Jeremy Carlson named chief nursing officer for Wise, Dickenson and Lee counties

Ballad Health’s work to reimagine and enhance healthcare in Southwest Virginia continues to develop, with a new nursing leader for several of its facilities.

Jeremy Carlson, an experienced nursing leader with a passion for rural healthcare, has been chosen to serve as chief nursing officer for Ballad Health’s operations in Dickenson, Wise and Lee counties.

“For me, driving change is a privilege, especially when it results in better outcomes for patients and families. I enjoy taking on the really tough challenges and bringing together great talent to create, innovate and implement needed change to transform our industry and enhance the quality of care we provide patients,” Carlson said.

“Rural hospitals across our country are in vulnerable positions, and as healthcare providers, we must find ways to tell our story, engage partners and become sustainable so we can meet future challenges head on. My experience and work ethic have prepared me well to help build a cohesive network between the facilities in Norton, Lee County and Dickenson County, and I’m excited to start a new chapter here.”

In his new position, Carlson will have oversight and responsibility for planning, direction and monitoring of nursing operations at the hospitals serving those three counties, which includes Dickenson County Community Hospital, Norton Community Hospital, Lonesome Pine Hospital, Mountain View Regional Hospital and the newly opened Lee County Community Hospital.

“We are excited to have Jeremy join Ballad Health to lead our nursing and clinical care teams in these Southwest Virginia hospitals,” said Dr. Lisa Smithgall, Ballad Health’s chief nursing executive. “All of us – especially our regional chief nursing officers and leaders – look forward to him being part of our systemwide nursing and care practice initiatives as we work to improve care across the region.”

For more than 13 years, Carlson gained extensive experience while serving in leadership roles of progressing responsibility in both critical access hospitals and larger metropolitan facilities. Most recently, Carlson served as director of emergency services at Methodist South Hospital in Memphis, where he oversaw a 44-bed emergency department. Prior to that, he served in a similar role for four years at Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital in Michigan.

Other notable positions Carlson has previously served include director of business operations for Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital, director of emergency department at Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital and house supervisor at Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital.

Carlson said some of the career achievements he is most proud of include improving organizational throughput in a 49-bed hospital, transforming the standard of care for heart attack patients in a 25-bed critical access hospital, completing an electronic medical record project on time and within budget, as well as opening a new urgent care center and leading multiple emergency department renovation projects.

“With the experience and passion Jeremy brings, we believe he is the ideal leader to work with our nursing operations at these Southwest Virginia facilities,” said Shannon Showalter, CEO for Ballad Health operations in Wise, Lee and Dickenson counties.

“I have confidence Jeremy will do an excellent job, not only being an advocate for our nurses, but he understands our vision for growing healthcare in rural areas. His perspective and expertise will be invaluable as Ballad Health continues to support expansion, growth, service line integration and expansions in primary care in Wise, Lee and Dickenson counties.”

Carlson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Ohio University in 2015 before attending Grand Canyon University, where he earned a master’s degree in nursing in May 2019.