IN THE heart of Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital, technology and healthcare converge. Here, Donald Cooper’s faith guides his life and career. Cooper manages calls involving the information technology (IT) systems in the hospital’s network when direct communication with a servicer is necessary. While juggling it all, he stays plugged into his life’s programmer. But where does a career in hospital IT management start?
“It was just a passion. I started messing with computers at home for fun and worked on a government contract in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as a computer operator following college graduation in the ‘80s. I just learned from there,” Cooper said.
He worked for Covenant Health in Knoxville, Goody’s Family Clothing, and the Home Shopping Network before transferring back to Tennessee as Jamestown Regional Medical Center’s director of informational services. The Bedford and Wilson County hospitals were added to his coverage area, and he became the information services regional director.
Ultimately, the Jamestown hospital closed, and Vanderbilt Hospital acquired the Tullahoma, Bedford County, and Wilson County hospitals, and they operate under a different informational services plan. Cooper now works as a relationship manager covering the hospitals and 74 facilities in Vanderbilt’s network.
If the facility’s central help desk can’t resolve an issue, the technician opens a ticket and forwards it to the appropriate team. Cooper can then escalate the ticket and work with the service provider directly if a situation requires it.
But his work is more than just managing systems; it’s about facilitating the delivery of care to those in need.
“I don’t work directly with patients because we’re behind the scenes. But when the systems are running well and they can care for the patient, it’s a good day,” he said. “If you come in and the system isn’t working right, it slows everything down, and that’s not a good day. The most rewarding part of my job is ensuring that when you enter the emergency room, you’re worked right through because all the systems work.”
Cooper’s journey from his hometown of Knoxville to Tullahoma was just ahead of another’s steps — the love of his life, Penny. They attended the same high school in Knoxville, and she later moved to Tullahoma but moved back to Knoxville in 2007, three or four months before Cooper moved to Tullahoma. Cooper’s Facebook post during COVID of a photo from the Tullahoma Greenway changed his life forever.
“I was walking on the Tullahoma Greenway and just happened to take a picture and posted, ‘Look guys, I’m outside. Where am I?’ I was just being funny because the pandemic made us all stay inside. She was COVID-scrolling on Facebook and commented, ‘Oh, you’re on the Tullahoma Greenway.’ I wondered how she’d know that since she lived in Knoxville, and we started talking on April 10 and got married a year later. We’ve been married for over two years now,” said Cooper.
The couple was always a few steps away from crossing paths on multiple occasions, finally finding each other like a Hallmark movie plot.
He said, “We talked about things we’ve done in life, and I’d say, ‘I was there.’ And she’d say, ‘Well, I was there.’ We always barely missed each other. It’s kind of crazy. It just wasn’t God’s plan yet.”
They’ve lived with more purpose together in two short years than in their combined lifetimes.
“Penny has a passion for helping broken women. We’re one of the marketing directors for Deborah’s Safe Haven, a home for abused women and children sponsored by our church, Calvary Apostolic Church. The project is just starting, and we’re getting a house in Winchester,” he said. Cooper knows it’s a step but not a final solution. “We’ve got to figure out a way to help broken men so we can stop the broken women.”
But his faith is central to all he does, whether at work or home.
“God is everything to me, so I try to make sure that it comes out in everything I do. Even though my job is with computers, the Bible still says I’m supposed to do my due diligence. I’m supposed to do my best for what I do, so I’ve got to do my best in my work, and I’ve got to do my best for my family and my church. My faith is everything,” he said.
In the ever-evolving world of healthcare and technology, the most significant innovations aren’t always powered by servers and algorithms. Sometimes, they’re fueled by unwavering faith, nurtured by love, and guided by the belief that each day holds the potential for service. In the intricate tapestry of life, Cooper and his wife, Penny, are weaving together faith, love, and a commitment to making a difference — one life at a time. GN
