Debra Thompson
November 2020
Debra K
Thompson
,
DNP, ANP, RN
Access East
Vidant Medical Center
Dr. Thompson's leadership and commitment to our patients are well known and much appreciated. She is respected by all and has made significant and selfless contributions to our patients.
COVID-19, quarantine, and social distancing became our reality in eastern NC in March 2020. During one of our initial planning meetings regarding COVID-19, Dr. Thompson was present and her role and impact were a game-changer. Under Dr. Thompson's direction, the teams she leads began to take on additional work by taking calls from concerned community members. In the initial planning phases, we were concerned about an influx of patients who would opt to use telemedicine but may not be established within the system. Again under the direction of Dr. Thompson, she offered the ability to have the telemedicine patients directed to the Nurse Advice Line and then connected with a clinic that has the testing ability, ensuring patients in Eastern North Carolina were able to access primary care when they needed it.
The programs Dr. Thompson leads have played a vital role in Vidant Health's role in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. In addition to the work her team does for transitional care, care coordination, population health, and care management, they have picked up additional duties related to COVID-19 care.
Leveraging programs and models already in place under her leadership, the teams have been key players in maintaining communication with patients who have received a COVID-19 swab. They ensure the patient is remaining stable, reinforce masking and self-isolation, and answer any questions the patients may have.
She's been influential in the following key initiatives:
-Patient-Centered Medical Home Program
-Coastal Plains ACO Care Coordination Program (she has all of our Care Coordination, too)
-COVID-19 Home Monitoring Program (in collaboration with Sherri Bryant)
-Provider in our Employee Clinic
Her leadership and commitment to our patients are well-known and much appreciated. She is respected by all and has made significant and selfless contributions to our patients. She is very much a servant leader and a credit to the DNP community.
What blew me away about Dr. Thompson during the first COVID planning meeting (and in so many others since then) was that I never heard her say, "No, that can't be done". Every challenge COVID has thrown at her and the team she leads has been met head-on, and Vidant Health is a better organization due to them.
The programs Dr. Thompson leads have played a vital role in Vidant Health's role in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. In addition to the work her team does for transitional care, care coordination, population health, and care management, they have picked up additional duties related to COVID-19 care.
Leveraging programs and models already in place under her leadership, the teams have been key players in maintaining communication with patients who have received a COVID-19 swab. They ensure the patient is remaining stable, reinforce masking and self-isolation, and answer any questions the patients may have.
She's been influential in the following key initiatives:
-Patient-Centered Medical Home Program
-Coastal Plains ACO Care Coordination Program (she has all of our Care Coordination, too)
-COVID-19 Home Monitoring Program (in collaboration with Sherri Bryant)
-Provider in our Employee Clinic
Her leadership and commitment to our patients are well-known and much appreciated. She is respected by all and has made significant and selfless contributions to our patients. She is very much a servant leader and a credit to the DNP community.
What blew me away about Dr. Thompson during the first COVID planning meeting (and in so many others since then) was that I never heard her say, "No, that can't be done". Every challenge COVID has thrown at her and the team she leads has been met head-on, and Vidant Health is a better organization due to them.