The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce (GHCC) presented its 2025 Healthy Hall Awards Thursday.
Now in its eighth year, Healthy Hall Awards recognize “outstanding healthcare professionals and spotlights those in the healthcare industry making a significant impact on our quality of life through excellence in health and wellness,” according to a chamber news release.
And the winners are:
Healthcare Education
Winner: Mary S. Martin, DNP, MBA, RN, CENP, CPHIMS, Northeast Georgia Health System
Mary S. Martin is a seasoned nurse executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience in many sectors, including clinical, education, operations, and information technology. As Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Northeast Georgia Health System, a position she held for more than 17 years, Martin led the successful implementation of Epic, the organization’s electronic health record system. She has overseen clinical process redesign, strategic planning, and change management projects. Holding advanced degrees and certifications, Martin made significant contributions to patient safety, staff training, and operational efficiency throughout her 45-year career with Northeast Georgia Health System.
Outstanding Achievement in Behavioral Health
Winner: The Hub at Gainesville City Schools
For the past five years, The Hub has been a valuable resource at Gainesville High School, supporting students with their mental, behavioral, and basic health needs. In addition, The Hub offers college, career, and workforce development. It features a clothing boutique, food pantry, and even washers and dryers to help students and families meet their everyday needs. The Hub Director, Nosleivys Falcon, has worked tirelessly to create relationships in the community that benefit the students and families. In 2024, Nosleivys partnered with Hall County School Systems (HCSS) to organize the largest Teen Mental Health Summit to date. For the past five years, HCSS has hosted the Project Aware Mental Health Summit, with this being the first year that Gainesville City Schools students are involved. Through its programs and partnerships, The Hub has become a vital resource for Gainesville-Hall County.
Advanced Practice Provider of the Year
1st Winner: Laura Van Hook, BSN, MSN, FNP-BC, Northside Hospital Diagnostic Clinic
Laura Van Hook consistently exemplifies excellence in patient care through her relentless dedication and high standards. Her deep compassion for everyone she treats is evident in how she actively listens to their concerns, ensuring they feel valued and understood. With a wealth of medical knowledge and expertise, she approaches each case strategically, carefully considering the best course of action for her patients’ unique needs. Her communication skills stand out, as she conveys complex information clearly and empathetically, fostering trust and transparency. Furthermore, Laura’s proactive approach to collaboration is remarkable; she readily reaches out to fellow healthcare providers for additional insights when faced with challenging situations. Laura is an incredibly supportive, and involved mother and grandmother, when she isn’t kayaking, watching sports, or roller blading, she is taking pictures of her favorite models, her family.
2nd Winner: Jonathan Nix, PA-C, Dermatology Associates of Northeast Georgia
Jonathan Nix is passionate about the Physician Assistant profession, his patients, his entire team, and the next generation of healthcare professionals. He receives countless calls and messages after hours and he answers each with time, attention to detail, understanding, and selflessness. With over 25 years of experience, he stays current with continuing education and training on the latest clinical developments in his field and beyond. He is always willing to take on students and to teach and inspire them about healthcare, dermatology, and the PA profession. Beyond his professional life, he balances his career with loving, serving, and always showing up for his family.
Dentist of the Year
Winner: Todd Britt, DMD, Sosebee & Britt Orthodontics
Todd Britt, DMD graduated from the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry at the top of his class with his Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree. After finishing his three-year residency in orthodontics, he began working his dream job as an orthodontist in the Gainesville and Oakwood area since 2000. Britt is an active member of the community by being a Mentor in the Hall County Mentorship program, has served as chairman of Children’s Dental Health Month for Hall County, and has also served on the advisory board of Lanier Technical College’s Dental Hygiene School. Sosebee & Britt Orthodontics goes above and beyond with patient satisfaction with the best technology and continued learning.
