Leia O’Fallon has spent her life serving others, guided by faith, compassion and a deep commitment to women’s health in South Arkansas.
A lifelong resident of the region, O’Fallon graduated from Hamburg High School in 1988 before earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1996. She later completed her Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2000, specializing in women’s health.
O’Fallon credits her early influences to both education and faith. Elementary school teachers encouraged her interest in science, while Sunday school teachers helped shape her spiritual foundation. Together, those influences planted the seeds for a career centered on service.
Although she always knew she wanted to help people, O’Fallon did not initially envision nursing as her path. She once considered becoming a speech pathologist, but after a friend entered nursing school, her interest grew. She also points to Pauline Barnett, a nurse in the Surgery Department at Ashley County Medical Center, as a major influence. O’Fallon described Barnett as not only an exceptional nurse, but also a devoted prayer warrior.
Her healthcare career began as a nursing aide at Ashley County Medical Center. After becoming a registered nurse, O’Fallon worked on the medical-surgical unit at Chicot Memorial Hospital in Lake Village. She continued her clinical work there and at Drew Memorial Hospital (now Baptist Health) while pursuing her master’s degree. Her career later included work at a rural health center in Dermott, followed by two decades teaching nursing at UAM.
After 20 years in education, O’Fallon felt called back to patient care when a women’s health position opened at Mainline Health Systems.
While pursuing her advanced degree, O’Fallon knew women’s health was where she belonged. Personal health challenges at a young age left her feeling uninformed, and she became passionate about ensuring women had access to education and quality care. Early in her nursing career, she recalls filling in unexpectedly in labor and delivery. Within 45 minutes of clocking in, five babies had been delivered.
“It was such a whirlwind,” she said. “But I knew then that labor and delivery might be for me.”
Today, O’Fallon says the most rewarding part of her work is empowering women with knowledge and confidence about their bodies and their health. She finds fulfillment in seeing positive changes ripple through families and generations as women take control of their well-being.
“I want women to know they can have control of their health,” she said. “And I want them to understand how important prenatal care is — how much of a difference it makes for both the baby and the mother.”
O’Fallon said Mainline Health Systems offers a full range of women’s health services, including monthly prenatal classes held on the second Wednesday of each month from 2 to 5 p.m. at Baptist Health–Drew County. The classes allow expectant parents to ask questions, learn from one another and tour the hospital’s maternity wing. Nutrition services are also available to support patients throughout pregnancy.
For those considering a career in nursing, O’Fallon offers simple but heartfelt advice.
“It is a rewarding career,” she said. “There are so many opportunities in different specialties. Just do it. It is the hardest but most rewarding thing you will ever do.”
When asked about her greatest accomplishment, O’Fallon points not to professional milestones, but to her family and her ministry work. Each year, she travels to Shinyanga, Tanzania, with Evangelistic International Ministries to participate in medical missions. Those experiences reignited her passion for hands-on patient care.
She recalls one moment that has stayed with her: a young child with AIDS approached the group in tears and asked, “Why do you love me so much?”
“We just hugged him and told him he was loved,” she said. “Some people just need someone to love them.”
That philosophy, she said, aligns perfectly with Mainline’s mission to provide care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
“Everyone is seen,” O’Fallon said. “It makes my job that much more rewarding.”
Asked what she loves most about South Arkansas, her answer came easily.
“Everything,” she said. “The Southern hospitality, the love people have for one another, the stories they tell. Everyone is so down to earth. I love the people of Bradley County, and the Mainline location in Warren is like a big family.”
Outside of work, O’Fallon enjoys painting, exercising, spending time outdoors and reading the Word of God — quiet moments that continue to strengthen the heart of a healthcare hero devoted to serving others.
