Cutline A: Pictured is Department Director of the Quarter at Henry County Medical Center, Christy Dukes, HCHC Plumley Rehab. She was recently recognized during the Department Directors’ meeting in April.
Cutline B: Pictured is Department Director of the Quarter at Henry County Medical Center, Courtney Flower, Director of Imaging Services with CIO, Pam Ridley. She was recently recognized during the Department Directors’ meeting in April.
Paris, TN – During April’s Department Director meeting, Henry County Medical Center recognized two as Department Director of the Quarter for January – March 2022.
Henry County Medical Center is proud to announce that Christy Dukes, Director of HCHC Plumley Rehabilitation and Courtney Flowers, Director of Imaging Services, were both recognized for their outstanding leadership.
Dukes was recognized for filling an empty position at the Center for Wellness and Rehabilitation since October. She is treating outpatient pediatrics with children ranging from just under two years of age to 11 years old. This was an area she has not served since the beginning of her career; a new documentation system had to be learned as well. She has had an excellent attitude and always exhibits a willingness to help our system.
In addition, a month ago, she was asked if she could cover the school systems due to illness of their Speech Language Pathologist. She readily agreed to provide coverage for the approximately eight students at Grove School and Henry County High School. When she started, there were actually 35 students who needed her services. She is always positive and willing to help. These duties were taken on in addition to her continued position as rehab director.
Dukes has 22 years of experience as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) member. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication Disorders from Murray State University in 1998 and a Master’s of Science in Communication Disorders also from Murray State University in 2000.
She began her career in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) and outpatient clinic treating pediatrics and adults in Milan and Huntingdon. She began working at HCMC in 2001 at HCHC-Plumley Rehab as a staff SLP. Dukes became the HCHC Rehab Director in 2008. She was the first in this area to become Vital Stim certified for dysphagia and later became certified in LSVT Voice, a voice treatment for individuals with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. As Rehab Director, Duke has brought in new physical and occupational therapy equipment, some the first in this area, to better serve our inpatient rehab patients such as the Lite Gait System.
“I have loved the new opportunities given to me and see it as a way to continue to serve others,” said Dukes. “I would not be able to work in three different buildings if it were not for my amazing and supportive rehab team and administration at Plumley.”
Flowers was recognized as a new director for her ability to take on the new role as well as handle a very large, new project for HCMC. Flowers was handed a project with the West Cancer Center and asked to review and give a recommendation as to whether HCMC could perform the CT Simulation procedure at our facility. The West Cancer Center was losing their building in Jackson, Tennessee in January 2022 and if this procedure could not be performed at HCMC, then our patients would have to go to Memphis for the simulation prior to starting their radiation treatments.
She wanted our patients to be able to stay in Henry County, so she hit the ground running due to the tight timeline she was given. She visited the Cancer Center in Jackson to see what equipment would be required in our CT room, reviewed staffing requirements and supplies. She worked with many different staff members from the Cancer Care Center to determine equipment requirements to ensure we could safely place the required laser bridge in the CT room at the Diagnostic Center. She met with scheduling staff to ensure they knew details of the procedure in order to schedule properly as well as the business office staff to review billing guidelines for the procedure.
Finally, after a couple months of preparation, many emails and phone calls, the first CT SIMULATION was performed at HCMC in February. She went above and beyond during this project to ensure its success. She demonstrated many of the values we all strive for- Patient Centered Concern, Caring, Respect and Professionalism.
“But, this is not a one-time occurrence,” said Pam Ridley, CIO at HCMC. “Courtney demonstrates these values every day to her staff and fellow partners of HCMC. She is a great asset, and I am privileged to work with her.”
Flowers, a native of Mayfield, KY, was named the Director of Imaging Services at HCMC in June 2021. Before serving as an MRI Technologist at Mercy Health, she was an MRI/CT Technologist at Murray-Calloway County Hospital. She was the Radiology Supervisor at Trigg County Hospital after beginning her career at Primary Care of Murray, KY as the Chief CT Technologist/Protocol Manager.
She attended West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah where she earned an associate of science degree in radiography in 2006. She earned an associate of science degree from Paducah Community College in 2000 while also attending Murray State University where she completed seven semesters of Spanish as part of an independent study. Most recently, Flowers graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Science from Pima Medical Institute where she achieved a 4.0 GPA and earned a Director’s List Certificate of Recognition for High Achievement.
Flowers, who is certified in X-ray, CT and MRI, plans to continue her education by adding a Master’s degree in the near future. She is an active member of the Association for Medical Imaging Management and passed her CRA boards in November 20221, making her a certified radiology administrator.
HCMC recognizes department leaders every quarter as well as selecting a department leader of the year at the annual Service Awards Banquet.
For more information about HCMC, check us out online at www.hcmc-tn.org.
About Henry County Medical Center
Located in Paris, TN, Henry County Medical Center is a progressive, integrated healthcare organization committed to serving the healthcare needs of Henry County and the adjoining region. Including a 142-bed hospital and other facilities, the medical center provides a variety of outpatient services, as well as inpatient care. Additionally, HCMC owns and operates 7 provider clinics in various specialties. Henry County Medical Center is a county-owned and operated nonprofit institution. For more information: www.hcmc-tn.org.