Women's History: Hometown Health Clinic

Hometown Health Clinic, previously McKenzie Medical Center, serves patients at seven locations across northwest Tennessee.

The Banner spoke with six women in a variety of roles in the company and got their unique perspectives on being a woman in today’s society.

Tammy Etheridge, Chief Operating Officer
Tammy Etheridge is a Greenfield native now residing in Gleason.

After high school, she worked at McKenzie’s hospital, first in the nursery, then as a phone operator, then as an admissions clerk.

In 1988, she was recruited by Dr. Volker Winkler to work for McKenzie Medical Center, primarily at his clinic in Gleason (one day a week in McKenzie). Etheridge worked in management in Gleason for 28 years and managed satellite locations as the practice grew.

In 2016, she was promoted to assistant practice manager at the main office in McKenzie. For over five years, she has served as chief operating officer.

Etheridge told The Banner, “Through my career, there have been a lot of times when I was the only woman in the room. I’ve never felt uncomfortable with that. Women represent a large sector of the working population, so having a voice in those rooms when decisions are being made is important.”

She noted, “Women, at times, may bring a level of empathy and communicativeness to the equation.”

Etheridge said, “If there were any obstacles I faced were because I’m a woman, I was too focused on the obstacle and problem-solving to focus on whether it was because I was a woman.”

She offered this advice to younger generations of women. “The best advice I give to anyone is they need to pray about their decisions. They need to follow their heart and be true to themselves. Stay true to your values. And one of the hardest things for a lot of people, including myself, is to embrace change. Change doesn’t always mean that it’s going to be bad. Embrace change with courage, because sometimes that can open doors that you don’t see.”

A common thread among comments from the six Hometown Health associates interviewed was a sense of cooperation and support, a point of great pride for the COO.

”Teamwork is what makes everything happen. I could not do my job without my team. I depend on them and lean on them. Honestly, I know I’m prejudiced, but I have the best team ever. They truly care about each other, and they care about our patients. That’s the folks that you want to surround yourself with to be successful and to be a part of the community like we want to be.

“We want our patients and each other to know that we’re here for them. We meet people where they’re at, our patients and each other. We take care of the whole person here. That’s how we want the community to perceive us. That we’re here for them. It takes teamwork to accomplish all the goals that we have and offer all of the services that we do and keep everything running day to day. I love my team and I could not do it without them.

According to Etheridge, those sentiments go all the way to the top. “We have the best owners ever. We have support from Dr. [Bryan] Merrick and Dr. [Terry] Colotta that is amazing. They make our jobs easy just because of who they are. And they are a huge asset to the community as well.”

She concluded, “I tell my staff, ’We can’t forget why we’re here.’ That’s our patients. They keep us here. We want to be here, so we need to take the best care of them that we possibly can. And I tell them, ’Treat them like that’s your granny.’ And I truly believe our staff does. We’re not perfect, but we try to be. We try to do our very best every day and learn from our mistakes to do better.”

Ellen Pruitt, Marketing Director
Ellen Pruitt is a Trenton native now residing in McKenzie.

She earned a human services degree at Bethel University in 2011 and then worked there in admissions.

Four years ago, she was hired by a Nashville company operating at Hometown Health, and two years ago, she joined the clinic as marketing director.

She describes her role as “getting out in the community, doing outreach, blasting the name Hometown anywhere and everywhere I can.” She also does in-house work such as graphic design, community events and scheduling activities for associates. “To keep the fun alive, we do dress up days, potlucks, different things to get everyone involved.”

Pruitt described the benefits of being part of a female-led team. “Both my previous and current bosses are women. Having a direct line of contact that is a female has helped me run through barriers and push them down if there were any. Women tend to be more empathetic, more nurturing and loving, but also more detail-oriented. And it’s a different generation. I think women are listened to a little more than they may have been in the past.”

She offered this advice to younger generations of women. “I remember being little and being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. The world tells you you have to know what you’re going to do coming into high school, but you don’t have to make up your mind, you don’t have to know at this time. Things change, you grow. Things that matter become more prevalent to you. As you change and get older, you can change your career at any point that you feel like God’s leading you to change, when it’s right and best for you and your family. Never let somebody stand in the way of what you want to do or what you know God has laid out for you.”

Angela Hacker, Quality and Revenue Cycle Director
Born in Ohio, Angela Hacker moved to Tennessee in 1975 and graduated high school in McKenzie, where she resides now.

She worked in broadcasting as on-air talent for WHDM and for several stations in Jackson.

After her children graduated high school, Hacker attended TCAT in Paris to become an LPN. She began her nursing career in labor and delivery in Paris before joining McKenzie Medical Center as a float nurse.

Hacker rose through the ranks as an assistant to the nursing manager, nursing director and quality director. She’s been with MMC/Hometown for over 17 years, and has held her current titles for almost two years.

In these roles, she works with the billing and coding team to resolve issues and with the management team on workflow and improving patient care.

