Special to IFN
Healthcare professionals in the Greater Charlotte area are nominated and selected as Healthcare Heroes by the Charlotte Business Journal each year. On Wednesday, September 11, two Iredell Health System employees received the distinguished honor.
Established in 2021, Charlotte Business Journal’s Healthcare Heroes awards honor local individuals and organizations who exhibit compassion and innovation for the wellbeing of their communities.
Allison “Bubba” Simmons and Amy Brant were honored as 2024 Healthcare Heroes.
Amy Brant, RN, CDCES
Healthcare Ambassador Winner
Brant is a Certified Diabetes Educator and corporate wellness nurse. In her role, she is committed to informing and educating the public about the benefits of major health challenges and does an exemplary job at making an impact.
In her role at Iredell, she is the designated nurse for the Town of Mooresville and Hospice and Palliative Care of Iredell County in both Statesville and Mooresville. That position allows her to be a nurse/coach to help employees navigate healthcare and improve their own health and wellness journey.
She is also Iredell’s outpatient Diabetes Program Manager, ensuring that Iredell maintains its accreditation with the American Diabetes Association. She teaches individual classes and provides personalized instruction, teaches community classes to help others better navigate diabetes, and helped develop a prediabetes outreach to empower others to make lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of diabetes. She also developed a diabetes resource booklet for medical offices and patients.
She also supports the fire fighter outreach, Fit to Fight, in partnership with Iredell Cardiopulmonary Rehab and her role with the Town of Mooresville. Brant also teaches classes for nurses to better understand diabetes and management of the condition for hospital nurses and school nurses and works in collaboration with the inpatient diabetes educator at Iredell Memorial Hospital.
Brant serves as an advocate with the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition; writes for the Medical Professionals Charlotte Magazine (diabetes focused articles, quarterly); is a volunteer/coach for Operation Wake Surf, sharing her passion for wake surfing with first responders and military personnel while giving participants an amazing experience on the water, while instilling community, confidence, camaraderie and respect they deserve; and is a member and past speaker for the non-profit, Take Control of Your Diabetes, which consists of medical professionals that live with Type 1 Diabetes.
“Diabetes can be a tough diagnosis and Amy Brant is dedicated to supporting patients with this diagnosis, eliminating barriers and empowering others to live a healthy, confident life with her ‘you can do this’ spirit” said Misty Kerr, director of Corporate Wellness at Iredell. “She is compassionate, dedicated and courageous; a healthcare hero determined to make an extraordinary difference.”
Bubba Simmons, MDiv.
Allied Health Professional
Allison “Bubba” Simmons has served as the Director of Pastoral Care for Iredell Health System since June 2018. As the only chaplain for an organization of 1800-plus employees, two campuses, and approximately 30 offsite locations, she plays a critical role in the wellbeing of staff, patients and visitors.
Simmons understands the importance of the spiritual health of others and provides calm reassurance during turbulent times when others are at their most vulnerable. Much of her role includes spending time with patients during times of grief after they’ve been told terrible news. Sometimes it includes holding the hand of someone as they pass or hugging someone whose child has been hurt. She works closely with palliative care, journeying alongside patients and their families as they navigate their stories and plan of care. She is also responsible for ensuring every patient receives information on advanced directives and leads the organ donation process for the organization. Simmons takes an interdisciplinary team approach with providers and others by offering a different perspective on what may be playing a factor in a patient’s overall health.
As Iredell’s lone chaplain, she sees the hospital’s patients often, builds close bonds, and becomes a significant part of patients’ and employees’ stories. She talks with people in a wide array of situations – from someone joyous after learning they don’t have cancer, to someone who just lost a loved one, and everything in between.
During spiritual conversations with those who are not religious, Simmons helps patients and staff tap into their own form of spirituality and use it to support their health. While her communication with patients often includes verbal conversation, it can also include sitting in silence with those in crisis. Simmons is also there for staff.
When two employees unexpectedly passed, Simmons jumped right in without hesitation to help employees cope with the loss and offer support. She took it upon herself to coordinate and host a memorial service specifically for staff to aid in the grieving process, and helped connect employees with Iredell’s employee assistance program. In that situation and many others, she is always ready to assist however she can, and staff and patients know they are never truly alone because she is always there. Her service to others extends outside of her direct line of work as well.
She is a foster and adoptive parent, leads the diversity, equity and inclusion committee for the organization, and organizes volunteer opportunities for staff to assist with Meals on Wheels in our community. For many at Iredell – patients, visitors and staff alike – a chaplain like Simmons completes the picture.
“Bubba has a unique way of getting patients and staff to understand their inner self which leads to much healing, both physically and spiritually,” said Becky Wagner, vice president of Nursing & Patient Services.
Iredell Health System is exceptionally proud to have these two individuals working to Inspire Wellbeing — Together.
About Iredell Health System
Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; two urgent care centers; 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 facility has 247 beds; more than 1,800 employees; and has 260 physicians representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The Health System’s second campus, Iredell Mooresville, 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.