TCH Newsroom
Contact: Rodney Foushee
Public Relations & Marketing Manager
(828) 883-5435
TCH Wellness Coordinator Retires
BREVARD, N.C., May 30, 2008—Karen Stark, Transylvania Community Hospital’s (TCH) wellness coordinator, has retired after 28 years of serving patients in our area.
Those who have met Stark most recently know her as the energetic nurse who canvassed the community with a team of volunteers to provide health screenings and wellness education. She was instrumental in coordinating regular community health screenings at Belk, Ingles, SavMor, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Silvermont, the Transylvania County Library, the Quebec Community Center and other outposts throughout the county. She also assisted with promoting various support groups and special health events throughout each year.
Before serving as wellness coordinator (which is the position she held for the past five years), Stark worked as the folic acid educator, a hospital position funded in part by the March of Dimes. She implemented education throughout the community with the goal of increasing the consumption of folic acid by women of childbearing age. Folic acid is a vitamin instrumental to the healthy development of unborn fetuses.
Stark also worked as a nurse in the outpatient surgery department of the hospital after working as a labor and delivery nurse in the Birthing Center for many years. In total, Stark’s career as a healthcare professional spanned 44 years, 28 of those in Transylvania County.
“When I went to college, women didn’t have many career choices,” said Stark. “I could either be a teacher, a secretary or a nurse. I chose nursing because I am very science-oriented and I love people.” And, she added, it has been a great career.
The majority of Stark’s career was spent as a labor and delivery nurse and a childbirth educator. “I was teaching Lamaze when it was a new concept,” said Stark. She helped deliver many babies in Transylvania County, which was a wonderful experience for her, she said.
“I have been privileged to know Karen for the past seven years, and have witnessed the impact her passion for health and wellness can have on individuals,” said Tina Kinsey, vice president of marketing at TCH. “She definitely practices what she teaches, and at her urging, we have conducted numerous meetings while walking around the parking lot at the hospital. She believes in staying active, eating well and taking care of your physical and mental well-being, which is why she was a natural fit as a health educator. She has impacted many, and she will be missed.”
Fortunately, Stark plans to continue to serve patients at the hospital by filling in now and then in various departments. “I will miss the people very much,” Stark said, “the patients, volunteers and the people I worked with at the hospital.” But she won’t have time to miss everyone too much, because she plans to travel and enjoy a lot of hiking—her favorite hobby—with her husband and daughters.
About the Wellness Screenings
Transylvania Community Hospital has placed all wellness screenings on hold until a new wellness coordinator is hired and oriented. Please watch for information coming soon. If you have questions, you may contact the TCH Public Relations Department at 883-5435.