Susan James has announced her candidacy for the Montgomery County Justice of the Peace District 1 position. Her announcement is printed below.
My name is Susan James and I would like to announce that I am running for the Montgomery County District 1 Justice of the Peace position. I was born and raised in Montgomery County. In 1972, I graduated from Mount Ida High School and later graduated from Garland County Community College with an Associate Degree of Nursing in 1978. I have raised two wonderful children who are parents to my five beautiful grandchildren.
As a registered nurse, I have 43 plus years experience in nursing, management, leadership and working on multi-disciplinary teams in the health care industry. Some of my experience at different jobs include: serving in hospital administration during construction and opening of two hospital facilities, developing policies, procedures and orientation plans, creating job descriptions, ordering equipment and supplies, budgeting, conducting interviews, staffing, training, and many other administrative items along with all required medical clinical duties.
Before retiring, I spent 26 years working for the Arkansas Department of Health headquartered in Mount Ida. I served as the Home Health Leader, the LHU Administrator, Home Town Health Administrative Leader/Manager and the SWR Patient Care Manager. During my tenure at the Arkansas Health Department, I was instrumental in starting the Home Town Health Coalition for Montgomery County and was very involved with the grant process for several projects including the Community Health Center, now known as Healthy Connections, the Ouachita Vista Hiking Trail, and the passing lanes between Mount Ida and the Garland County line on Highway 270. After 9/11, I worked with County Judge Ted Elder and Earl Gene White on implementation of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, later known as EOC. Post Hurricane Katrina, I was sent to Fort Chaffee in Fort Smith to setup a medical clinic with 24/7 doctors and nurses to serve the evacuees from New Orleans and other areas affected by the hurricane. I served on the Montgomery County Nursing Home Board under County Judges Alvin Black and Sammy Jones. Some of the other related experiences include being a past member of the Montgomery County TEA Coalition, the Homeless Coalition, the Montgomery County Health Education Advisory Board, the medical coordinator for the Montgomery County LEPC, and also served on an advisory board for Southern Technical College in the medical assistance program.
Since my retirement from ADH, I have continued to work part time at Murfreesboro Rehab and Nursing in a nursing capacity. In July, 2020 I was hired by the Mount Ida School District as the COVID Point of Contact Nurse, a position that I still hold.
I respectfully ask that you consider me, Susan James, when casting your vote for JP in District 1. When elected, I will utilize my work experiences to serve all the citizens of District 1 along with everyone who lives in Montgomery County to the best of my ability.
