Women to Watch Awards Finalists-Health
Meet the 2023 Finalists
Chelsea Croom
Program Manager, Coastal Horizons Rape Crisis Center
Describe your role and work you do in the health care field.
“I am currently the program manager over the Rape Crisis Center in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and Duplin counties.
I manage a team of therapists, advocates, and prevention educators who work to provide free and confidential services via advocacy, therapy, and prevention programming. In addition, I help with advocacy of clients in court and at the hospital.”
What are some of the impacts you’ve made locally?
“I have mentored and supported many staff members in their work with the Rape Crisis Center and in furthering their careers and studies. I have supported many clients in the courtroom alongside assistant district attorneys and even the district attorney in December of 2022 on a thirty-year case in which the perpetrator was found guilty.”
Impacts you’ve made in your organization or field overall?
“I have been in the management position with RCC for 5.5 years and have created a calm and comforting environment for staff who are doing difficult crisis and mental health work. I have also retained many staff over the years in positions that have high turnover.”
What’s a future goal?
“A future goal for me is to eventually do consulting work with other similar agencies that deal with crisis and mental health to help them create an environment for their staff to feel safe and supported and want to come to work every day. Laughter, transparency, and honesty are all important aspects of creating this environment, and I would love nothing more than to share what I have learned throughout my position in the last seven years.”
Anything else you want us to know about you?
“I have two dogs who are my whole world and would love to do work with animals in the future as well. My mom is my best friend, and I just love this community that I have gotten to grow up in and now professionally work in.”
Alexis Hunter
Community Liaison, Wilmington Health
Describe your role and work you do in the health care field.
“I connect people and resources between Wilmington Health and other organizations. I help people and employers find access to high-quality care at a reasonable cost. I work alongside my team as the ‘boots on the ground’ in the community to ensure the people of our region know we aspire to be the most trusted partner in health care and transform the delivery system.”
What are some of the impacts you’ve made locally?
“I’ve had the honor of helping local employers lower their cost of care through Wilmington Health Direct. This service line helps employers through offering direct occupational health, consulting services, and on-site clinics. The city of Wilmington is an example of a local organization with a WH Direct clinic on-site for its employees. It was incredible to see that clinic come to fruition as I coordinated efforts between their HR team and our team.”
Impacts you’ve made in your organization or field overall?
“Wilmington Health is the medical partner of the North Carolina Ironman 70.3, and I serve as the captain. That partnership has provided our team with a volunteer opportunity to serve athletes in the largest sporting event in Southeastern North Carolina. Our team members are excited to be able to provide care to the athletes who need it, and I find great happiness in leading that charge.”
What’s a future goal?
“I am hopeful to grow in my career at Wilmington Health as our organization grows. I look forward to leading a team while finding innovative ways to help employers lower the cost of care. I also want to raise my two boys alongside my husband to become happy and healthy adults who make a contribution to their local community.”
Josalin J. Hunter
Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Coastal Horizons/Licensed Clinical Therapist, Journey to Healing
Describe your role and work you do in the health care field.
“I am fortunate to have training in the fields of both social work and public health. My hope is to bring my knowledge and passion for serving underrepresented communities in the areas of health and mental health to support equity-related initiatives at Coastal Horizons. This includes community collaborations, dialogue, and trainings that will contribute to a more equitable health care environment for both Coastal staff and clients. In addition, there is a huge need for more mental health professionals from minoritized communities. Mental health challenges are highly stigmatized but sometimes frequently experienced, especially with heightened awareness since COVID. With stigma and distrust of oppressive health care systems, it is difficult to ensure that all people have access to equitable care. As a mental health advocate and therapist, I provide direct care to clients but also work to do my part in normalizing care, promoting the importance of mental health education, and connecting with other minority mental health care professionals.”
What are some of the impacts you’ve made locally?
“In the community, I provide and host mental health therapy groups and events for youth and young adult girls, including Becoming Her which is designed to nurture, educate, and empower girls as they grow into women. I have also contributed to several projects such as needs assessments and led seminars, workshops, and trainings focusing on trauma and resilience – some connected to the work of the incredible folks at UNCW and also New Hanover County Resiliency Task Force. I have led an Interdisciplinary Minority Student Research Group connecting students at UNCW to health and mental health programs and agencies that engage in work to improve quality of life for the marginalized. Additionally, I have developed and led an Inclusive Mentoring group for UNCW faculty, staff, and community members. This group is now being further expanded to develop offerings on equity and inclusion to Coastal Horizons, other agencies, and the community more broadly. I continue to partner with community members and colleagues who aim to reduce health disparities.”
Impacts you’ve made in your organization or field overall?
