[06] Angela Ammons

Angela Ammons is the Chief Executive Officer at Clinch Memorial Hospital. She became CEO of Clinch Memorial in 2017. Prior to her role as CEO at Clinch Memorial, she was the Nurse Manager for a Behavioral Unit at a nearby hospital. Angela’s nursing career did not end there, as she is known to fill in on the floor when the hospital faces staffing issues. 

Angela is the daughter of a Korean immigrant and Vietnam War veteran and was raised by her grandparents in Macon, Georgia. However; because of their tumultuous relationship, she left home at the age of 15. She was nearly homeless at this young age but overcame the challenges by waitressing the local Shoney’s restaurant. She eventually became the first college graduate on her mother’s side of the family. Since then, she has climbed the ranks from a receptionist at a doctor’s office to a registered nurse supervising a unit, to now, CEO. 

When Angela was hired as CEO, she was not actively looking for an administrative position. A member of the Clinch County Hospital Board approached her after hearing about her leadership skills while Nurse Manager of the Behavioral Unit. At the time, Clinch Memorial Hospital was suffering. On her first day at Clinch Memorial, she was told the hospital had just three days' cash on hand and if things did not change fast, the hospital would be closing its doors.

Immediately, Angela began making the necessary changes to improve the financial stability of Clinch Memorial. This was not an easy task, as she had to completely change the culture of the hospital. This meant disrupting an environment that people had accepted for many years. However; now, three years later, Angela has significantly improved the financial stability of Clinch Memorial with new service lines. One of those service lines includes the lucrative swing bed program that treats intubated patients. 

In 2018, Angela was recognized as Hospital Leader of the Year by HomeTown Health, and a year later, Clinch Memorial Hospital was recognized as Hospital of the Year. Recently, she was featured in TIME Magazine for her work that saved Clinch Memorial Hospital from closure.