NOVUS Health is pleased to announce the promotion of five of its team members. Tara Spates Tucker will be the Chief Operations Officer, Matthew Cary will be the new Clinical Care Supervisor, Phillip Johnson will be its new Director of Change Management & Diversity and Interim Compliance Officer, Paula Upshaw will serve as the Director of Quality Management, and Sarah Marchant is the new Executive Assistant.
Tara Spates Tucker, Chief Operating Officer
Tara Spates Tucker joined NOVUS Health in May 2021 as the Director of Wellness. In this role, she implemented protocols that improved efficiency in the Clinic and has frequently been recognized for outstanding performance.
With a focus on patient experience and engaged employee morale, Tara believes that connecting with patients, staff and community is vital to NOVUS’s success. Her current work as Chief Operations Officer will focus on executing the strategic plan with the vision and mission as a focus.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Service from Millikin University and recently completed a Women in Leadership certification from Emory University.
Tara said recently, “I am looking forward to seeing NOVUS Health and the staff blossom into our full potential. I can’t wait to move into our new building in 2024!”.
Matthew Cary, Clinical Care Supervisor
Mathew Cary began with NOVUS Health in 2019 as the Nurse Practitioner Manager when it operated as a private practice. He served as a provider and supervisor of the nurse practitioner team. In his new role as the Clinical Care Supervisor, he will provide supervision and direction for all clinical staff members within NOVUS Health including medical providers, nursing staff, medical assistants, and pharmacy support staff in partnership with Chief Medical Officer.
Matthew Cary is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he completed a degree in Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University. He furthered his education with a degree in Nursing at Saint Louis University and received a master’s of Science in Nursing as an Adult Nurse Practitioner from Saint Louis University in 2011. He has worked as a nurse practitioner since 2012 and received training from Maryville University in 2017 to extend his scope of practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
He has worked in a wide variety of settings including internal medicine, HIV management, emergency medicine, urgent care services, hospital medicine, and occupational health. He has worked as a nurse educator since 2008 teaching both undergraduate students at Saint Louis University and nurse practitioner students at Maryville University. He regularly serves as a mentor, precepting nurse practitioner students as they complete clinical rotations. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his husband and dogs.
Matt had this to say about his philosophy of care, “Healthcare should be accessible, meeting the patient where they are and customizing a treatment plan. Patient-provider collaboration is key in helping patients reach their individual goals and actualizing their full potential.”
He is most excited about assisting NOVUS to continue to expand services to become a comprehensive care provider. As a leader working side by side with the clinical team to provide direct patient care, he can provide feedback regarding how best to serve our patients.
Phillip Johnson, Director of Change Management & Diversity and Interim Compliance Officer
Phillip Johnson began working with NOVUS Health in 2020 and helped launch NOVUS Health from a private practice to a nonprofit organization. He has served in a variety of roles at NOVUS including Community Liaison and Executive Assistant. During this time, he successfully recruited executive staff and board members, facilitated and coordinated government grant proposal and contracts, and executed necessary billing projects. He also created the NOVUS Health Employee Experience committee.
In his new role of Director of Change Management & Diversity and Interim Compliance Officer, he will play a key leadership role in guiding the organization through a Change Management model while also working with staff and the Board to review internal process and procedures to assure state, local, and federal guideline compliance.
His career spans from positions in public and nonprofit organizations. Phillip is also a published author, filmmaker, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and a graduate of Rockhurst University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Phillip said this about his new role, “I find it both humbling and exciting to have the opportunity to contribute to this next phase of NOVUS Health”.
Paula Upshaw, Director of Quality Management
Paula Upshaw started at NOVUS Health in July 2022 as the Health Informatics Specialist. She began her nursing career working with pediatric patients and then in 2013, she began working and serving People Living with HIV (PLWH) in one of the largest Ryan White Part B clinics in the state of Georgia.
During that time, she moved from patient care into administration where she focused on quality management. She served on the statewide Quality Management Team for Ryan White Part B and completed the Georgia Department of Public Health Leadership Program through the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.
As the Director of Quality Management, she will serve as the lead data analyst and provide staff with important database training and updates. She is currently studying to become an eCW Certified Trainer and will be sitting for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) credential exam later this spring. She is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, American Health Information Management Association, National Association for Healthcare Quality, and American Medical Informatics Association. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management from Western Governor’s University and is an LPN graduate of Southern Crescent Technical College.
Paula looks forward seeing how much our practice can grow through tracking quality measures and developing workflows and processes that will make them better, and ultimately will be beneficial to the patients.
Paula said, “I love working with NOVUS Health because of the variety of people I get to work with. The staff is great. I love getting to travel to St. Louis to spend time in the beautiful city!”
Sarah Marchant, Executive Assistant
Sarah Marchant began her work at NOVUS Health as an Administrative Assistant and will now be Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer, Dale Wrigley. She received her bachelor’s degree in Communications from Hannibal-LaGrange University. After a few writing and editing jobs, she decided to switch gears and pursue a master’s degree in Nutrition at Logan University. She’s excited to be working in the field of health and wellness and believes this new role will help make an impact in St. Louis and beyond.
Sarah said, “I love the culture of diversity and positive environment at NOVUS Health and, with the planned expansion into dietitian services, I look forward to sharing my passion and knowledge of nutrition in an accessible way.”
Dale Wrigley, Chief Executive Officer, said, “These individuals have served to strengthen the mission and vision of NOVUS Health. With these changes in roles and new job titles, NOVUS Health continues to build on its strategic plan goals. Together, we can and will make a difference in the healthcare landscape as we know it. I welcome and congratulate each of these individuals as they move into their new roles.”
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About NOVUS Health:
Our mission at NOVUS Health is to improve the quality of life and advocate for the health and wellbeing of all individuals in our community through the delivery of primary, holistic, and preventative care coupled with supportive services.
We accomplish our mission by providing comprehensive trauma-informed care and prevention services in a compassionate and nonjudgmental environment.
NOVUS Health staff has a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. With a focus on providing trauma informed, holistic health we expect all staff to meet patients, community partners, and co-workers with respect and dignity. We challenge each other to acknowledge biases that exist in healthcare including race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and/or personal beliefs. We look for ways to eliminate these biases at all points of services and care. As a team, NOVUS is working to break down barriers, build access, and create healthier communities.
The vision of NOVUS Health is to become a trusted patient-centered medical home model, providing equitable access to primary care and linking individuals to the specialty care and preventative services that are customized to their needs. The NOVUS team engages and collaborates with individuals to meet their overall health goals while working to provide tools and resources that ensure ongoing retention in and adherence to all points of care, prevention, and treatment.
We Value Trust. Communication. Compassion.