’s Residence Council president, I joined the SGA and I was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, where I started a global volunteer experience,” she said. “I had a passion for making a difference in my little part of the world.”
Jennifer initially wanted to work in health care as a nurse, but with her interest in community, she thought it would be a better fit to work in public health.
“I earned my degree in public health, and my graduate degree is in adult education with a concentration in community college systems,” she said. “I felt this bridged the gap between volunteerism and my profession, because I want to do what I can to make our community better.”
While working as the director of admissions for Beaufort County Community College in Washington, North Carolina, Jennifer saw a job listing for a coordinator of allied health education. “I hadn’t thought about working at a hospital, but they wanted someone with an undergraduate degree in public health and a master’s in adult education,” she said. “That was me.”
Jennifer now serves as the director of chaplaincy and volunteer services at the ECU Health Medical Center.
“My current role allows me to help grow volunteers and put them in places where they can find future jobs. We direct them to places where their gifts can be used,” she said. “Volunteers serve as a pipeline. We have many who come here to volunteer and end up working here. We’ve had college students volunteer and then they go to medical school and come back as physicians. Volunteering is a great way to explore jobs while giving back.”
Giving back continues to be a big part of Jennifer’s life. Before her most recent recognition, she was the 2015 Volunteer of the Year at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, she was elected as the 19th Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for 2018 – 2022 and in 2022, she was honored with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest award for state service granted by the Office of the Governor.
Despite her past recognitions, Jennifer was surprised to learn she had won a Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.
“I had no idea I had been nominated,” she said. “I was shocked. I have been in the working world for almost 40 years, and I thought this was a great way to recognize my career. But you can’t rest on your laurels.”
Mattox Piscorik
Mattox Piscorik began his service at ECU Health as a VolunTeen, first at ECU Health Medical Center and then at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, where he transported patients, worked in the emergency department and greeted people in the hospital lobby.
Service in health care came naturally to him; Mattox comes from a long line of health care practitioners, including his mother, an ECU Health nurse, and his two brothers, both pursuing careers in health care fields. “We are heavily involved in service in our family,” he said. “We believe in taking care of others as we want to be treated.”
After his work as a VolunTeen, and his graduation from high school this past spring, Mattox joined the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) in June as an adult volunteer.
“I stock supplies in rooms and make sure all patients and their families are comfortable. The CVICU can be a high-stress environment,” he said. “I also assist with patient transport, and I sometimes help with scanning or faxing to help the nurse manager. I have loved every minute of it.”
Work in the CVICU is even more meaningful to Mattox because his father was once a patient there after having open heart surgery. “To work with some of the same people who cared for him is super special,” he said.
The experience has also inspired Mattox to make a change in his career plans.
“I started off wanting to be an emergency department doctor,” he said. “After being a VolunTeen, I changed my plans and decided to pursue health care administration. But after working on the CVICU, I have decided I’m going to nursing school.”
Mattox is currently attending ECU in the Honors College and plans to apply for nursing school next fall. “The end goal is to get a job in the CVICU,” he shared.
Mattox said he was shocked to learn he’d won a Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.
“I was stunned when I got the email from Chad Tucker,” he said. “I was also honored and humbled to know that my years of hard work and dedication had paid off. I am driven by the belief that small acts of care can lead to big changes, and I’m eager to learn and grow in a field that truly makes an impact.”
Deborah Coleman
Deborah Coleman joined the ECU Health volunteer team with her husband’s and Jennifer Congleton’s encouragement.
“My husband was working as a volunteer before me, and he said I’d enjoy it. Jennifer also kept asking me to volunteer, and I kept telling her no,” Deborah said. “Then one day I changed my mind, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I enjoy it.”
“I met Deborah through my mother,” Jennifer shared. “When I realized Deborah was retired, I told her about the world of volunteering at the medical center and how she could make a difference. Deborah is full of compassion, and we need more like her.”
Deborah works as a patient escort, and she likes meeting different people.
“I take them to different areas of the hospital for screenings or tests, or I take them out after they’re discharged. It’s nice to meet people. Even if they’re grumpy, I tell them, ‘Today is a good day! Smile because God has blessed you to be here.’ I like to make them feel better.”
