Good Samaritan Leadership Team

Hands and Hearts A Newsletter for Good Samaritan Volunteers and Staff - Fall 2018

Our Vision

Statement

Good Samaritan Health & Wellness Center will be a premier

Community Health Center accessible to all and dedicated to

delivering the highest quality care to the people and

communities we serve.

What’s Inside?

Pink-Out photos 2

Calendar 2

Hoedown is back! 3

Brad Herren 4

Spotlight : Dr. Austin 5

Volunteer Office Report 6

Welcome our new staff 6

Notes and Reminders 7

Christmas Reception 8

At its meeting in July, the Board of Directors confirmed the appointment of

T ammi Sorrells as Chief Executive Officer of Good Samaritan and Dr. Ken Austin as the Chief Medical Officer.

Tammi joined Good Samaritan in September 2015 as CFO and provided leader-

ship as the clinic transitioned from an all volunteer free clinic to a FQHC. Tammi’s

30 + years in accounting and 6 years working with GA Medicaid as the Financial

Director of a Mental Health agency would prove invaluable as Good Samaritan

welcomed Medicare and Medicaid patients and introduced a sliding fee scale for

p atients without insurance.

“It is a great honor to serve as Good Samaritan’s Chief Executive Officer. I would like to

thank the entire staff, volunteers and board members for all your support over the past

several months. It has been very challenging and rewarding. As you all know we have

been preparing for our site visit from HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administra-

tion) the division of the federal government from which we receive our funding. The

week prior to the scheduled visit, Hurricane Florence was lurking around in the Atlantic

Ocean and it was unsure if it would make landfall in Georgia. So, our visit was cancelled,

and we are still waiting to hear when it will be rescheduled.

“Back in July HRSA had two grant opportunities that became available for us to apply for.

One was for capital funding and the other was for Substance Abuse Disorder/Mental

Health funding to expand our existing Behavioral Health department. I am excited to say

that we applied and have been awarded both these grants and over the next several

months we will be able to add two new staff members, a Case Manager and an LCSW

(Licensed Clinical Social Worker), to expand our behavioral health department. We will

also be able to furnish our 4th dental operatory, purchase a generator and much needed

new equipment, including digital X-Ray equipment. We will also be able to repave our

parking lot. In addition, we applied for a private grant and were awarded funds from

Kaiser Permanente Foundation to support a new program that will provide additional

services for our Hypertensive patients.”

Tammy Sorrells

Dr. Austin has volunteered with Good Samaritan for a number of years. He be-comes CMO, taking on administrative duties but will also be seeing patients part-time Dr. Austin is the subject of our spotlight on page 5.

Page 2 Hands and Hearts

Third Quarter Calendar

October 2018 Tuesday, October 16 CTL Meeting – 1:00 PM Saturday, October 20 Good Samaritan Hoedown Thursday, October 25 Board of Directors’ Meeting—6:00 PM

November 2018 Tuesday, November 20 CTL Meeting – 1:00 PM Thursday & Friday, Nov 22—23 Thanksgiving—Good Samaritan Closed Thursday, November 29 Board of Directors’ Meeting—6:00 PM

December 2018 Tuesday, December 18 CTL Meeting – 1:00 PM Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Day—Good Samaritan Closed Thursday, December 27 Board of Directors’ Meeting—6:00 PM

January 2019 Tuesday, January 1 New Year’s Day—Good Samaritan Closed

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Good Samaritan staff turned their name tags pink for the

month of October and held a “pink out” day in recognition

of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

At Good Samaritan, female patients are reminded of the

importance of an annual mammogram. Patients without

insurance are referred to Northside Hospital where they can

obtain mammograms and other breast diagnostic procedures

through the hospital’s financial assistance program.

Left:

Michelle Menard

&

Nancy Alexander

Right:

Kelly Hardin,

Dr Austin,

Debra Howard &

Shelly Chapman

On October 20, Good Samaritan will again host the Hoedown at the Lowe Barn with a delicious

barbecue dinner, music, dancing and a live auction. Once an annual event, it has been a couple of

years since this fundraiser has taken place and the community has missed it.

Tickets are now on sale for $75 and can be purchased from Good Samaritan, Renasant Bank,

Community Bank, IGA Food Market or from any member of the Board of Directors. $50 from each

ticket sold is a deductible donation to the Health Center.

