August/September, 2025
School Bash Brings Families and Community Together
The annual School Bash was a huge success, drawing hundreds of families to kick off the new school year. Students and parents received back-to-school supplies, free haircuts, food boxes, and plenty of giveaways from local community organizations. Frontier Health joined in the fun by handing out stress balls, fidgets, rack cards, and direct contact information for our staff at each school. Events like these strengthen our connections with families and ensure students are supported both inside and outside the classroom.
Left to right: Jaime Weems, Kristi Harris, Katelynn Jennings, Whitney Holt, Whitney Estes, Makayla Buckingham, and Ashleigh Starnes.
Not pictured: Nicole Riddle
Meet your Employment Services/State of TN Vocational Rehabilitation Teams
Meet your Employment Services/State of TN Vocational Rehabilitation Teams
This quarter brings numerous reasons to celebrate! Our Employment Team, in partnership with the State of Tennessee Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, is ready to assist clients in securing meaningful employment and is currently accepting referrals.
Team building plays a crucial role in our work, and we hold regular meetings to explore various aspects of employment and education. These sessions not only help us uncover new opportunities but also enhance collaboration, strengthen relationships, allow food and fellowship and cultivate a sense of community. We are eager to support clients seeking employment, as well as those aged 16-24 who are interested in both education and employment.
Appearing in this photo:
Back from left to right:
Alex King, Tavia Sillmon, Sandra Ray, Sara Heffinger, Donna Croft, Cassandra Goodyear, Briana Swift, Traci Murr, Kait Nidiffer, Ben Luther, Steven Lamb
Middle from left to right:
Sara Disoso, Vonda Wagner, Donna Queen, Bree Rhea, Bridget Gallagher, Edie Archer, Beverly Cox, Preston Long, JarMichael Lingo, Sheri Blankenbeckler, Kim Whittenburg, Johnny Ramsey & Kyley Lindsey
Front: Kristi Mikan, Savanna Taylor and Bryanna Slagle.
Scott Vaughn Honored with Statewide Crisis Services Award
Scott Vaughn, who was recognized at the 2025 Tennessee Crisis Conference with the Mobile Crisis Services Award! This prestigious honor highlights Scott’s outstanding dedication, leadership, and impact in providing life-saving crisis services across our communities. We are proud to celebrate his achievement and grateful for the compassion and commitment he brings to Frontier Health each day.
Capturing the Spirit of Frontier Health at Margarette Falls
This year’s Annual Report cover will showcase the natural beauty of Margarette Falls in Greeneville, TN. Our Marketing team hiked nearly two miles to reach the breathtaking waterfall on a cool, cloudy day, capturing the perfect image to represent Frontier Health in 2025. Each year, a new location within our service area is carefully selected to highlight the unique landscapes that inspire our work. With our name and logo rooted in the natural world, featuring these scenic backdrops continues to reflect the spirit and mission of Frontier Health.
The First Year in the Life of Frontier Health Mobile Crisis Co-Response
Beginning in August, 2024, two mobile crisis clinicians began working alongside officers from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. In January, 2025, Bristol TN Police Department added a clinician to their team and are in the process of adding a second one.
In a partnership known as Crisis Co-response a licensed clinician is on-site and on-scene, often riding along with a LEO to mental health related calls. The goal of Co-response is to deflect individuals in crisis in community settings from arrest to treatment or other referrals.
Our team conducts crisis assessments on-scene or in the jail setting and provides support for those individuals that may need higher level of care and treatment. They partner with community resources and are able to actively engage individuals with those supports in the moment.
They have completed trainings for Project Lifesaver which provides arm band identification and geolocation for at-risk individuals who may wander from their homes, How to Talk with an Officer which helps officers engage in supportive conversations with individuals in crisis, and several other trainings to help develop positive engagement between police officers and the community.
Our team has helped conduct several CIT trainings for regional law enforcement officers and shared their experiences and success stories to help decrease the stigma associated with 911 calls that are behavioral health in nature.
The officers working in partnership with our team have endorsed overwhelming support of the program, the clinicians, and the positive outcomes of having someone on-scene to help in crisis situations.
