Article by Jim Talbert of the Richlands News Press:

Country life is growing on Shrepri Giles Small.

The Mobile, Alabama, native, who says she has worked in medical facilities in every time zone, came to Richlands last October to be the assistant administrator at Clinch Valley Medical Center. She and the community have embraced each other.

Shortly after she moved in, her neighbor welcomed her to the area.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but she works here, (Clinch Valley),” Smalls said. The same neighbor called her during the storm and said she had a generator and would take care of the formula for her children.

She also had people inviting her for Easter dinner.

“If you want to be here, these people will embrace you,” she said.

Small has embraced the community as well, working with civic groups, the chamber, CART and church.

Smalls made the move from Columbus, Georgia, and brought along her husband, twin daughters and mother- in-law. Their hearts and caring are the things that have amazed her about the people at Clinch Valley.

“I have departments where the average tenure is 25 years. They do not make departments like that anymore. People are more into treating the whole person rather than the illness,” she said.

She oversees multiple key departments, including Imaging, Laboratory, Cardiopulmonary and more. In this role, she is committed to enhancing operational efficiency and delivering quality healthcare to the community.

Small sees her job as bringing great doctors to Richlands and letting them practice medicine while she and others take care of the administrative details. She also wants to tell the story of what Clinch Valley has to offer.

“We do some great stuff here and I want people to hear about it. She said CVMC Administrator Peter Mulkey and the staff at Clinch Valley were a big part of the reason she came to Richlands.

“He is a great leader and known throughout the country for his leadership,” she said. She sees her role as taking care of the staff. “It is my job to take care of the people who take care of the patients,” she said.