“As I just recently rejoined the Coastal Horizons family, I hope to get to know more about the wide range of services provided and the amazing, dedicated 600+ people who continue to save and improve lives there through their work. I intend to work alongside these staff to refine goals for impact within the organization as DEI director. Broadly, in the field, I have engaged in teaching, service, and research in the realm of social work, social justice, and public health for the past 20 years – including the development of a coloring book of affirmations for young African American girls and women, writing a chapter on trauma-informed teaching, published many articles in peer-reviewed journals, consistently mentored teams of students and staff in the field at three different universities, co-developed and hosted a virtual trauma/resilience arts experience, and evaluating social service and health-related programs to contribute to their improvement to name some.”
What’s a future goal?
“My future goal(s) simply includes utilizing all of my gifts, education, and experience to help others. Whether it be serving as a mental health professional or as a director of DEI, whether in leading or simply support – I want to see people live happy fulfilled lives and to reach their highest potential for their own goals. I think this can be achieved by connecting and collaborating with like-minded health care professionals. Wilmington has so much to offer; in particular, dynamic women. If we pool our talents and resources, we can certainly improve the health of the community with an eye for those who need it most.”
Amy Newberry
Owner & Founder, Pelvic Prescription Physical Therapy & Wellness
Describe your role and work you do in the health care field.
“As the owner/founder and a pelvic floor physical therapist, I educate and empower women in our community in pelvic health, a poorly represented and understood area in not only society but also our health care system. I create safe spaces for women to learn about historically taboo topics like pain with sex and how to overcome it and debunk myths surrounding pregnancy and postpartum by providing body confidence to the women in our community.”
What are some of the impacts you’ve made locally?
“I hold an active role in the community hosting workshops for women on pelvic floor health and how to regain confidence by resolving embarrassing urinary incontinence, frustrating pelvic pain, and fear surrounding birth/postpartum. I successfully co-hosted the first Women’s Health Summit to connect women in the community with local women’s health and wellness providers. These events bring awareness to women about their pelvic health and encourage them to be their own health care advocates.”
Impacts you’ve made in your organization or field overall?
“Creating a new future for pelvic health through Pelvic Prescription is the mission I started. As the leader in my organization, I cultivate a team with an aligned mission. As a leader in my field, I remove shame around pelvic health, add a fun flare, and educate others about the life-changing impact of pelvic therapy on issues like incontinence, prolapse, diastasis, pain with intercourse, pelvic pain, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and interstitial cystitis.”
What’s a future goal?
“My future goal as a small business owner is to create a sustainable impact on our community by establishing a new standard for women’s health. This higher standard of care includes prioritizing women’s health by listening, creating community, having transparency, and empowering women to be their own advocates. To make this bigger impact, my goal is to continue growing my organization and growing our team by finding more health care providers who align with our mission.”
Anything else you want us to know about you?
“Becoming a small business owner has been the most challenging yet rewarding adventure for me. It has taught me truths about myself that I did not believe initially: That I am resilient in the lows of entrepreneurship, I have a gift for building an authentic community, and I am capable of building a business that makes a big impact in our community!”
Kelsey Sanders
Paramedic, Novant Brunswick ED & Pender EMS and Fire
Describe your role and work you do in the health care field.
“On the ambulance, I provide emergency patient care for 24-hour shifts. I am a member of the State Medical Assistance Team that can deploy for large-scale disasters in the state. I’ve worked through hurricanes to provide disaster relief, medical care, and extrication of trapped individuals … At the hospital, I function alongside the nurses providing emergency care.”
What are some of the impacts you’ve made locally?
“Although I have treated a lot of patients in Pender, Brunswick, and New Hanover counties in the past eight years, I like to think my greatest impact is what I have made on the students that ride with me. Educating and preparing our next generation of emergency providers is very important to me. A strong foundation with a preceptor that takes the extra time can make all the difference in the quality of our local providers for the community.”
Impacts you’ve made in your organization or field overall?
“Creating a safe environment for new hires and students to learn and flourish as providers. I worked emergency staffing through COVID, many times working 36-hour shifts for understaffed ambulances to keep providers available to the public. Helping bridge the gap in emergency care between prehospital and the hospital: There is oftentimes a misunderstanding of team roles in and outside of the hospital. By working in both, we can blend more seamlessly as a team.”
What’s a future goal?
“A short-term goal I would like to work on consists of a program that helps bridge the gap with civilians. There are many misconceptions on what paramedics can do in the ambulance that create a divide on patients truly needing 911 from calling. Educating the public on cardiac and stroke care that ambulance crews initiate can make a difference in a patient returning to normal or having lifelong side effects. Long-term, I plan to apply to physician assistant school in the next two years to become a physician in our local emergency rooms.”
To view the Women to Watch Awards Finalists main page, click here.
To view more of photographer Madeline Gray’s work, go to madelinegrayphoto.com.
To view more of photographer Summer Lambert’s work, go to summerlambertphoto.com.
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