One mobile crisis responder noted:
“We respond to community members in a very raw space, in immediate crisis with a need for intervention and resources. We have had 100% deflection rate from arrests and have been able to refer people to inpatient services, CSU, ER, or simply connect them to the appropriate community services to help them best meet their needs. It’s been an amazing year and we look forward to growing the Co-response program as well as the incredible relationships already established in order to assist people in crisis.”
We are so excited for year 2 and beyond!
Get Ready for Frontier Health’s 2026 Open Enrollment
Frontier Health’s 2026 Open Enrollment period is right around the corner! This year, we will be conducting active enrollment, which means all employees must log in and complete their benefit elections for 2026—even if you participated in 2025 or do not plan to make any changes. Please note that benefits will not automatically roll over into the new plan year.
Human Resources will share additional details soon, including the enrollment timeline, key deadlines, and information about upcoming on-site and virtual sessions where HR staff will be available to assist you. An enrollment guide will also be provided, outlining benefit options and step-by-step instructions for completing your 2026 elections.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Human Resources Team at hrstaff@frontierhealth.org
Favorites Fiesta at Hawkins County Mental Health
Hawkins County Mental Health brought creativity and team spirit to this year’s United Way Campaign with a week-long “Favorites Fiesta.” Each day featured a fun new theme, giving staff the chance to show off their personalities while raising awareness for a great cause.
The week kicked off with Mug Monday, where staff showcased their favorite mugs and posed for playful “mug shots.” On Favorite Toons Tuesday, everyone sported shirts from their favorite bands and artists, even creating an office playlist to keep the music going all day long. Wacky Wednesday centered around food, featuring a spread of fun, delicious, and unexpected dishes that had everyone smiling.
By Favorite Teams Thursday, it was clear that one color dominated the day — a whole lot of Tennessee orange! Staff showed their Volunteer pride and gathered for a spirited tailgating lunch. The celebration wrapped up with Flapjack Friday, where a warm pancake breakfast was shared during the morning staff meeting.
From mugs and music to tailgates and flapjacks, the Favorites Fiesta was filled with energy, laughter, and camaraderie. Hawkins County Mental Health is proud to support the United Way Campaign—not only through service to the community, but also by celebrating the joy and connection within our own team.
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Celebrating One Year of Frontier Health’s Virtual Services
October 1 marks the one-year anniversary of Frontier Health’s Virtual Services program — a milestone worth celebrating!
The program first launched out of the Johnson County office in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. While the timing brought unexpected challenges, it also underscored the importance of accessible care for those unable to travel to appointments.
During this period, the Johnson County team demonstrated incredible dedication and resilience. They worked tirelessly to troubleshoot connection issues with MIS, check on clients and their families, move between office and remote locations, and provide unwavering support to their community—all while navigating the personal impacts of the storm themselves.
Thanks to their commitment, the Virtual Services program not only survived its challenging beginnings but has continued to grow and thrive across Frontier Health. Over the past year, we’ve added another therapist, expanded from serving only Children and Youth to offering services for individuals of all ages, and widened our reach to include Bristol, Kingsport (HCY clients), Watauga in Johnson City, and now all Frontier Health sites.
Congratulations to the entire team—and happy anniversary to Frontier Health Virtual Services! Your innovation, teamwork, and compassion continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.
Work Aniversaries
45 Years
Nancy Giles
25 Years
Kristina Dryden
Laura Duncan
Stacy Burnette
Kristy Minton
Lola Dulaney
5 Years
Emily Watson
Amy Sadler
Kari Franklin
Hope Salyers
Paige Broughton
Brandon Trinkle
David Howard
Jesssica Chambers
Ashley Kovalick
Rutendo Bwawa
Jessica Hayes
Anthony Baker
Sarah Aldrich
Tabatha Fatolitis
Jamie Humbert
10 Years
Jenasis Declouet
AmyAmy Bright
Christy Crick
Anna Bogart
15 Years
Juanelle Lambert
Trisha Keith
Della Sproles
Jennifer Williams
20 Years
Karen Logan
Phillip White