Pictured is the 2026-27 class of Leadership North Carolina.
Burke residents Beth Heile and Michelle M. Reed are among the 56
participants.
FOR THE PAPER
Michelle M. Reed and Beth Heile, both of Morganton, are among the 56 civic and community leaders from across North Carolina selected for the 2026-27 class of Leadership North Carolina.
Reed is the chief nursing officer at Atrium Health in Burke. Heile is executive director of Burke River Trail Association.
The organization’s Class 34 includes leaders from government, business, nonprofit organizations, and education. Participants will take part in seven, two-and-a-half-day sessions focused on issues affecting the state.
Topics include economic development, education, the environment, government, health and human services, and inclusive leadership. Sessions include discussions with public officials and professionals, field trips, and other learning activities.
The program is held in communities across the state. Class 34 gathered in New Bern last week for orientation and will meet in Raleigh in November for a session on government and in Greensboro in December for a session on education.
Additional sessions will be held in Durham, Greenville, Charlotte, and Asheville.
Leadership North Carolina selects a new class each year through an application and selection process aimed at bringing together established and emerging leaders from across the state.
See the full list of participants online at thepaper.media.
The Frye Heart Center team poses with two awards it recently
earned.
FOR THE PAPER
Frye Regional Medical Center has earned two American Heart Association awards recognizing the hospital’s treatment of heart attack patients.
Frye Regional, a Duke LifePoint hospital and Duke Health Affiliate in Heart, received the association’s Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Gold recognition and STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus recognition.
The NSTEMI award recognizes care for patients experiencing a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. The STEMI recognition is for treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction, one of the most severe forms of heart attack.
Hospitals earn Get With The Guidelines recognition by demonstrating sustained adherence to the American Heart Association’s science-based recommendations for heart attack treatment.
STEMI Receiving Center recognition also reflects a hospital’s ability to provide around-the-clock STEMI care while coordinating with emergency medical services and referring hospitals.
“Earning national recognition for both STEMI and NSTEMI care reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, EMS partners, and cardiovascular teams to delivering exceptional heart attack care close to home,” said Brett Starr, MD, FACS, cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon at Frye Regional Medical Center.
Frye Regional also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll designation in both award categories. The designation recognizes hospitals that meet quality standards for treating heart attack patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Frye Regional has received American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines recognition for coronary artery disease care for 16 consecutive years. The hospital has earned STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus recognition since 2014.
Since first receiving NSTEMI recognition in 2017, Frye Regional has progressed from Bronze to Gold recognition.
The awards add to other cardiovascular quality recognitions Frye Regional has received this year, including the American College of Cardiology’s HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence for the sixth consecutive year and the NCDR Chest Pain-MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for the 12th consecutive year.
Frye Regional also received American Heart Association quality achievement awards for heart failure and resuscitation care.
The Burke County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for
Burkemont Baptist Church Family Park & Tiffany’s Place Swing Park
on Sept. 30. The church is at 4668 Burkemont Road, Morganton. Kathy
Carswell, Tiffany’s mom, cut the ribbon alongside Pastor Luke Lane,
Eddy Bunton, Gregg Klapp, and Jason Snead, Morganton Mayor Pro-Tem
Wendy Cato, church members, friends, and supporters. Also in
attendance were Burke County Commissioner Chairman Jeff Brittain;
Burke County Commissioner Mike Stroud; President and CEO of the
Burke County Chamber of Commerce Tonia Stephenson; and Chamber
ambassadors Amy Fisher, Lindsey Hazelhurst, and Kale Wright.
The Burke County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for
Burkemont Baptist Church Family Park & Tiffany’s Place Swing Park
on Sept. 30. The church is at 4668 Burkemont Road, Morganton. Kathy
Carswell, Tiffany’s mom, cut the ribbon alongside Pastor Luke Lane,
Eddy Bunton, Gregg Klapp, and Jason Snead, Morganton Mayor Pro-Tem
Wendy Cato, church members, friends, and supporters. Also in
attendance were Burke County Commissioner Chairman Jeff Brittain;
Burke County Commissioner Mike Stroud; President and CEO of the
Burke County Chamber of Commerce Tonia Stephenson; and Chamber
ambassadors Amy Fisher, Lindsey Hazelhurst, and Kale Wright.
Ribbon cutting at Burkemont Baptist Church
Business
AMOREM's CFO earns new Certified Growth Professional designation
AMOREM Chief Financial Officer Airnoi “Noy” Xaysanavongphet is among the first six people to earn Teleios Collaborative Network’s new Certified Growth Professional designation.
Xaysanavongphet
FOR THE PAPER
The designation recognizes professionals who complete training focused on developing referral relationships and explaining hospice services to health care providers, patients, and families.
“It’s an honor and privilege to get this certification to be a better partner with the medical community to ensure continuum of care for the patients and families that we serve,” Xaysanavongphet said.
AMOREM is a co-founding member of Teleios Collaborative Network, a nonprofit organization made up of 22 community-based hospice and palliative care providers. AMOREM, formerly Burke Hospice and Palliative Care and Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, has served the region for more than four decades.
“Stronger relationships with healthcare partners can help patients and families learn about hospice sooner, understand their options, and receive support when it can make the greatest difference,” said April L. Moore, AMOREM’s chief executive officer. “Noy’s training will support our efforts to expand access to care and give families more time to benefit from the comfort, guidance, and support hospice provides.”
Click and hold your mouse button on the page to select the area you wish to save or print.
You can click and drag the clipping box to move it or click and drag in the bottom right corner to resize it.
When you're happy with your selection, click the checkmark icon next to the clipping area to continue.
