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David Walker, CEO of George E. Weems Memorial Hospital, along with other North Florida hospital administrators, met this week with Florida Hospital Association (FHA) President and CEO Mary Mayhew to discuss regional health care priorities and the latest information on COVID-19 case trends and preparation for vaccine distribution.
According to FHA President Mayhew, the roundtable meeting served as an opportunity for health systems across the region to collaborate and share best practices on this area’s health care priorities – from access to care in rural communities to mental health and substance abuse prevention. “Hospital teams throughout this region are continuing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis while preparing for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and ensuring frontline workers and our most vulnerable are prioritized in the early days of its distribution,” Mayhew said.
In addition to Walker, the FHA roundtable included hospital administrators including Mark O’Bryant from Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare as well as hospital leaders from Panama City, Perry and Liberty and Calhoun counties.
“Meeting with all the regional hospital leaders allowed us to gain perspective on how our neighboring communities are weathering the challenges of medical care during this pandemic,” said Weems Memorial CEO David Walker. “I was pleased to learn that Weems is on par with other larger hospitals in terms of the quality care we provide and I feel we will be prepared to successfully launch the vaccine distribution in our community once it becomes available.”
Founded in 1927, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) comprises over 200 hospitals and health systems from across the state. Through representation and advocacy, education and informational services, we support the mission of our members to provide the highest quality of care to the patients we serve. The association is governed by a Board of Trustees and officers elected by the member institutions.
George E. Weems Memorial Hospital’s CEO David Walker has been named Florida’s Top 2020 Rural Health Leader from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH). According to the association, the 2020 Rural Health Community Star Recognition is a reflection on Walker’s and Weem’s commitment to providing quality healthcare in a rural setting – particularly during the nationwide COVID health crisis.
“You couldn’t have asked for better qualifications in a CEO during a pandemic.” said Bree Watzak, Director of Technical Assistance at the Center for Optimizing Rural Health. Watzak was one of two healthcare professionals that nominated Walker for the honor. Abbie Parmenter, with the Florida Department of Health, was the second professional to nominate Walker.
In the nomination, Watzak noted that Walker has handled Franklin County’s local rural healthcare needs during the COVID crisis admirably by purchasing a one-hour COVID-19 testing machine for Franklin County’s hospital and stepped into high gear to communicate resources and plans to the community, make testing available for health and school district employees.
Walker’s award announcement coincides with the 2020 National Rural Health Day (NRHD) – November 19, 2020 – an annual day of celebration that shines a light on those serving the vital health needs of an estimated 57 million people living in rural America. On the third Thursday of November every year, the NOSORH leads National Rural Health Day. Walker and Weems Memorial will appear in the 2020 edition of the book of Community Stars, published on the official NHRD website, powerofrural.org.
Reflecting on the honor, Walker said it’s all about listening and relationships. “You find the need through listening and you fill the need through cooperation. It’s all about building relationships, collaboration, partnerships and thinking out of the box,” Walker said. “We are more diverse than most might think, but the power is in our unity.”
You can read Walker’s Community
Star profile online at https://www.powerofrural.org/
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. If it’s not controlled, diabetes can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems.
One in 12 Americans has diabetes – that’s more than 25 million people. And another 79 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The good news? People who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their risk by more than half if they make healthy changes. These changes include: eating healthy, increasing physical activity, and losing weight.
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. One in 12 Americans has diabetes – that’s more than 25 million people. And another 79 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, or are age 45 or older, you are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is that making healthy changes can greatly lower your risk.
Make an appointment at either the Weems Medical Center in Apalachicola or Carrabelle to learn your risk assessment for diabetes.
In an effort to serve the mental health needs of military veterans living in the area, Weems Memorial Hospital is joining with the Veterans Administration (VA) and Florida State University to integrate measurement-based care (MBC) into patient care.
MBC is the routine administration of symptom rating scales and use of the results to drive clinical decision making at the level of the individual patient.
The process involves taking a questionnaire every time you see your provider. The results may help you and your provider see how you are doing currently and over time progress.
Health officials say MBC helps you to see how you are doing over time and advocate for yourself. MBC can also help you start to talk with your provider about what’s working in your care and what’s not.
“This practice may improve both face-to-face and telemental health encounters and will help optimize resources and connection to outside services for our veterans,” said, David Walker, Weems CEO.
“We are hopeful that this initial partnership with VA and FSU can lead to additional opportunities to expand care for veterans seen in our clinics including other services in addition to mental and behavioral health.”
To learn more about veteran measurement-based-care, please contact Susie Buskirk at Weems Medical Clinic (850) 653-1525.