Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Three years ago, Officer Sean Houle faced an unimaginable challenge: surviving a close-range shooting that left him critically injured.

Thanks to the dedicated care he received at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and his unwavering determination, Sean made an incredible recovery. Today, he's back to what matters most – his family and a life dedicated to service. From his memories of those harrowing moments to his new journey helping others, Sean's story is one of resilience and hope.

Read Sean's story here: https://bit.ly/3AIqDVk

Congratulations to the Winston-Salem Open on another exciting tournament! As the official health care partner, we were thrilled to be a part of it in so many ways!

🎾 Kids in the community learned the fundamentals of tennis at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Brenner Children’s Hospital Kids' Day!

🎾 Spectators were able to cool off all week long at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Shade Station

🎾 Patrons beat the heat with handheld fans during the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist session

We hope everyone stays healthy in the off-season and we look forward to 2025!

After 36-year-old Brent Tidwell fell off a truck at work, his chronic pain left him unable to return to work or play with his two young boys. Due to his age, orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Christopher Tuohy first took a conservative approach to treatment to try to minimize Brent’s recovery time.

Dr. Tuohy ended up performing an innovative partial shoulder replacement using pyrocarbon (a composite metal), making it the first-in-state procedure of its kind following FDA approval.

Read about Brent’s experience and how his doctors and nurses provided everything he needed. https://bit.ly/3z2EZzf

Wrapping up Teammate Appreciation Week with a heart full of gratitude! 💙

Thank you to our incredible Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist teammates who inspire us every day with their dedication, compassion, and teamwork. Your commitment to making a difference shines through in everything you do. Here’s to celebrating each of you—today and every day! 🌟

When it comes to love and work, Jenn and Joffre Schrandt know how to "nurse" their passions at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

Jenn's joy shines brightest when she’s helping kids at Victory Junction, where campers with complex medical needs get to just be kids. Meanwhile, Joffre takes pride in the AirCare Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist team’s ability to bring top-notch care to remote areas, but it's the calm and comfort he provides to patients and families that he values most.

Together, they navigate the challenges of healthcare, balancing their demanding jobs with outdoor adventures and gardening to keep burnout at bay. If there’s one thing they’d change? “Less paperwork!” they agree with a laugh.

This couple’s story is one of many featured with Sharon Grubb’s teammate portraits in “Face of My South”, an ongoing visual anthology series of people and landscapes that make up the Piedmont Triad Region.

⚾ From the big leagues to making big impacts: Garey Ingram, a former Los Angeles Dodgers player, now uses his scouting skills to recruit top talent at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

Just like finding the perfect player for a team, Garey seeks out the right person for each role, knowing it's key to delivering great patient care. Reflecting on his career, Garey says, “There would never have been a Major League player named Garey Ingram if Tommy Lasorda didn’t give him an opportunity to play at the Major League level.” Now, he lives by a simple phrase: “Make a difference in one person’s life each day and everything will always work out.”

Garey’s story is one of many featured with Sharon Grubb’s teammate portraits in “Face of My South”, an ongoing visual anthology series of people and landscapes that make up the Piedmont Triad Region.

Sydney Marion's caring spirit comes from watching her parents care for her grandparents.

“I have admired the spirit of caring I witnessed in my parents’ lives my whole entire life,” she shares.

Now, as a nurse at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sydney finds purpose in helping leukemia patients. “It’s an honor to care for patients during the hardest times of their lives,” she says, crediting her strong faith for keeping her positive.

Syndey’s story is one of many featured from Sharon Grubb’s teammate portraits, “Face of My South”, and ongoing visual anthology series of people and landscapes that make up the Piedmont Triad Region.

Through the eyes of artist Sharon Grubbs, our teammates at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist are more than just healthcare workers—they're compassionate caregivers filled with faith, family, and a deep desire to heal.

“You can imagine my surprise when the conversations we had were not focused on any difficulties they faced as employees,” Sharon shares. “Instead, they were filled with compassion for patients and their families and their genuine desire to help and heal.” As she painted their portraits, Sharon found herself “falling in love” with each person’s unique spirit and the small-town, family feel of our large hospital. Dive into Sharon's journey and see the stories that inspired her artwork this Teammate Appreciation Week.

Previously displayed at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and now at Davie Medical Center by our Arts for Health program, Sharon said this is her third installment of an ongoing series, “Face of My South.” The series is a visual anthology of people and landscapes that make up the Piedmont Triad region.

We’re proud to have Dr. Andrea Fernandez, our Chief Medical Officer, contribute to this vital discussion on combating the fentanyl crisis. Working together, we can save lives.

Ever hit a point where giving up felt tempting? Griff Garrison sure did with his battle through shoulder surgery.


🏋️‍♀️ Griff was lifting weights when he extended his arms too far and felt his left shoulder pop forward. He was practicing an Olympic-style overhead sn**ch position, which involved quickly lifting the bar overhead. Immediately, he knew he dislocated his shoulder joint.


