SGMC: CEO Ronald Dean

South Georgia Medical Center recently released its FY2020 Annual Report that celebrates the hospital's past while looking ahead to a bright future.

In this podcast, we talk to SGMC CEO Ronald "Ronnie" Dean, as explains the hospital's strategic priorities outlined in the annual report: Unsurpassed Patient Experience, Unequaled Access to Care, Unimpeachable Credentials, Unmatched Efficiencies.

Unsurpassed Patient Experience: "We exist for one reason and one reason only, to take care of patients," Dean says. "When you think about what we do, a lot of people zero in our capabilities to heal, and we provide medical care. But truthfully, we are doing more than that; we are enriching and improving the lives of those we serve."

Compassion is essential to SGMC's mission, and Dean says, "Our intent is to make sure everyone feels respected. Treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless of who you are, where you come from, and what your situation is. We believe anyone who walks in our doors, that we need to wrap our arms around them and show them we care." 

For a majority of patients, the Emergency Room is a primary entry point to the hospital. "Nothing is constant in the ER; it's always changing," Dean says. "The types of patients being treated, the mix of the patients, some really sick, some not as sick as other. But all are there because they feel like they need to be there. That team [ER] is trained to handle all conditions, but sometimes it's not overwhelmed but stressed." 

SGMC's involvement with the Partnership for Health is an example of improving healthcare access to residents. "They provide that primary care the patient needs to prevent them from having to come to the ER," Dean says. "Then it's to help them finish the healing process when they leave the ER. We are very proud of the Partnership for Health and what they do." 

Unequaled Access to Care: The term "access" is a buzzword in healthcare today—now more than ever, patients have options.

"We simply want everyone to be able to access what they need locally," Dean says. "We would rather not have anyone have to travel for something that can be delivered here responsibly. There are some specialties that we will never provide in our community because there are not enough resources to make it happen or demand."  

SGMC has recently doubled the number of physicians within their network and tripled the number of access points. 

Another access to care will come with the residency program.  Mercer University School of Medicine is a partner with SGMC's residency program, which will start next year with selecting the first class of medical residents.

Unimpeachable Credentials:  Each year, hospital and healthcare facilities undergo numerous—very rigorous—national accreditations. SGMC continues to receive approval at the highest standards from the top accrediting agencies.

Unmatched Efficiencies: 

During COVID-- hospitals had to "rethink" delivery of care, not just in response to the pandemic but moving forward. 

"We had to go through problem-solving on a lot of equations, just like a lot of organizations did," Dean says. "We learned a lot about ourselves, and I am very proud of the team, and we didn't miss a beat."

Join us next time as we continue to promote South Georgia as a great place to live, work, play, and visit.

Thanks to our sponsor Smalltown Broadcasting and WDDQ, home of the Scott James Matheson Show, where you can listen on Talk 92.1 http://talk921.com/ or through the TuneIn app https://tunein.com/radio/Talk-921