Healthcare Worker of the Year
Winner: Christy Payne, Longstreet Clinic
Christy Payne has been a member of the Longstreet Clinic team for more than 30 years. Christy has held multiple roles over the years demonstrating her commitment to growth and development. These roles included revenue cycle, operations management, contracting and analytics and more. Christy was a leader on the Epic Implementation Team in 2019 and participated in the Covid response team in 2020 and 2021. Christy’s current role is Practice Analytics and Contracting Director. In this role, she manages professional coding and charge capture of 20 certified coders. Christy is also an inspirational leader at Longstreet Clinic, always supporting fellow employees through both professional and personal struggles. Throughout her journey, Christy has demonstrated strength and perseverance working throughout her treatment process and always demonstrating a positive outlook.
Nurse of the Year
1st Winner: D’Anna Cain, FNP-C, Longstreet Clinic
D’Anna Cain joined Longstreet Clinic in July 2018 as a nurse practitioner. Prior to this, Cain worked as a staff nurse at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. She is always willing to help her patients and can seamlessly get through her day while taking care of many patients and rarely gets upset. She has been a nurse practitioner for several years and continues to grow in her role. She is very intelligent, and her patient care skills are impeccable. Anyone who sees her is very lucky to have her as a provider because they will get exceptional care. D’Anna is extremely humble and fantastic at her practice. Longstreet is lucky to have her on their team.
2nd Winner: Marcy Adams, RN, Northside Hospital Diagnostic Clinic
Marcy Adams is a great infusion nurse that is very knowledgeable in her role. She goes above and beyond to take care of her patients. Marcy establishes good relationships with each patient and makes them feel comfortable when they need it the most. She always makes sure that the patients have everything they need and will advocate for her patients if needed. Marcy comes to work every day with a smile on her face. She is a bright light in our infusion center. Marcy has two sons named Emory and Elliott. They love to take trips to see trains and train stations and she and her husband love watching both boys play baseball and basketball. She’s a busy mom!
Community Impact
1st Winner: Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Green Tower
Northeast Georgia Health System opened the Green Tower at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville on February 8th, offering expanded heart care and emergency care – including one of the state’s six Level I Trauma Centers. The 927,000 square-foot, 11-story tower features a new emergency department with specialized areas for trauma, pediatrics, and behavioral health. A helipad and dedicated elevators provide direct access to that care, as well as the new operating rooms. The tower opened with 96 inpatient beds, with room for future expansion to more than 190 beds. The project also added hundreds of parking spaces and created over 100 new jobs, benefiting over 1 million people in the region.
2nd Winner: Alan Edwards, Good News Clinic
Alan Edwards completed his studies with a BS in Pharmacy from UGA in 1987 as a Cum Laude honor graduate. That same year he completed his licensing for the State of Georgia and began a now 38-year career in serving, a word not used lightly to describe his vocation. He joined Good News Clinics as a volunteer and by 2002, the organization had grown to need a full-time pharmacist. For 23 years he has served as the pharmacist for the Good News Clinics dispensary. His ability to find solutions for accessing medications for thousands of low-income, uninsured patients is unmatched. He makes every effort to connect in meaningful professional and spiritual ways with patients, volunteers, and staff alike. Alan leads devotion many if not most mornings for the staff and over the year patients who wish to attend. Personally, Alan and his wife Missy have cattle and land, are involved in their church and yet he finds the time to serve outside of his primary job at the Clinics. Alan is on the board for North Georgia Works where he not only has bridged the gap in healthcare for men in this reentry program, but also mentors, prays for and encourages them personally.
Corporate Achievement/ Innovation
Winner: Northside Hospital Diagnostic Clinic
For outstanding impact on local community patients. Several family members and friends have chosen The Diagnostic Clinic for their overall healthcare needs.” Building off the legacy of Drs Jenning, Stribling, Butts, and Poole, the Diagnostic Clinic has served this community for over 72 years providing quality, compassionate healthcare with excellent Physicians and Advanced Care providers to this and surrounding communities. The Diagnostic Clinic joined the Northside network in 2018 and now serves over 91,000 patients with 83 providers throughout its 7 locations. The Northside Hospital Diagnostic Clinic is constantly growing to meet the access needs of this and surrounding communities by hiring new physicians, adding new specialties, and encouraging physician involvement at community events and activities. The Northside Hospital Diagnostic Clinic remains committed to continuing to provide the highest quality healthcare and to continue to grow to serve the patients of our community and the surrounding area for the next 70 plus years.
Physician of the Year
1st Winner: Margaret Alisa Davis, MD, Longstreet Clinic
Margaret Alisa Davis is one of the most humble and caring physicians at Longstreet Clinic. She shows compassion and is always willing to go the extra mile for her patients. She has such compassion that when she lost her parents a few years ago she decided to become a hospice director. It was watching the hospice team take care of her parents that made her want to get involved with hospice. Her patients are treated with dignity, and she truly cares. She goes above and beyond by providing funds for patients to be able to get their medicines or buy food. The citizens of Gainesville/Hall County and surrounding counties are very lucky to have such a knowledgeable and compassionate physician waiting to care for them and their families.
2nd Winner: Ron Lewis, MD, & Chad Copper, MD, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Hernia Center of Excellence
Ron Lewis, MD, robotic general surgeon with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) and Medical Director of Perioperative Services at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) and Chad Copper, MD, robotic general surgeon with Longstreet Clinic, are the driving forces behind NGMC’s nationally recognized Hernia Center of Excellence. As surgeons who’ve been practicing in Gainesville for more than 30 years combined, they’ve touched countless lives through their expertise and genuine care for their patients. They are highly respected, high-volume robotic surgeons whose partnership plays a critical role in shaping surgical strategy and expanding robotic access for patients across our community. Together, they advocate for broader marketing initiatives, reaching and educating more patients about the benefits of robotic surgery. Additionally, they speak at numerous conferences, host their own podcast, and provide virtual and in-person trainings where they share their expertise through case studies both nationally and internationally.
Visionary Leader
Winner: Jack McGuire, CNM, Longstreet Clinic
Jack McGuire, a dedicated nurse midwife, has profoundly impacted the lives of women in our community for over 50 years. His commitment to improving the health of women, particularly those who are uninsured or underserved, has shaped the course of healthcare in Hall County. Thirty years ago, alongside Mimi Collins, Jack co-founded a perinatal program at the Hall County Health Department. This initiative was designed to provide prenatal care to women who lacked access to essential health services. Since its inception, the program has expanded, touching countless lives and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. Through his expertise, compassion, and leadership, Jack has helped countless women through their pregnancies, deliveries, and postnatal care. He has delivered thousands of babies, offering guidance, support, and compassionate care to families at some of the most important moments of their lives. As Jack approaches his retirement this year, his lasting impact on our community will not be forgotten.
Lifetime Achievement
Winner: Carol Burrell, Northeast Georgia Health System
Carol Burrell started her career as a medical technologist in the late 1970s and later received her master’s degree in healthcare administration from Central Michigan University. After serving as a vice president at St. Vincent’s Health System in Jacksonville, Florida, Burrell returned to Georgia in 1999 to lead NGHS’ network of primary care clinics. She was eventually named chief operating officer in 2004 and CEO in 2011. Under Burrell’s leadership, NGHS has grown from one hospital in Hall County to a total of five hospitals across the region, including one of the state’s six Level I Trauma Centers. The system also now includes the sixth-largest multispecialty physician group in the state (Northeast Georgia Physicians Group) and the state’s most forward-thinking heart and vascular program (Georgia Heart Institute), as well as one of Georgia’s largest graduate medical education programs. NGHS’ estimated annual impact on the state and local economy has grown from around $1 billion in 2011 to nearly $7.5 billion in 2022 under Carol’s leadership.