🏥 After a trip to the ER and an MRI revealing a Bankart injury, Griff turned to the sports medicine team at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist for a game plan.


At 25, Griff faced tough news but embraced surgery to stabilize his shoulder and avoid an 80%-90% risk of another dislocation.

🚨 Enter the “zip-tie” method – a minimally invasive arthroscopic Bankart repair using tiny anchors. The result? Less pain, shorter recovery, and a stronger shoulder!

Five months post-surgery, Griff not only met but exceeded expectations! His shoulder stabilization surgery slashed the dislocation risk to 5% or less. Back in the ring, traveling to events, and feeling stronger than ever, Griff’s comeback is nothing short of inspiring.


“Life is going great, and my shoulder feels stronger than before I had surgery,” he says. “This whole experience has helped me become more patient with everything in my life.”

More on Griff's story here: https://bit.ly/47KS8Z0

5️⃣0️⃣✨

We are proud to announce that 10 nurses from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist were named among the North Carolina Great 100 Nurses for 2024. Atrium Health had a total of 28 nurses named to the Great 100, more than any other organization in the state. This prestigious award recognizes nursing excellence and dedication to patient care.

Our Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist honorees are a testament to the exceptional care and compassion we provide. Their commitment to the well-being of their patients embodies the highest standards of nursing practice.

To learn more about our Great 100 Nurses and their contributions, visit: https://bit.ly/4cgZMwr

Employee Spotlight: Morgan Maynard BSN, RN, CFRN, CEN, TCRN, NRP✨

Morgan Maynard is one of our Flight Nurses who is typically based at AirCare 1 (Lexington, NC) or AirCare 2 (North Wilkesboro, NC). She also does ground rotations to our Critical Care Truck (Winston Salem, NC).

Morgan is from Harrisburg, NC and outside of work Morgan enjoys hiking with her 3 dogs or anything outdoors!

If you ask Morgan what she enjoys most about AirCare she would say “the autonomy and critical thinking that comes with flight nursing”.

Patient care to Morgan is “doing what's best for the patient even if it's not the most convenient for the provider”.

Morgan recommends to someone trying to reach their goals to not be scared of failure, failure is a part of the process of growing and if someone has similar goals or desired success, to reach out to that person and ask questions!

Morgan's quote would be "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you're doing you will be successful."

Ready, set, rehab! Our patients took on the Sticht Center Olympics with Olympic-sized spirit! 🏅

Inspired by the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, our Recreation Therapy team (including facility dog Trusty) recently sponsored the “Sticht Center Olympics,” motivating physical and occupational therapy patients to reach their goals while having fun.

From javelin throws with pool noodles to Nerf target shooting, patients aged 13 and up competed in fun events while advancing their therapy goals. With divisions for different stages of rehab, everyone had a chance to shine.

"Many were surprised at how well they did because they didn’t think achieving their goal was possible," said Rehab Manager Blair Davis. And Trusty added a special touch by delivering medals with an inflatable torch! 🐾🔥

Through cheers and joyful tears, it was more than just a competition for our patients—it was a celebration of their strength and resilience. 🌟💪

Camp Med: Pioneering paths in medical education🩺🧭

High school students spent the day at Davie Medical Center, as part of our Camp Med program, learning hands-on healthcare experience. The day kicked off with a "Tour of Davie," where students explored clinic areas, including the splint tech station, outpatient pharmacy, outpatient lab (where they watched a blood draw), Med Surg unit, ED, lab, and imaging.

After lunch, the adventure continued with interactive stations:
Life Support Training: 🚑 Stacey Baker, RN, led a CPR session where students practiced their life-saving skills.

Emergency Medicine: 🩸 Matt Cline, CMO, Michelle Mitchell, RT, and a Forsyth Tech instructor guided students in drawing blood gas on a fake arm and intubating a mannequin.

Pharmacy Insights: 💊 Charles Hartis, our pharmacist, engaged students with an informative talk and a fun game.

Physical Therapy Demonstrations: 🏃‍♂️ Jonny Lind showcased STEM techniques and microneedling.

Medical Supplies Matching Game: 🩹 A fun and educational activity to wrap up the day.

It’s all about building a strong, resilient healthcare community here in North Carolina as part of Northwest Area Health Education Center of Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Want to join us in shaping the future of healthcare? 🔗 More about our programs here: WakeHealth.edu/Northwest-AHEC

🎉 Milestone Achievement! 🎉

We are thrilled to announce Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist successfully implanted its first commercial Barostim device! This innovative carotid baroreceptor stimulator is designed to improve heart function and alleviate heart failure symptoms for patients who do not qualify for advanced therapies or those we hope to delay clinical decompensation.

The Barostim device works by stimulating the body’s natural cardiovascular reflexes, helping to reduce the workload on the heart and improve overall cardiac function.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has worked tirelessly to develop and implement this workflow. Your dedication and perseverance have made this achievement possible.

We are excited to continue offering this leading-edge therapy to more of our heart failure patients, providing them with hope and improved quality of life.