After more than 30 years leading one of the state’s largest multi-specialty medical groups, Mimi Collins retired from Longstreet Clinic at Northeast Georgia Health System on July 31, 2026.
Collins has been at the helm since the Clinic’s founding physicians hired her as executive director in 1994, when Northeast Georgia OB/GYN, Gainesville OB/GYN and Northeast Georgia Pediatric Group merged to form The Longstreet Clinic, P.C. Eight more single-specialty practices joined the following January. She became CEO a few years later.
Over the course of three decades, the Clinic grew into not only one of the largest physician-led practices in Georgia, but one regularly recognized for providing quality care and innovative approaches in a quickly changing medical landscape. This past February, Longstreet Clinic officially joined Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS), a longtime partner in caring for the medical needs of the community. Through all the innovation and growth, there has been one constant.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve in this role over the past three decades, and it’s hard to believe this chapter is coming to a close,” Collins said. “I remain so grateful to the physicians and visionaries in the medical community who trusted me. I leave knowing that the health of our community is in great hands.”
Because the area’s medical community has seen such growth over the past several decades, it can be easy to overlook just how much has changed. Some of the accomplishments and initiatives Collins is most proud of include:
Quality Care
Longstreet Clinic became one of the first practices in the state to have multiple physicians recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for quality in diabetes and heart care. It also was the first practice in the area to achieve the highest level of NCQA Patient Centered-Medical Home (PCMH) recognition. Research has shown that PCMHs improve the patient experience and quality, as well as increase staff satisfaction — all while reducing health care costs. Currently all adult primary care and pediatric locations are recognized as patient-centered medical homes.
Technology
Longstreet Clinic was an early adopter of electronic medical records technology, even taking home the state’s top honor in the 2008 e-Technology Awards for successfully developing and implementing an EHR system and using information technology to improve care, efficiency and safety. Through the years, the Clinic continued investing in state-of-the-art imaging technology that was often the first of its kind in the region. And in 2019, it implemented the industry-leading health information platform called Epic, which allows shared medical records across other Epic providers in Northeast Georgia including NGHS, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group and Georgia Heart Institute.
Expansion of Specialty Care & Services
A number of specialties were not present in the surrounding community back in 1995; access to those meant traveling for care, often to Atlanta. Early on, Longstreet Clinic partnered with NGHS to establish a NICU at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville with board-certified neonatologists, filling a care gap so sick and premature newborns could be treated closer to home. The two organizations also worked together to expand access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists, enabling higher risk pregnancies to be treated locally. Today, thanks to the longtime partnership with Longstreet, NGHS offers the community Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) at its hospitals in both Gainesville and Braselton. Through the years, Longstreet Clinic has continued to expand and make available additional specialties in our community, starting the hospitalist program in 1997, bringing the first Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation specialists to the community, and expanding Medical Oncology and Hematology services, among others. Additionally, Longstreet Clinic was instrumental in establishing the perinatal program at the Hall County Health Department, an initiative designed to provide prenatal care to women who lacked access to essential health services. The program has touched countless lives and helped improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in our community.
Elevating Outcomes While Improving Costs
Longstreet Clinic was an early adopter of value-based contracts, where outcomes drive reimbursement rates. Collins served on the board for the integrated HP2 network, working alongside Northeast Georgia Physicians Group and Georgia Heart Institute to improve value-based performance contracts, improving outcomes while reducing costs for all.
While the accomplishments and accolades through the years have been many, the driving force behind many of Collins’ contributions is a spirit of collaboration. When she was honored with the Medical Association of Georgia’s Donna Glass Non-Physician Distinguished Service Award in 2013, retired Longstreet Clinic neurologist Frank McDonald, M.D., noted that Collins’ belief in a collaborative healthcare model helped enable “Longstreet Clinic’s physicians, Northeast Georgia Health System, the Hall County Health Department, insurance companies and other health care entities to address the health care needs of the community.”
Earlier this year, Longstreet Clinic marked the beginning of a new journey decades in the making, as it officially joined NGHS after 30 years of shared history.
“The alignment process with NGHS has provided an opportunity to reflect on where we started, how far we’ve come and where we are going,” Collins said earlier this year when she announced that she would retire from her role at Longstreet Clinic.
It is a journey that’s come full circle for Collins, who early in her career served as Director of Physician Services at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
“I had the pleasure of working directly with Mimi very early in her career, and it’s been inspiring to watch her lead with passion across decades to leave a lasting legacy,” said LeTrell Simpson, former Vice President of Strategy for NGHS, current NGHS board member and Collins’ longtime mentor and friend. “The positive impact she’s made on healthcare across the region, several community nonprofit organizations, and the vision of the Lake Lanier Olympic Park – from its inception through consistent evolutions – is immeasurable.”
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About Mimi Collins
Prior to her role at Longstreet Clinic, Mimi Collins was Director of Physician Services at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Collins moved to Atlanta area in 1990 and worked at Emory Clinic as Manager of Admissions and Administrative Services at Crawford Long Campus (now Emory Midtown). Prior to Emory, Collins’ experience included supervision and management experience in private physician practice as well as two years as an associate in provider and claim services at Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. Collins received a dual bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Queens College in Charlotte, N.C., and a master’s degree in Healthcare Policy & Administration from Mercer University in Macon, Ga. Collins is a graduate of both Leadership Hall and Leadership Georgia. She is the recipient of the Medical Association of Georgia’s Donna Glass Non-Physician Distinguished Service Award, the Georgia Public Health Association’s Maternal Child Health Community Service Award for her contributions to the health and well-being of mothers and children in Georgia, the Northeast Georgia Council of Boy Scouts of America Ralph Cleveland Distinguished Citizen Award, the Gainesville Rotary Club’s W. Lee Arrendale Award for Vocational Excellence and Community Leadership, the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce’s Community Service Award and W.G. Mealor Chairman’s Award, as well as many other honors. Earlier this year she was inducted into the Junior Achievement Northeast Georgia Business Hall of Fame.
In addition to serving on the Brenau University Board of Trustees, Collins is a member of the board of directors of Lake Lanier Olympic Park Foundation. Collins also has served as an appointee of the Governor on the Georgia Department of Community Health Board, as well as many other local and state organizations and nonprofits, including the boards of Vision 2030, United Way of Hall County, the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, and Chattahoochee Country Club, where she served as President. Collins is a founding board member of Glory, Hope & Life, a northeast Georgia nonprofit that works locally to enrich the lives of cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. She enjoys spending time with her two adult children, Elizabeth and Stanton, their spouses, Marshall and Ana, and her grandchildren, Gabriel and Virginia.
About Longstreet Clinic
Longstreet Clinic at Northeast Georgia Health System is a primary care and multi-specialty practice devoted to providing high quality medical care at convenient locations across northeast Georgia. Through a fully-integrated, multi-disciplinary approach, Longstreet Clinic ensures the most appropriate medical services are delivered in a caring and compassionate manner. Longstreet Clinic is affiliated with Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS), a non-profit health system that serves a region spanning more than 19 counties that are home to more than 1 million people. As part of NGHS, patients of Longstreet Clinic have a direct connection to Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s five hospital campuses in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder, Dahlonega and Demorest. Visit longstreetclinic.com for more information about the clinic’s 150 providers, 20 specialties and 9 locations. Learn more about NGHS at www.nghs.com.
