Palliative care nurse Barbara Grimes is the UNC Health Johnston Ambassador of the Month for June. From left are associate vice president of patient care services Tracey Carson, clinical manager of home care and hospice Kyle Mobley, Grimes, Johnston Health CEO Tom Williams and chief operating officer and chief nursing officer Ruth Marler.
Nurse, compliance coordinator named Johnston Health
Ambassadors of the Month Submitted by UNC HEALTH JOHNSTON
SMITHFIELD — UNC Health Johnston has recognized Barbara Grimes, palliative care nurse, as Ambassador of the Month for June and Mark Fang, a compliance/risk/audit coordinator, as Ambassador of the Month for July. CEO Tom Williams said Grimes makes it a priority to educate teammates, providers and patients about comfort care, options and transitions. “In every encounter with patients and families, she is compassionate, empathetic and helpful,” he said. “She is a clear, thoughtful communicator.” 10 | [ JOHNSTON NOW ]
Before joining Johnston Health in July 2019, Grimes started a palliative care program at a hospital in Pinehurst. Earlier, she was a palliative care specialist and an ICU nurse at a hospital in Florence, S.C. As an ICU nurse, she enjoyed seeing patients get better. But over time, she realized there were chronically ill patients she couldn’t help. “I saw the multiple layers of the disease. It didn’t just affect them physically, but also socially, financially and spiritually,” she said. And as she got to know her patients, she saw them as unique with their own stories. Her approach is to listen to
patients and to understand and honor their wishes, Grimes said. “I try to explain what they don’t understand about their illness or disease and then put together a plan that works best for them,” she said. Grimes grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She started out as a veterinarian tech. As her interests evolved, she became a pharmacy tech and worked in a nursing home. That’s when she got interested in nursing and enrolled in nursing school. She and her husband, Randy, live near McGee’s Crossroads. Together they have four grown children, two grandsons and three dogs. Williams said Fang analyzes situations