This year’s Hoedown will feature a DJ to lead the dancing and a live auction offering several wonderful

selections, including vacation opportunities in Siesta Key and Destin FL and two sets of Adirondack

chairs and tables made and donated by Mark Tooker.

Good Samaritan asks you to remember that support from the Federal Government only covers the

salaries of our present staff. Board Chair, Sally Long, says, “To continue to meet our operating

expenses and expand our offerings, we still need support from donations.”

Good Samaritan Hoedown is back!

Page 3 Hands and Hearts

Page 4 Hands and Hearts

The theme of the August 2018 National Health Center Week was Celebrating Health Centers: Home of America’s Health Center Heroes. Health Centers around the country were invited to nominate a hero who lives and breathes the Health Center mission and exceeds the call of duty to support that Center. Good Samaritan Health & Wellness Center took pride in nominating a true Hero, Brad Herren, an outstanding volunteer.

Director of Volunteers, Jean Mosshart, said:

“Brad has been volunteering his time since July 2011 and has served in a number of capacities. He began his tenure in Materials Management and moved from there to the Volunteer Office where he continues to this day. He was instrumental in spearheading the capital campaign to finance the new building and, once that was very successfully completed, agreed to become the Building Committee Chairman. At the same time he was (and still is) serving on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. He has served as Vice Chairman along with other duties.

“Not only did Brad head up the Building Committee but he gave many hours doing basic maintenance, both in the old trailers and, especially to bring the new building to completion in more ways than just the construction. He worked on the move from the old quarters, hung bulletin boards, saw that offices were adequately equipped, and many more duties. He was and still is the “energizer bunny”.

“Brad has also been very generous with his personal financial dedication to the clinic. He has planned and coordinated many fund raising events such as the annual benefit golf tournament, and the “Hoedown” event in the fall.

“He is most deserving of the Health Center Hero Award.

He is truly Good Samaritan’s Hero.”

Thank you, Brad!

On August 14, in celebration of

National Health Center week, the Board of Directors

provided an outstanding lunch for staff and volunteers

who were working that day

Brad was recognized at a lunch provided by the Board

and presented with a superman cape and shirt by

Tammi Sorrells, CEO and Sally Long, BOD Chair.

Brad Herren—A Good Samaritan Hero

Photos by Wayne Tidwell

Page 5 Hands and Hearts

Dr. Austin

Dr. Walter Kenneth Austin, MD attended high school in Cobb County

and graduated from the University of Georgia and the Medical College of

Georgia, School of Medicine. His medical career began in Charlotte, NC

where he joined a large Cardiology Group that supported a 900 bed

hospital. Doctors within this group dealt with everything from checkups

to heart transplants. He resigned from that practice at the end of 1998.

After 18 years, the 70+ hour work week had become a stress on the

family.

Upon his return to Georgia he was invited by an Atlanta Cardiology

Practice to open an office in his home town of Cartersville which would specialize in cardiovascular

disease care and diagnostics.

Dr. Austin’s next move, in 2004, brought him to Jasper as a cardiologist on staff at Piedmont Mountain-

side Hospital and ultimately to Good Samaritan as a member of the Board of Directors. His wife, Margo,

was born and raised in Pickens County. Her father, Dr. Guerrant Perrow, who was in General Practice in

Jasper, had been a volunteer at Good Samaritan from the early days of the clinic.

Upon his retirement from Piedmont, Dr. Austin also became a volunteer at Good Samaritan. He was a

member of the team that orchestrated the transition from a free clinic to a Federally Qualified Health

Clinic. He was appointed Good Samaritan’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), sharing duties with Dr. Booth

and Dr. Ryder. When Dr. Sohnen, joined the clinic as CMO, Dr. Austin returned as a volunteer provider.

Recently, he has been appointed CMO covering the administrative duties and seeing patients on a part-

time basis, freeing up salary to enable Good Samaritan to employ our new Nurse Practitioner,

Pattie Shelby.

Dr. Austin says, “While we need patients with Medicare, Medicaid and other insurances, our mission is

still to provide services to the underserved in the community, which now extends beyond Pickens County.

Currently, about 77% of our patients are uninsured and we do struggle financially. But everyone here is

really committed to this clinic. The Nurse Practitioners have told me they know they could make more

money elsewhere but Good Samaritan is where they want to be.”

Good Samaritan is where Dr. Austin wants to be also. On a visit to Kampala, Uganda, where his son was

serving as a missionary, he was offered an opportunity to stay and provide services to a medical clinic

supported by the local Lions Club. Dr. Austin chose to return to Good Samaritan, for which we are very

grateful.

Spotlight on Dr. Austin

Page 6 Hands and Hearts

Volunteer Office Report

VOLUNTER

Please welcome the following new volunteers who have joined Good Samaritan

over the summer months:

Admin Support - Courtney Estes and Shelly Pearson Dental Aid - Sabrina Duckett, Lynda Thurman and Amber Wilson.

Sabrina Duckett, (pictured here) a senior at Pickens High School comes to Good

Samaritan through a work study program. The first such student for the clinic! She

will be volunteering as a Dental Aid for three hours daily for the rest of the year.

Dr. Talbot is continuing to welcome students from the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta. By the end of the year, he anticipates he will have had 27 dental students rotate through as part of their clinical requirements for graduation. He will also be welcoming Dental Hygienist students from Lanier Tech.

The Good Samaritan Family is saddened by the death of Myrna Denson. A volunteer for several years and a three year staff member, Myrna was a true friend and ambassador for the clinic, sharing all our good news with whoever she could. She is survived by her husband Will, son Mike and his wife, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Family Nurse Practitioner, Patti Shelby completed her Bachelor’s and Graduate Nursing degrees at Chamberlain College and first came to Good Samaritan last July as a student NP. She did all her clinicals at Good Samaritan with the excep-tion of pediatrics. As a nurse, Patti has worked at Carterville Medical Center,Northside and Kennestone Hospitals gaining experience in GI, Cardiac and

Respiratory. Patti is married with three kids, all grown, and two golden retrievers. She says, “I fell in love with Good Samaritan and prayed and prayed for this position.”

Dental assistant, Tammy Goble comes to Good Samaritan with 24 years experience in general dentistry and oral surgery. She graduated from Dalton State and Medix School in Marietta. Tammy grew up in Pickens County. She and her husband love to fish and to hike and they run their own wood-working business. Tammy is dedicated to her church and her kids, two of whom attend Pickens High School.

Please welcome our new members of staff

Tammy Goble

Patti Shelby

Page 7 Hands and Hearts

Notes and Reminders

Good Samaritan Influenza Vaccination Policy:

All staff and volunteers are required to be vaccinated against influenza each year as a condition of continued employment or access to Good Samaritan. Good Samaritan will administer the vaccination or will accept documentation of vaccination from another source. * If you are approved for an exemption, you must wear a surgical mask from October 19 through March 31st in designated areas. * Please give your proof of vaccination for the flu to Michelle in the mainoffice. Michelle will give you a sticker for your nametag.

Winter Weather Reminder:

If the Pickens County Government Offices are closed for inclement weather,

Good Samaritan is also closed. Check their website or Pickens County GA Government on Facebook . Inclement weather closings are also posted on the Good Samaritan Facebook page.

“Like” Good Samaritan Health and Wellness Center for regular news, information and updates. You can “share” this information with friends

and help increase public awareness of the work done through the clinic.

Health Care Center Advocacy Network: You can still join the Health Center Advocacy Network by signing up as a health care advocate.

Use this link http:/www.hcadvocacy.org. You will be asked to give your first name, email address and zip code.

Advocates are asked to speak up on behalf of Good Samaritan, to share in educating elected officials and in spreading the word to friends and family.

Remember to record your volunteer hours: This information is used in a variety of ways including

on grant applications and grant status reports. We appreciate all the hours you give to Good Samaritan

and the fact that you document those hours! The hours notebook is now kept in the Volunteer Office.

Hands and Hearts is a Newsletter for Good Samaritan Volunteers and Staff. The winter edition will be

published in January. We are always looking for stories or photos of interest and invite you to email any

news items, ideas for articles or photos to Jean Lomax, JL2770@tds.net.

175 Samaritan Drive,

Jasper, GA 30143.

www.goodsamhwc.org

Good Samaritan hosts an annual Christmas Reception

for all volunteers and staff and their guests.

Look for your invitation in the mail

And plan and to join us for this fun Holiday Event To be held at

Holy Family Episcopal Church