Seminole Health Officers Chosen As National ?Emerging Leaders To Reduce Health Disparities
Public Health Officers at the Department of Health in Seminole County (DOH-Seminole) have been selected to take part in a national project to reduce health disparities among children and adults by addressing conditions that lead to poor health outcomes. DOH-Seminole Health Officer Dr. Swannie Jett and Assistant Health Officer Donna Walsh are one of only 12 public health officer teams chosen from across the nation by the Kresge Foundation to be part of an initiative to lead in today’s changing health care environment.
The Kresge Foundation is awarding the Seminole County team $125,000 and technical assistance to implement a project in the community to help identify health disparities. The 16-month program is designed to help position public health officers and their agencies to effectively develop and implement solutions for community problems.
DOH-Seminole project will establish a department for Health Planning and Policy Research that will cast a transformative impact on disparate communities throughout the county. The project will conduct health assessments to identify health disparities, income inequities and environmental health impacts in targeted neighborhoods. The team will collaborate with key stakeholders including municipalities, regional health council, hospitals, and community organizations. The project will explore the determinants of unnatural and premature causes of deaths and preventable morbidities. Data collected through assessments and existing resources will be compiled and disseminated in periodic newsletters, such as one called “Place Matters,” focusing on neighborhoods. The project will focus on community outreach and collaboration, fostering partnerships with stakeholders, research, data sharing and publication of findings.
The Seminole County health officer team was identified in a nationwide competitive process after the foundation invited state associations for city and county health officials to nominate local governmental public health leaders to participate in the leadership initiative.
South Lake Hospital receives chest pain center accreditation
South Lake Hospital received full chest pain center accreditation with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC). South Lake Hospital is the first hospital in Lake County to receive this designation.
SCPC’s accreditation process ensures that centers meet or exceed quality-of-care measures in acute cardiac medicine.
The Accredited Chest Pain Center at South Lake Hospital has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and undergoing an onsite review by a team of SPCP’s accreditation review specialists. Key areas in which an Accredited Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include the following:
Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures Ensuring the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel Maintaining organizational structure and commitment Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack
Community Health ?Centers Expands Access To Care With Donations From Henry Schein Cares
Community Health Centers, Inc., announced that it has received a donation of health care products under a grant from the Henry Schein Cares Global Product Donation Program. Through this program, Henry Schein, Inc., the world’s largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health, and medical practitioners, provides several health care product donations valued at $5,000–$25,000 each over the course of two years to Community Health Centers.
The grant will enable Community Health Centers to more effectively carry out its mission and expand its ability to provide high-quality, comprehensive and affordable medical, pediatric, dental and pharmacy care. With the help of Henry Schein Cares, access to health care for underserved and at-risk populations around the world in the areas of wellness, prevention, treatment and education, emergency preparedness and relief, and capacity building is possible.
Florida Hospital Names Cardiovascular Administrator for Volusia/Flagler Region
Florida Hospital has selected Scott Strech to serve as the cardiovascular administrator for the five Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties.
In this role, Strech will oversee the cardiovascular service line and will strive to reduce variation while increasing various metrics at Florida Hospital DeLand, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City, Florida Hospital Flagler in Palm Coast, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach and Florida Hospital Oceanside in Ormond Beach. Strech will be responsible for streamlining the cardiovascular programs to offer the community the highest quality and most comprehensive cardiovascular care.
Strech most recently served as the director of perioperative services at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tenn. He has also previously served in leadership roles at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital and Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.
A Daytona Beach resident, Strech earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Delta State University in Miss., and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi. In addition, he has completed his doctorate coursework in Health Services Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and expects to complete his degree by spring 2016. He has also taught various healthcare graduate programs as an adjunct professor.
