FIRST GRADUATES in Lee University’s healthcare administration program were honored at Life Care Centers recently. Beecher Hunter, Life Care president; Katie Denton and Abigail Holliday, healthcare administration students; Esmerelda Lee, campus manager at Garden Plaza at Cleveland; Forrest Preston, Life Care founder and chairman; and Chris Mitchell, Life Care’s chief operating officer.
Abigail Holliday, from Knoxville, and Katie Denton, from Madisonville, joined the program when it started in 2009 and shared their insights into the experience.
“What drew me to the health care profession is being able to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Holliday. She has been serving as an intern at Garden Plaza at Cleveland.
Denton echoed Holliday’s sentiments, explaining how she has been an intern at Life Care Center of Hixson. “The residents have been so great. They need to be honored, and they deserve to be honored.”
The presentation took place during Life Care’s annual directors’ of nursing meeting. Forrest Preston, Life Care chairman and founder, and Beecher Hunter, Life Care president, introduced the audience of directors of nursing from around the country to the graduates.
“We are pleased about the relationship between Life Care and Lee University,” said Esmerelda Lee, campus manager at Garden Plaza at Cleveland, who also teaches in the program. “We think it’s going to benefit Life Care with the growing of some great executive directors.”
“The program gives students a good foundation for leadership in the health care field in the 21st century,” said Dr. Ollie Lee, distinguished professor of sociology and coordinator of the healthcare administration program at Lee University.
Founded in 1976, Life Care operates or manages more than 220 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s facilities in 28 states. For more information about Life Care, visit lcca.com.