Hacker told The Banner of some negative experiences from early in her first career. “When I started in broadcasting I was quite young, and I did face some sexual harassment and salary discrepancies. I had a primetime show at a station and my male counterpart was making considerably more than me. I had to confront management with that and insist on equal pay for equal work, and they did it, so that was a win.”

However, she had nothing but praise for three bosses she has had at the clinic.

She described current COO Etheridge as “a very powerful influence and just a very supportive person. She has definitely motivated me and changed how I view what a COO can be.

She also said, “Jill Mayo was the nursing director when I came on board here. She was the nicest, kindest, most intelligent person that I worked with. She really helped me kind of find my feet in management.

”And Patricia Turner was the COO. She was quite kind, and I just really felt like I found a home and a place where they wanted to foster and support women and to put them in the right position.”

Hacker advised younger women, “We live in a time where everyone wants to be seen and wants to be heard, but they also want to conform, so you have this generation that wants to be like everyone else. My advice would be, you have a voice, use it wisely. Listen to others and don’t surround yourself with people who are only going to agree with you. It’s good to consider other people’s opinions and then make your decision. When you work with people who respectfully challenge you and have a different perspective, it makes you better as a leader and better as a person.”

Candi Lowe, Administration
A lifelong McKenzie native, Candi Lowe worked for Walmart in McKenzie and in Huntingdon before spending six years at McKenzie Banking Company.

She has worked for MMC/Hometown for almost 18 years, beginning at the New Age specialty clinic and the OB department. She did some on-the-job training for nurses, but when her bosses learned about her banking background, she joined the administration team.

Lowe handles payroll, batches, invoices and accounts payable and serves as the go-between for the company’s accountants.

Lowe is also a breast cancer survivor. She told The Banner, “As a working woman, you just have to try to stay as positive as you can and fight.”

She said of COO Etheridge, “She helps us through everything. She has not only our back, but everyone here. We’re a family here, and that’s been the best thing.”

Lowe suggested to younger women, “Follow your dreams, and don’t ever think you can’t do something. If it’s school, go. You can go at your own pace. Even in college, people think you have to rush rush rush. My daughter is in college now, and we tell her to break things down. If it’s what you truly want to do, just keep pushing. God could change your plan, but never give up.”

Amy Smith, PA-C
Amy Smith is a native of Booneville, Mississippi, who now resides in McKenzie.

She attended Ole Miss for health information management and worked in that capacity for five years.

She then completed the Physician Assistant program at Bethel College in 2007. She began her PA career at a GI clinic in Memphis and then worked in McKenzie in pain management.

Smith joined MMC in December 2015.

She said one challenge in a male-dominated field is networking and building relationships. “You have to be confident and build strong communication in order to get your foot in the door.”

She stressed the importance of diversity. “Bringing different perspectives to new things in health care, like drug development, healthcare policies, bridging gaps in healthcare disparities, serving underserved communities. And especially women’s health, we bring better representation to the table. We can improve patient care, advocate for patient-centered care and address biases.

She offered this advice to younger generations of women, “Find your passion, know what excites you. Find a mentor, someone that you can look up to. Be confident in your ability and know what you’re worth. Don’t be afraid to ask and to negotiate for what you want. Find a way to balance work and life. And don’t limit yourself, there’s so much out there.”

Holly Arnold, PA-C
Holly Arnold is a Tullahoma native now residing in McKenzie.

She graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, with a double major in Biology and Spanish.

Arnold completed the PA program at Bethel College in 2008 and immediately joined McKenzie Medical.

She cites her mother as a strong influence. “She was very much a part of pushing me to do more and be better and achieve goals that she didn’t achieve in her lifetime. She stressed keeping commitments and encouraged me to not quit. If I started a sport, I had to finish the season. If I did poorly on a test, I studied harder to make sure the next one didn’t happen that way.

”She encouraged me to continue playing soccer in college. I wanted to just focus on academics, but she said I was shy and it would be a good way to meet people. It was wonderful, I loved it, and it was very helpful.

“When it comes to budgeting, she’s the reason I balance my checkbook to the penny.

She’s encouraging, and taught me not to sell myself short.”

Arnold said about women in leadership, “Having a different perspective is important. It’s good to have all different opinions, races, genders, etc., involved because everybody is so different. Everybody thinks differently. If all the people making decisions are like-minded, you’re going to miss out on lots of opportunities and lots of room for growth and things you don’t think of.”

She gave an example. “When the addition to the clinic was being built, me and another nurse practitioner were in the pediatric department. We were so excited to move into a bigger area. One of the owners showed us the blueprints. The first thing we noticed was that the feet of the exam beds faced the door. We did quite a few women’s exams, so we saw that we needed to change the orientation. It’s important to have women involved, because if it’s something you’ve never been through, you might not think of certain things.”

She suggested to younger women, “Don’t be afraid to set the mark high. Reach for whatever you want to reach for. Anybody can achieve anything they want to, but they have to be willing to put in the work and the dedication it takes to get there. You shouldn’t expect a handout. You’ve got to work to get what you want, but don’t be afraid to.”