Laura Harris Healthcare

After a decade as a Clinic Administrator with the Monroe County School System, Laura Harris would begin to truly change the culture of healthcare across her county.

In three years, Harris went from serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Chota Community Health Services to taking over the helm of what would eventually become the region’s fastest growing medical service available to the public.

Built for the people of Monroe County in East Tennessee, Chota has seen major changes. Under the leadership of Harris, Chota now has the impact in the small towns of Monroe County that are parallel to some of the best medical facilities in the nation.

From repairing the financial status of Chota to completely overhauling the culture of the organization, to improving employee morale, to increasing the number of services and sites now available, Harris has played a big role in seeing the Chota’s success climb higher than ever. Chota now provides services at three clinics (Madisonville, Tellico Plains, and Vonore), as well as 12 Monroe County school-based clinics. Several years ago, through the perseverance of Harris, a USDA Rural Development Loan was obtained to help purchase an abandoned grocery story in Madisonville. Now Chota’s main location on Highway 68, the former retail site now houses 36 exam rooms, a state-of-the-art lab, and the latest in examination equipment.