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Profile: Q&A with St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital President Tanya Adcock In 2011, Tanya Adcock was honored as a Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) Hospital Hero for performing CPR on and ultimately helping to save the life of a man who had a heart attack at a tractor pull competition deep in the countryside south of Greensboro. At the time a palliative care coordinator for St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, the Oconee County native was known for her brilliant patient care and willingness to go the extra mile to help patients and staff. Seven years later, her career has come full circle, as she now serves as the president of St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro. twentyfourseven staff talked with her about her new role. twentyfourseven: What made you want to work in health care? Tanya Adcock: I always wanted to be a nurse. I know that’s probably a very cliché statement, but it’s true. All through middle and high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, which was to help people. I wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse, so that’s what I did for the first 12 years of my career. twentyfourseven: What have you learned throughout your career that has helped you in your role as president? TA: Don [McKenna, former CEO of St. Mary’s Health Care System] was very specific in making sure that everyone knew that St. Mary’s wasn’t looking for someone to fill the shoes of Montez [Carter, GHA Chair, past president of St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital and current St. Mary’s Health Care System CEO.] They were looking for a president – someone who could lead the hospital well and continue the positive results that resulted from Montez’s leadership. With my background in nursing and palliative care, I know what it is like to work on the frontlines of health care. Now, in this non-clinical role, I feel like I appreciate those staff members more because I’ve been where they have been and know what they are going through. I’ve carried out that work myself. So, I feel like I have a different level of respect from my team because I’m not asking them to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. Another thing is, during times when we’re really busy, I can go out and help staff. For me, the most important thing is not to forget where I came from.
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twentyfourseven Fall 2018