A Legacy of Care: Celebrating Years of Caring with Jami Belew, RT(R), ARRT
5/15/2025
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POPLAR BLUFF, Mo., May 15, 2025 - Jami Belew began her journey at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center—then known as Lucy Lee Hospital—in April of 1995, joining the radiology and interventional radiology teams. At the time, she was three months pregnant with her son, who was born at Lucy Lee in the Fall of 1995, delivered by Dr. John Patty—who also delivered three of her grandchildren.
From the start, Jami was part of some major medical milestones at the hospital. She helped with some of the very first procedures to open blocked blood vessels, treat spine fractures, and place special devices that help improve blood flow. “It was absolutely so exciting,” she remembers.
Over the years, Jami’s career grew alongside the hospital. She advanced from a technologist to supervisor and later director of radiology. When the heart program began, she eagerly joined in, eventually becoming supervisor and then director of the cath lab, CVOR, and interventional radiology.
Jami was a key part of starting the hospital’s life-saving heart attack program. She worked closely with the ER, ICU, and ambulance teams to make sure heart patients could be treated as quickly as possible—often in under 90 minutes. She also helped bring in new tools like special heart balloons, internal defibrillators, and quick-result testing equipment. She worked with the billing team to make sure everything was recorded correctly.
For 14 years, Jami served as the leader of cardiovascular services, guiding her team through innovation, growth, and many success stories for the hospital and the Poplar Bluff community. “It was a proud and very rewarding time for me and my career,” she says, reflecting on the sacrifices and proud moments that came with leadership and motherhood.
When the hospital transitioned to its new facility, Jami decided to return to her roots, stepping away from leadership and back into hands-on patient care in interventional radiology. She found joy in working alongside longtime colleagues and cherished the return to a role that had first inspired her passion for imaging.
Years later, life came full circle when Jami’s son, Tucker—who once swore he’d never work at the hospital because his mom was always there—joined the Poplar Bluff Regional team in Human Resources. “You’ll never know how proud it makes me when I ask someone if they know Tucker, and they light up with positive things to say about my son,” she shares with a smile.
Jami’s 31 year legacy at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center is one of innovation, dedication, and deep personal connection. Her decades of service reflect not only professional achievement, but the heart of a caregiver who helped shape the hospital into what it is today.
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