Known for her service to the community, Olivia Pope retires from the Health Department

Olivia Pope, center in the pink jacket, surrounded by friends and coworkers in

the pediatric department at MCHD on June 26, 2013.

You know you are beloved when coworkers jockey for position to throw you going-away parties. On Olivia Pope's last day in the office, there was a buffet breakfast complete with a banner signed by dozens of staff members, followed by a large-scale lunch that included gifts and more sincere well-wishes.

Pope, a registered nurse and a director in Clinical Administration with the Mobile County Health Department, is retiring this summer from the agency after more than 12 years. Pope has been recognized by Health Department leadership for her service to Alabama’s oldest public health agency and the people she diligently helped care for.

Those who know her describe Pope as someone who is dedicated and hardworking with a deep love for performing community outreach. “She always goes above and beyond for her community,” said Termika Smith, a clinic administrator who oversees the Ryan White Clinic. Going above and beyond, Smith said, meant that Pope was consistently looking for new and innovative ways to reach those whom the rest of the world often forgets.  “She was always the first person to create programming for an initiative if one did not already exist.”

A dedicated mother, wife and sister, Pope has been a nurse for more than 33 years. In 2007, her role at the Health Department transitioned from that of a supporting nurse to clinic administrator. That move allowed her to dramatically expand her outreach activities, coworkers said. It’s no secret that Pope’s favorite part of her work week was when she could gas up the Mobile unit and hit the streets, as she liked to say.

“I have never seen a woman who waited so patiently for the age changes to occur in the Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program,” Smith said, so that more women could be included in the vital screenings. “She will be missed.”