Tanner Among Foster G. McGaw Finalists Tanner one of three finalists for national community health prize
By Tony Montcalm
W
est Georgia is becoming a healthier place to live and organizations around the nation are taking notice. Tanner Health System was among only four healthcare organizations in the nation named as a finalist for a prestigious recognition from the American Hospital Association (AHA). The Foster G. McGaw Prize recognizes healthcare organizations that are committed to community service through a range of programs that demonstrate a passion and continuous commitment to making communities healthier and more vital. The prize, first awarded in 1986, inspires hospitals, health systems and communities to assess and implement programs that improve their communities, according to the AHA. “We have hospitals that provide superior care, but we decided to apply that same approach to care that we give to the sick and injured to start at the grassroots to make this a healthier community,” said Daniel Jackson, chairman of the Tanner Medical Center Inc. Board of Directors and president and CEO of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and Carroll Tomorrow. “We had a vision, then a dream, and now a reality. We have a health system that has partnered with the community to make this a healthier place to live.” That vision – and reality – was Tanner’s Get Healthy, Live Well. "As a community-based health system, Tanner has always worked to provide our neighbors with better access to quality health care," said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner Health System. "We pay close attention to the needs of our community and we work to develop the programs and services they need." What the region needs now, according to Howard, isn’t just treatment for conditions they have, but the education and empowerment to avoid and better control chronic conditions themselves. "Get Healthy, Live Well has allowed us to truly be a one-stop healthcare destination, thanks to the contributions of the medical care providers, staff, partners and volunteers who are passionate about
improving the community's health," Howard said. "It's rewarding to see the impact this initiative has had in building a culture of health while significantly increasing the quality of life for so many individuals. "Being selected as a finalist is a testament to Tanner's dedication to not only provide exceptional health care at its facilities in west Georgia and east Alabama but go beyond the hospital walls to improve the health and wellbeing of the community at large," he said. “In seven short years – with a very non-traditional approach for a hospital – we’ve made significant inroads toward building a culture of health in west Georgia,” said Denise Taylor, senior vice president and chief community health and brand officer for Tanner, who oversees the Get Healthy, Live Well initiative. According to Taylor, in those seven years, Tanner’s programs and community health efforts have attracted more than $5.5 million in federal and private funding to the region to support community health initiatives. “We believe our structure could be a model for other rural hospitals in the country because partnering and working alongside the community as we have at Tanner is the way you reach people and support them where they live, learn, work, play and pray,” said Taylor. Get Healthy, Live Well has grown to feature 35 distinct community health task forces and 600 active volunteers. Tanner had the opportunity to showcase the work that Get Healthy, Live Well has done during a site visit from representatives of the Foster G. McGaw Prize Committee, who visited Carrollton late last year as part of a tour that included visits to other finalist organizations. The health system pulled out all the stops to bring together representatives from throughout the region who have been part of Get Healthy, Live Well’s programs, giving a face and voice to the effect these efforts have had. Carrollton’s City Station hosted the visit. One significant way Get Healthy, Live Well has had an impact is through its free educational programs, regularly offered throughout Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties. Get Healthy, Live Well sourced several clinically based programs backed with research to demonstrate their effectiveness. Those programs include Living Well With Diabetes and the Living
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