03 Apr 2023 Community remains at the heart of Unity
By Stefanie Brazile
During the 12th year of 501 LIFE Magazine, an outstanding nurse at Unity Health – White County Medical Center in Searcy earned statewide recognition. In 2018, Jasper Fultz was honored with an Arkansas Business Health Care Heroes award.
Fultz has worked for Unity Health for more than 38 years and has reached Level III Trauma status and is the trauma coordinator. In 2019, he was appointed to the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) by then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “It has been a very humbling experience to serve on the board,” he said.
His career in nursing began in the U.S. Army. After serving in Hawaii and Texas, he returned to his home state. “When I went into health care, I wanted to be in a position to help people,” Fultz said. In 2008, the ASBN named him Arkansas’s Most Caring Caregiver. Upon receiving the award, he was given a key to his home city of Augusta (Woodruff County), and they named Sept. 16, 2008, “Jasper Day.”
Four years later, Fultz was recognized as the AR SAVES Nurse Facilitator of the Year. He has served on the American Red Cross board as disaster relief chair, on the United Way board and is a founding board member for Jacob’s Place Homeless Mission in Searcy.
Fultz loves making a difference for patients who come to Unity Health for care. Since the article was published, the healthcare system has experienced expansion. In March, they opened Unity Health – Jacksonville, completed an expansion of the Pyeatt Family Cancer Center and transformed the Unity Health Child Development Center.
Costing $36 million, phase one plans at Unity Health – Jacksonville are complete. The hospital features a 13-bed emergency department, five inpatient/observation beds, a 24-bed behavioral health unit and imaging services including MRI, CT, X-ray and 3D mammograms. Other services include inpatient cardiopulmonary, on-site labs and a full in-house pharmacy. Plans are in place to continue renovating the space to include operating rooms and additional inpatient care beds.
“Unity Health brings quality and stability in healthcare to the Jacksonville community with our state-of-the-art facility and standard for expertise and compassionate care,” said President/CEO Mark Amox.
“Phase one is an important step toward meeting the healthcare needs of the Jacksonville community,” said Kevin Burton, Hospital Administrator for Unity Health – Jacksonville. “Bringing emergency care and diagnostic capabilities … provides the community with the necessary local healthcare they need.”
Near the end of 2022, expansion was completed at the Pyeatt Family Cancer Center. The expansion more than doubles the clinic’s number of therapy chairs, offers more restrooms and improves the overall experience for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Unity Health Child Development Center also received a major transformation. Offering childcare for associates’ children through 12 years of age, the center is approximately 15,600 square feet, and the dining room is a designated safe room that will shelter children and associates from threatening weather.
The award-winning nurse was proud that all Unity Health System staff were recognized as a leading healthcare experience organization last fall. PRC awarded Unity Health with a Healthcare Leadership Award during its annual award event that took place at the PRC Healthcare Experience Summit. The recognition honors how the organization is committed to excellence and honors the mission: “We do what we do for our patients.”
Unity Health also received three Diamond Awards from the Arkansas Hospital Association for outstanding marketing and public relations campaigns.
Fultz and Unity Health continue to grow and excel as they fulfill their mission to care for patients.
