Mitchell Promoted to Vice President of Ancillary Services

With more than 14 years of leadership experience in health care, Sarah E. Mitchell of Hammond has been promoted to Vice President of Ancillary Services for North Oaks Health System.

In her new role, Mitchell will provide leadership for the health system’s diagnostic, laboratory and rehabilitation services, as well as patient access and hospital admissions.

Mitchell first joined the North Oaks team in 1996 as a rehabilitation technician and advanced to physical therapist in 1998. She was promoted to physical therapy supervisor in 2004, followed by outpatient rehabilitation services clinic coordinator soon after in 2006. She accepted a promotion to assistant vice president of clinics for the health system’s physician group two short years later in 2008. She has provided leadership for many of the specialties within the physician group’s network of clinics for the past 10 years as an assistant vice president and regional director.

Most recently, she has been responsible for all surgical clinics, including: North Oaks Orthopaedics Specialty Center in Hammond and Livingston; North Oaks Physician Group—Livingston; as well North Oaks Dermatology Associates, North Oaks ENT & Allergy Clinic, North Oaks Eye Care Clinic, North Oaks Trauma Clinic, North Oaks Surgical Associates, Northshore ENT, Northshore Urological Associates and Plaza Orthopedics – all located in Hammond. She also provided oversight for the Ideal You at North Oaks weight loss management clinics in Hammond and Walker.

In addition, Mitchell played a lead operational role in the design of the North Oaks Clinic Building, which opened in 2011, and houses many of the physician practices on North Oaks Medical Center’s campus.

Mitchell graduated from Mississippi State University in Starkville with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts. She went on to earn master’s degrees in Mass Communications from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge and physical therapy from LSU’s School of Allied Health Professions in New Orleans. Professionally, she belongs to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Association, for which she is a past Northshore district chairman from 2000 to 2002.

Throughout her North Oaks career, Mitchell has received many health system honors. North Oaks’ volunteers awarded her an academic scholarship in 1996, and she was recognized as Employee of the Year in 2002 and for Continued Excellence as a past Employee of the Year in 2011.

Since 2006, Mitchell has volunteered as a mentor for the Southeastern Louisiana University Lady Lions basketball team’s PRIDE organization and belonged to the Ponchatoula Rotary Club, having served as president in 2014. From 1999 to 2016, she belonged to the South Tangipahoa Parish Chapter of the American Cancer Society board of directors. During her time on the American Cancer Society board, she was: vice president in 2002; Relay for Life chairman in 2003, 2005 and 2006; and president in 2003, 2005 and 2006. The Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation benefitted from her service on its board of directors from 2002 to 2016 and as president in 2007. In addition, she served on the D. Jensen Holliday Memorial Award Committee for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center from 2006 to 2009 and made a difference as a member of the Junior Auxiliary of Hammond from 1998 to 2004. As a Junior Auxiliary member, she held the leadership positions of Hammond Boys & Girls Club committee chairman from 1999 to 2002 and fundraiser chairman from 2002 to 2004.

Mitchell has received numerous accolades for her extensive contributions to community service, including the prestigious Junior Auxiliary Woman of the Year Award for 2012, the Ponchatoula Rotary Club’s 2013 Addie Morris Service Award and the American Cancer Society Dick Durham Spirit Award for 2002. She also is a Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow.

“Sarah is a phenomenal leader,” asserts Percival Kane, the health system’s chief ambulatory officer. “We are excited to see the many great things that she will lead our Ancillary Services departments to accomplish in the future.”