Leadership Haywood was in full swing Wednesday, December 17th, and during the third meeting, the participants were able to learn about all topics regarding healthcare. From health insurance to the global pandemic on everyone’s mind, participants left the training with a better understanding of all things related to Haywood County health care.
The training kicked off with Greg Caples, new CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center. As a new member of Haywood County, Caples has taken on, not only the challenge of running a hospital, but also navigating COVID-19. Caples communicated to the group about the severity of the virus and informed the group of the different ways the hospital is tackling this pandemic. He showed us that with the global crisis, different technology has been added to the hospital to allow better and more innovative ways for individuals to receive safe, meaningful care. Haywood Regional has implemented the use of medical telerobots for distanced care from doctors in the facility and Duke, a partner of the hospital.
After Caples presented, Dr. Mark Jaben, Haywood County Medical Director, presented an intriguing and applicable lesson on leadership strategies regarding problem solving in the workplace. Jaben himself has been at the forefront of Haywood County’s problem solving of the pandemic that has wreaked havoc on, not only North Carolina, but the world. Jaben emphasized the importance of having a ‘vision’ and having all members be on the same page regarding end goals, when addressing problems that arise in the workplace. He spoke to the group, and we came to a consensus that it’s hard to address a pandemic, or even smaller, any problem, when there is not a clear, concise, focused end goal. Jaben closed with answering any questions regarding the new vaccine that was released this week. Questions were vast and abundant around this hot topic, and Dr. Jaben was the perfect individual to provide the necessary science and evidence on how to slow the spread of this deadly virus.
Chase Kress, of Stanberry Insurance, came and visited the group to present about health care. Kress made the topic of health insurance interesting and applicable to the group. With vital information about medical billing and explaining, in depth, the reasoning behind receiving multiple bills from different providers, Kress provided the class with key components to fully understand an individual’s policy. The group left with imperative knowledge and resources regarding health insurance and it’s ample benefits .
After a much-needed lunch break, Greg Shuping from Haywood County Emergency Services presented the group with an abundant number of statistics regarding Haywood County’s own emergency response teams. Shuping emphasized the importance of keeping Haywood County’s first responder times low, and he provided impressive numbers for our own county’s response times. Shuping stated that 90% of calls will have an EMS on site in approximately 9 minutes. Not only are emergency calls taken seriously, but our county also has some of the best equipment. Shuping let the group know that Haywood county’s ambulances all have ventilators; something that no other emergency vehicles in the state have. The constant goal of HC Emergency Services is to keep response times low and to save lives. With Shuping leading this team, emergencies in Haywood County are taken seriously and the lives of your loved ones are in passionate, responsible hands.
Following Shuping, Lieutenant Tyler Trantham gave a shocking presentation about the Waynesville Police Department and the long-running drug issue still being dealt with in the local area. While Trantham acknowledged a decrease in the opioid use in the area, mostly due to the expenses that are associated with addiction, he presented a rise in Schedule-1 drugs that are leading to many overdoses in the county. Trantham passionately emphasized the importance of mental health and programs the county offers to receive help for drug-associated crimes.
Lastly, after a long day, Susannah High, Haywood Community College Director of Student Wellness and Success and licensed social worker, wrapped up the afternoon presenting about the importance of individualized self-care. With a group of leaders in the room, she empathized with the amount of stress in everyone’s lives and provided a variety of strategies to help potentially manage the stress of day-to-day work life.
After a long, productive training day, the Health Care session of Leadership Haywood was nothing short of informative and intriguing. With many participants stating that it was the best session yet, it’s hard not to look forward to next month’s training on Economic Development in Haywood County.
Written by: Taylor Foxworth
Haywood Chamber of Commerce