Our region has so much to be proud of: We are a diverse, collaborative population that, through the years, has remained flexible and nimble to the changes around us. Through my years as a teacher, researcher and active member of the community, I have studied our many strengths and know firsthand our areas of opportunity.
In my role on the Board of Trustees of Southeastern Health, I take seriously my duty in exploring partnership opportunities that can make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of residents throughout our region. The ability to advance the health of our local population is one of the four criteria our board is looking for in any potential partner, and population health is a topic I am deeply invested in both personally and professionally.
When we talk about population health, we’re looking at the overall health and well-being of the residents in our community. Population health is about much more than how health-care services impact outcomes; it requires one to be a partner in addressing the other health drivers including economics, education and a sense of belonging and meaning.
We are an incredibly diverse region whose worldviews blend together to create a tight-knit, collaborative community. Our diversity, along with our rural location, brings many strengths. It also means that we have a unique set of health challenges that require a personalized, holistic strategy to address.
Any potential partner must share our commitment to keeping residents of Robeson County healthy. We are looking for a partner who wants to be deeply embedded in our community and has experience in managing the health and well-being of a rural, diverse population.
Even more importantly, the right partner recognizes the importance of the community as a key part of the solution to the challenges we face, like increasing access to needed health-care services, addressing food insecurity and managing chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and COPD. From our school systems to our religious institutions, we all have a role to play in making our region healthier in mind, body and spirit.
I know that if we find the right partner to advance population health throughout our region, we will be a community that continues to thrive. We will have the tools, expertise and resources needed to improve heath in our community and our residents will be actively engaged in their health and well-being.
I am honored to be part of an institution that represents the many unique perspectives of our region. We have your best interest at heart, because we live and work right here in Robeson County. Your hospital is our hospital, and we are deeply invested in finding the right solution to move Southeastern Health forward and secure our future for generations to come.
