Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, October 30, 2020

Newsmakers: Erlanger names Harris CNE




Rachel Harris is taking on the role of senior vice president and chief nursing executive for Erlanger. She had taken on the role of interim CNE in June.

Harris began her health care career at Erlanger in the 1980s as a candy striper caring for newborns. She earned her a degree in nursing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1994. Since then, she has served in various leadership and clinical positions, including assistant chief nursing officer of Erlanger East and North hospitals, nurse manager of the Heart Failure Unit and house supervisor.

Moving forward, Harris has prioritized the development of a shared governance model and rebooting the Education Governance Committee to ensure all Erlanger clinical staff have a voice.

TN Hospital Association honors Erlanger nurse

The Tennessee Hospital Association has named Erlanger nursing veteran Janet Kramer-Mai a THA Clinical Nurse of Distinction during its recent Meritorious Service Awards.

Kramer-Mai has been with Erlanger for more than 20 years. She serves as the director of cancer support services.

In 1999, Kramer-Mai joined Erlanger as an oncology certified nurse. Since then, she has participated in and orchestrated numerous community programs for education and supporting cancer research and patients.

Kramer-Mai also is a cancer survivor.

Parkridge East welcomes new CNO

Amir Hamad has been named chief nursing officer of Parkridge East Hospital.

Hamad brings 12 years of health care experience to the position, including nursing roles in emergency medicine and cardiac critical care.

Most recently, Hamad served as associate chief nursing officer at Reston Hospital Center in Reston, Virginia. Before that, he served as director of the cardiac and medical Intensive Care Unit at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, where he also served as clinical team lead in the cardiac ICU and as clinical coordinator of the emergency department.

Hamad earned a Master of Health Care Administration from Grantham University in Lenexa, Kansas, and a degree in Nursing from Radford University in Radford, Virginia. He also earned a degree in Biology from Virginia Tech University.

Hamad is involved in numerous professional organizations, including the American Organization of Nursing Executives, National Capital Healthcare Executives, American College of Health Executives and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. He also serves as a board member for HealthWorks for Northern Virginia and as a nurse for the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps.

Family Justice Center has new director

Regina McDevitt is the new director of the Family Justice Center. McDevitt joins the city after 24 years with Partnership for Families and Adults, where she served as chief operating officer.

The Family Justice Center, which opened in 2015, provides services to victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault.

McDevitt is a Tennessee native. In addition to her tenure at Partnership, she has worked as an adjunct faculty member with Cleveland State Community College and a counselor with the Marion County School System. She has also served with the board of directors of the Emergency Food and Shelter Board, the Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council, the board of directors for the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Board Coalition Against Domestic and Community Violence of Greater Chattanooga.

City of Chattanooga names Johnson treasurer

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke has appointed Brittany Johnson to serve as city treasurer. Johnson joins the city after 15 years with OnePoint Technologies, where she served as vice president of accounting and administration. Johnson served on the company’s executive leadership team, a six-person panel charged with making decisions for the company, creating departmental budgets and monitoring profits.

A Georgia native, Johnson is a graduate of Kennesaw State University with a degree in business administration and accounting. She and her husband, Steven, live in the East Brainerd area.