leading the way

Oak Hill Hospital is proud to announce the promotion of Susan Cooper, MSN, BSN, RN-BC, as its new vice president of cardiac services. Cooper was promoted from a previous leadership position as director of its neuro/ tele unit and newly formed Clinical Decision Unit (CDU). Cooper joined Oak Hill Hospital in 2013, bringing with her extensive nursing and leadership experience in cardiovascular patient care. While director of the neuro/ tele and CDU units, she led her team to honors by receiving the HCA Med-Surg Excellence Unit for Distinction Award in 2015.

Breaking Ground

Ocala Health recently began its $40 million construction on the West Marion Community Hospital campus. A groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion project was held in December. Ocala Health senior leadership and members of the Ocala Health medical sta ; Carl Zalak, chairman of the Marion County Board of County Commissioners; Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the Ocala/Marion County CEP; and local government representatives attended the event. This expansion, along with the additional 24 patient rooms that opened in April 2015, will nearly double the facility’s bed count in approximately two years. This investment by HCA, Ocala Health’s parent company, represents a nearly 42,000-square-foot addition to the 14-year-old facility.

Help For Our Veterans

Fifty-eight Ocala-area veterans recently received free dental services from Oakridge Dental Care. Dr. Christopher Bonesteel and team provided free oral health care to local veterans as part of its Veteran’s Free Dentistry Day, a program initiated to provide dental care to the growing number of veterans without dental insurance. The doctors and team members provided over $32,700 worth of dentistry, including extractions and cleanings to veterans throughout the day.

“Unfortunately, many veterans do not see a dentist on a routine basis,” said Dr. Bonesteel. “We were thrilled to open our doors to those in our community and volunteer our time and resources to make sure they received the care they need and deserve.”

Top Honors

Two College of Central Florida programs, physical therapist assistant and emergency medical services, are among the best in the nation, according to accreditedschoolsonline.org. Ranked third in the nation among four-year colleges, CF’s physical therapist assistant program takes about two years to complete and currently boasts a 100 percent graduation rate and 100 percent employment rate.

CF’s emergency medical services program, ranked fifth in the nation among four-year schools, takes 15 weeks to complete and leads to certification as an EMT.

a much-needed donation

Each year, Comfort Keepers launches a “Feed Seniors Now” food drive, which raises awareness about senior nutrition issues in our community, collects food and toiletry items and chooses a food pantry that focuses on seniors to receive what they collect.

This year, Comfort Keepers chose Marion Senior Services to be the recipient of the items collected. At the start of this drive, the food pantry at Marion Senior Services was in a “critical need” status. Throughout this drive, more than 26 agencies and individuals provided Marion Senior Services with over 2,653 pounds of food.

“This campaign enabled our sta to provide food to our most vulnerable and at-risk seniors and was especially helpful in the emergency preparations for Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew,” said Jennifer Martinez, Marion Senior Services executive director.