Ms. Abernathy leads Atrium Health Stanly, capping a nearly three-decade career at Atrium Health that began at the bedside as a nurse. Under her leadership, Atrium Health Stanly became the first all-wired virtual nursing facility in rural North Carolina, supported by a $1.45 million grant from The Duke Endowment that is expected to reduce readmissions and create 50 new jobs in the county. The hospital has earned consecutive “A” Leapfrog hospital safety grades through fall 2025 and was named to Newsweek‘s “America’s Best Maternity Hospitals” 2025 list, as well as the U.S. News & World Report “high performing” rankings for maternity hospitals. Ms. Abernathy has also expanded the hospital’s community footprint, supporting more than 900 families through free mobile food pantries, enabling more than 640 individuals to access over-the-counter medications through NC MedAssist, and contributing more than $55,000 in financial support and 1,000 teammate volunteer hours to local nonprofits in 2025. Ms. Abernathy previously served as assistant vice president at Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord, N.C. and Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
