Special to IFN

Gina Parker has been selected as assistant vice president of Behavioral Health at Iredell Davis Behavioral Health Hospital.

Parker brings a wealth of knowledge from her near 40-year career in healthcare, nearly all of which was spent at Davis Regional Medical Center.

She began her nursing career on the surgical orthopedic floor at Davis after graduating from Mitchell Community College’s nursing school in 1987. She later earned her BSN from UNC Greensboro and worked in multiple departments and leadership roles at Davis, including critical care nursing, PACU clinical coordinator, director of surgical services, nursing education and director of quality. She also spent time as a nursing instructor at Mitchell Community College and in the Cardiac Cath Lab at Northeast Medical Center in Cabarrus County.

Parker is excited to continue the legacy of excellence at Iredell Davis.

“My vision for Iredell Davis is to keep the long-standing reputation of excellence and to meet the mental health needs of our community,” said Parker.

Parker was the chief quality officer for Davis from 2014-2022. In that role, she was involved in ensuring the hospital provided a safe environment for behavioral health patients. This included reducing ligature risk, assessing suicide risk, and planning safe discharge for patients after they met the criteria for discharge. She worked with both The Joint Commission and NCDHHS survey consultants to ensure the safest level of care for patients.

In 2022, she became the director of Nursing Practice for Iredell Health System after her position at Davis was eliminated when Davis Regional Medical Center transitioned to a behavioral health only facility.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my position as director of Nursing Practice and am excited about the opportunity to expand our health system and continue the Iredell and Davis tradition of caring for our community,” said Parker. “I’m grateful to be working with former colleagues who are dedicated to caring for behavioral health patients.”

Parker has the full support from Iredell’s current administrative leadership in her transition to this new role.

“Gina was a strong advocate for Davis Regional Medical Center for many years prior to coming over to Iredell in 2022,” said John Green, Iredell Health System president and CEO. “She immediately became the same for us. As we grow and add the Iredell Davis Behavioral Health Hospital to our system, we are so pleased to see Gina have the opportunity to go back to Davis with our support and community involvement.”

Parker and Green both agree on the direction of the health system moving forward: We are one Iredell moving forward.

About Iredell Health System

Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Davis Medical Center; Iredell Davis Behavioral Health Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness; Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare organization has 391 licensed beds; close to 2,000 employees; and has approximately 365 healthcare providers representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The health system’s Iredell Mooresville campus is home to the area’s only 24-hour urgent care facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physician practices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.