Jason Colbert takes caring to a new level not only by helping families
through crisis, but also through supporting his favorite hometown.
f
ew kids in high school know what they want to do as a career, and Jason
was no different. Two weeks after he turned sixteen, his Vidalia High School
business development teacher, Wanda Youmans, stopped him in the school
hallway. “Jason,” she said, “I’ve got a job interview for you with Chapman
Healthcare. The job is delivering and setting up health equipment for families in
their homes. I think you would be perfect for the job.”
The only reason Jason agreed to go to the interview with the company owners,
Virginia and George Chapman, was because he needed money for gas now that he
could drive. But the Chapmans agreed with Ms. Youmans—Jason was perfect for the
job. He enjoyed caring for people. He didn’t need an aptitude test to point him toward
a career in healthcare. His heart was confirmation enough.
While his classmates talked of escaping small-town life to pursue their dreams,
he felt only fulfillment in serving the people in his own hometown. Jason graduated
from Vidalia Comprehensive High School in 1996 and attended Brewton-Parker
College for a time. For nearly ten years, he worked for Chapman Healthcare. And
even though he loved his hometown and loved his work, the mentality that there was
something better beyond his small-town life led him to leave. “I went to work for a
company in Statesboro. But after fifteen months, I knew it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t
home,” said Jason.
When Meadows Regional Hospital opened their own medical equipment
company in 2005 called Meadows Home Medical (now called Alliance Home Medical),
Jason was hired to manage it. After only a year, he was approached by the owners of
Community Hospice, Vickie and Royce Ryles. “I had no idea what hospice care was
even about, but they asked if I would interview for their CEO position,” said Jason.
Just like his high school teacher, Ms. Youmans, the company owners were confident
he was perfect for the job.
That was fourteen years ago. Now, Jason couldn’t see himself doing anything
else. In 2010, he became one of the youngest in this country to ever pass the National
Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Administrators board exam. Anyone
who has ever sat for national board exams will appreciate what it takes to have
CHPCA (Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator) behind your name. It’s
not just a job for Jason. It’s his passion, his life calling. For families in need of endof
life care for a loved one, his work at Community Hospice represents more than a
professional service – it personifies compassion and guidance during one of the most
difficult times.
30 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE