Feb 22, 2020 4 min read

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Jamie Price was born Aug. 26, 1967 at the original Canonsburg General Hospital, now Townview Health and Rehabilitation Center.

In November, Price, 52, returned to her hometown hospital when she was named Director of Nursing at Allegheny General Hospital’s Canonsburg Hospital, built in 1983 in North Strabane Township.

Price – unabashedly proud of the small town where she has lived her entire life and has attended every Canonsburg Fourth of July parade – is delighted to take the helm.

“I’ve always wanted to come home to this hospital,” said Price, who worked for more than 30 years as a nurse and administrator at UPMC-Mercy hospital, Pittsburgh. “It’s very significant for me. Canonsburg Hospital is, quite literally, where I got my start. Here, I am home.”

Price oversees a nursing staff of approximately 100 nurses.

While the hospital’s location has changed, the staff’s commitment to providing excellent care for area residents remains unchanged, Price said.

“I want the community to know this is the place to come, that we’re going to provide you with a high level of care,” said Price.

Price is a 1986 graduate of Canon-McMillan High School, and earned her bachelors degree in nursing from Duquesne University. She earned a masters in nursing administration from Waynesburg University.

She comes from a long line of first responders. Price’s father, Harold Coleman, served as a Canonsburg police officer for 47 years, where he was a detective sergeant overseeing criminal investigations and a deputy chief, and served as chief of Canonsburg Volunteer Fire Department. Her grandfather and uncle were Canonsburg firefighters, and her mother, Fran Coleman, served on Canonsburg Borough Council.

Price believes community hospitals get to know patients in a way large hospitals don’t.

She noted how the nurses and staff used to purchase Christmas presents and make Easter baskets for a lonely patient who was admitted to the hospital during the holidays.

“It’s about community. The staff knows and cares about the patients who come here. For us, it’s about being able to be that community hospital that everyone can come to for quality care,” said Price. “We’re here to take care of patients to the best of our ability. That’s really the focus.”

Among the issues Price plans to address are the nursing shortage and promoting a positive workplace culture that encourages a balance between work, home and life.

“With the nursing shortage, you’ve got to think outside of the box for staffing,” said Price. “And you have to empower the nurses and have them be a part of the decisions from the front line. That’s so important.”

Price always wanted to be a nurse.

Her maternal grandmother suffered from cardiac disease, and Price spent a lot of time with her at Canonsburg Hospital.

“I looked up to the nurses and I always wanted to be the kind of nurse that I saw provide care to my grandmother,” said Price. “It was always my mission to take care of people.”

At UPMC-Mercy hospital, Price worked in trauma ICU for 17 years, then served as a unit director and clinical director.

Price enjoys mentoring staff and nurturing their career development. She is a believer in collaboration and team work.

“It was always my passion to make sure patients got the best level of care, and to the that nurse leader who gave nurses ‘tools for their tool belt’ to make sure patients got the care they needed and the resources they needed,” she said. “It’s about the patients. That’s why we do what we do every day.”

Price is the single mother of a daughter, Sydney, 22, and she has three dogs.

Her decision to leave Mercy hospital wasn’t an easy one, but Price knows it was the right one.

“I’m eager to collaborate with the staff here to continue to provide excellent care,” said Price.”When people ask what’s my vision, it’s to be that community community hospital that our community can count on, Come here, keep us busy.”