Join us in welcoming Nicole Scroggins, the new Director of Project Access West Tennessee!
The Memphis Medical Society is honored to be a part of the new Project Access program in West Tennessee and proud to welcome Nicole Scroggins to oversee the program. Project Access will bring meaningful access to quality care for uninsured residents of West Tennessee.
Below is some more information about Nicole and how she envisions elevating care in Memphis.
Name: “Nicole Scroggins aka “Scroggs” or if you are one of my three brothers ‘Shenanigans'”
Title: “Director for Project Access West TN”
Family and pets: “My cat son, Hamilton, is two years old, and I have seven nieces and nephews between the ages of two and 24. I have no human children of my own, but many, many plants.”
Life outside of work: ” My life outside of work is spent building community and safe space for Black women, spending time with friends and family, dancing, singing, and spending way too much money on plants. Once it is safe, I plan to resume traveling internationally and learning about other cultures and ways of living.”
Hometown: “Memphis, TN, mane!”
Professional experience: “I’ve done it all! I worked my way up from waiting tables and bartending to sales roles while pursuing scientific research and academia. From sales, I got into accounting and leadership, case management and project management. Every experience led me to this current role. My background allows me to pull from all of my experiences to be an effective leader, courageous communicator, and team player.”
What are you most excited about in this role?
“I’m most excited about the opportunity to make the ever-present dream of a healthier Memphis a reality. The state of TN has trusted the Medical Society to coordinate specialty healthcare services, provide patient education, and restore faith in medicine in the underserved communities of Memphis, Shelby County, and West TN. Memphis, as diverse and rich in history as it is, has multiple vulnerable populations of people living in conditions that are not conducive to a healthy lifestyle, and may have fears and mistrust in the healthcare system in general. I could not be happier that a program like Project Access exists and feel very honored to be a part of implementing it here in my hometown. I want to see Memphis thrive, and this program will give its most underserved people the ability to live healthier lives, greater access to specialty healthcare, and create a more trusting and stronger community.”
What new or improved aspects do you hope to bring to your program?
“People love to joke that Memphis is its own state, and the truth behind that is that Memphis is just different. We face unique challenges that may not be solved by a “one size fits all” solution. We plan to take the best practices between other Project Access programs nationwide and leverage our relationships here to implement a system that creates a single point of contact for any medical provider in the city to refer and redirect patients without insurance to charity care donated by doctors in the community that are just as passionate about community health as we are at the Society. As we grow this program, we hope we can make it easier for philanthropic clinicians to connect with more patients and make it easier for our patients to navigate the confusing waters of affordable healthcare. We want to help patients without insurance get the treatment and services they need without the fear of being turned away.”
What is something you want everyone to know about you?
“I love surprise visits from my friends in the community! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me about supporting or getting involved with Project Access West Tennessee! Drop by the Society anytime to chat with me and my team.”
What is an unusual fact about yourself?
“I can spin a hula hoop on my foot while doing a headstand.”
