Since 1989, the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina celebrates registered nurses who demonstrate exceptional practice, leadership and professionalism in a variety of settings.
This year, the program set a record with nearly 500 nominations. Among this year’s honorees were 18 ECU Health nurses, underscoring the system’s commitment to high-quality care and team member recognition.
In this series, we’ll introduce you to each of ECU Health’s honorees. In our first installment, meet: Kelly Garner, BSN, RN, Missy Johnson, RN, Allison Eure, MSN, RN, RNC-OB, and Ali Grimes, BSN, RN, CPN.
Kelly Garner
After working in New Hampshire and then Chicago, Garner found herself wanting a new challenge and a warmer climate, which brought her to ECU Health Medical Center. Now after 30 years as a nurse – 20 of which in the NICU – she can’t imagine working or living anywhere else.
“Having worked at different facilities, I can say the NICU is fantastic here,” she said. “We have good teamwork and always try to make things better.”
She knew she was being nominated for the Great 100 Nurses, but she didn’t expect to win. Even so, she credited the work she does with her team as reason for being nominated.
“I’m always stirring up trouble,” she laughed. “I’m looking for ways to improve things and teach families and our team.”
That includes providing education in neonatal resuscitation and serving as a clinical coach. As a member of the ostomy and G-tube committee, she and the team noticed that many babies were going home with ostomies but their families couldn’t get enough supplies once they were home.
“Our team in outpatient and inpatient worked with suppliers to recognize the issue and figure out a solution so the infants get more ostomy supplies. It takes a lot of work to troubleshoot this kind of problem; a bedside nurse is so much more.”
Missy Johnson
Johnson started her career at ECU Health Medical Center as a pharmacy technician when she was 20, and she recently celebrated more than 41 years with ECU Health.
“I always wanted to go to nursing school, but I started as a pharmacy tech and got my EMT certification while working,” she said. “My manager told me about the HomeGrown Program, so I took my pre-nursing classes at night and then got my ADN from Lenoir Community College.”
Her work in the NICU is a little personal; her twin sons – now 21 years old – were born prematurely at 31 weeks and spent time there.
“If not for our hospital, I don’t know what would have happened,” she said. “I was working in neonatal when they were born and that was the best and the worst time, because it put me at ease to know they were well cared for, but it is hard when you know all the bad things that can happen.”
Twenty-eight years later, she wouldn’t work anywhere else.
“I love what I do; I enjoy taking care of babies,” she said. “I don’t know when I’ll retire but if I’m blessed to work until I’m older, I’m going to keep doing it.”
Johnson said she’d been nominated a few times for the Great 100 Nurses, but she didn’t think she’d win this year.
“My heart stopped when I opened the letter – I’m still in shock,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she is proud to work for ECU Health because of the people and communities we serve.
“People don’t understand the scope of the services we offer. And we have the best nurses – so many are local but we have many from all over the United States and the world who work with us,” she said. “I’m proud of what we do and the great care we provide.”
Allison Eure
Eure wanted to be a veterinarian and then considered accounting before deciding that nursing was the right career for her, and now she’s the manager of patient care services in labor and delivery at ECU Health Chowan Hospital.
She grew up near the hospital and so it made sense to come back to her community after graduating from East Carolina University in 2008.
“We’re a family here. When you go out in the community, people know what you do and where you work,” she said. “You feel like you’re giving back.”
Eure was honored to learn she was a Great 100 Nurse, but she said she’s here to get things done.
“It’s nice to be recognized, and I try to ensure my staff feel supported – not just in the hospital but at a system level,” she said. “We want our community hospitals to have a voice for change.”
Ali Grimes
Next year, Grimes will celebrate 10 years with ECU Health. The director of pediatric services and child life services at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital started her education in public health at East Carolina University, but she immediately returned to school for her nursing degree at Pitt Community College.
“I thought about nursing but was interested in the health education part of it,” she explained. “My neighbor was a NICU nurse and I shadowed her, and that’s what sparked my passion.”
She joined ECU Health as a nurse at Maynard Children’s Hospital and enjoys serving her community. Since then, she’s achieved her BSN from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is currently pursuing her MSN.
“I love this community because we see our patients and their families thrive,” she said. “There’s a wide array of diagnoses we see, and the impact is felt across the state.”
She also highlighted how ECU Health celebrates and supports nurses.
“We put a lot of effort into growing nurses and improving nursing care,” she said. “The health system empowers nurses to make huge impacts in the medical center, the system and beyond.”
Although she was shocked to learn she was a Great 100 Nurse, Grimes said her job is to lend a helping hand to her colleagues.
“Even though I’m not at the bedside anymore, I enjoy going to the units and helping when I can,” Grimes said. “That allows me to see what’s happening on the unit and where there are gaps and barriers so I can better advocate for our patients and our team.”