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.”

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 and seeks solutions through EPIC and other technology to improve processes and to make patient care safer. “He eagerly accepts any task he’s given, and does so with a friendly smile and kind words,” he added. “He’s always polite and calm when faced with difficult interactions.”

Fang’s introduction to UNC Health Johnston was as a junior volunteer in the compliance and outpatient rehabilitation departments. At the time, he was a student at Neuse Charter School, where his mother was a teacher.

After graduating from high school, he studied at UNC- Chapel Hill with plans to follow a pre-health track to medical school and become a surgeon.

Fang says his strengths, however, turned out to be economics and business administration. After graduating with his degree, he returned to Johnston as an adult volunteer in the compliance department.

Before assuming his current role, he worked a short while in behavioral health as a certified nursing assistant and in home health and hospice as an applications liaison.

“I love all the departments I’ve worked in,” Fang said. “I like getting to know everyone. There’s a feeling of community here.”

Fang says he would like to become a hospital CEO one day. It’s a position that can have a positive impact on the community, he said.

Fang grew up in Clemson, South Carolina and relocated to Smithfield with his family. His mother continues to teach at Neuse Charter and his father is a molecular biologist for the USDA in Raleigh. He has a younger and two older brothers, one of whom is a network engineer for UNC Health.

In his spare time, Fang enjoys cooking, hiking and spending time with his girlfriend, a nurse practitioner with UNC Physicians Network.

Through the ambassador program, Johnston Health recognizes employees who go above and beyond the call of duty. They deliver quality care, foster teamwork and offer excellent service.

In addition to a designated month-long parking space, Grimes and Fang each receive eight hours of paid time off.

Mark Fang, second from right, is the UNC Health Johnston Ambassador of the Month for July. Congratulating him, from left, are Donna Gibbons, director of compliance; CEO Tom Williams and Theresa Lasky, compliance/risk management/audit analyst.