Laurie got her start in healthcare as a support specialist working with intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals, which led to a desire to get more involved in the mental health field. During this time, Laurie was also providing hands on care to her husband recovering from a severe injury, which led to a desire to become a nurse. She put her desires into action and graduated from the Practical Nursing program at Tennessee College of Applied Technology in 2008. Laurie’s first nursing position was as a medication nurse for several residential and enhanced-support treatment homes serving adults with severe mental illnesses. While in this role, Laurie developed a medication supervision training program for house staff. This program was implemented at each of the company’s residential, supported housing, and enhanced supported housing locations throughout Middle Tennessee and improved awareness around, and reduced the amount of, medication errors facility-wide.Laurie joined Focus in 2011 working as a nurse on both the Substance Use and Eating Disorder units. Laurie gained experience working on all shifts with both populations before primarily becoming a bridge nurse on the Substance Use Disorder unit being responsible for admitting patients onto the unit. In 2013, Laurie brought her nursing background to the Admissions Department. She now does intake assessments for both units and helps evaluate potential patients for medical stability prior to admission to the facility. Laurie lives in Warren County with her husband Billy, with two grown children, Ashley and Tim, nearby. In her free time, Laurie enjoys fishing, 4-wheeling, and going on other various outdoor adventures with her husband.
