Honoring Great Works

(L-R) Valerie Barnes, Rebecca Hall, 2009 Trustee of the Year and Dr. Ralph Fillmore

(L-R) Valerie Barnes, Pat Harkness, 2009 Volunteer of the Year and Dr. Ralph Fillmore

SAMC Foundation Names Volunteer and Trustee of the Year for 2009

What is volunteerism? Volunteerism is defined as the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service. On a day to day basis the SAMC Foundation is fortunate to have many volunteers who give of their time and efforts to help the public charity raise needed funds. These volunteers are a source of new ideas, and provide extra hands for many projects and events.

 Annual Allocation Brings New Hope

Children at the SAMC Child Development Center enjoy the benefits of an allocation made to purchase new play equipment.

The Southeast Alabama Medical Center Foundation made its largest allocation, more than $200,000, to the hospital in September to support a variety of initiatives from facility expansion to purchasing life-saving technology.  With guidance from the Foundation Employee Advisory Board, the Foundation Board of Trustees allocated funding to 15 different projects throughout the hospital including a $47,000 donation to the Regional Health Screening Program – a 40-foot mobile screening unit that provides mammography, PSA exams, cardiovascular screenings, and diabetic testing to rural communities in the region.

Valerie Barnes, executive director of the SAMC Foundation says she believes the program plays a vital role in improving the healthcare of the community.  “The Screening Van provides people who wouldn’t normally get these tests the opportunity to get them.  We know early detection saves lives, so if this program can do that then of course Foundation wants to do its part in keeping the van on the road,” she says.

Medical Education Partnership Established

Dr. Marvin W. Sexton, Pulmonary Associates, P.A.; Valerie Barnes, SAMC Foundation Executive Director; and Dr. Alan W. Purvis, Pulmonary Associates, P.A.

SAMC is currently partnering with the Alabama Medical Education Consortium (AMEC) to serve as a teaching site for 3rd and 4th year Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O) medical students in a community based model. The goal of AMEC is to establish a Medical Education partnership that can provide over 120 primary care physicians to the rural and underserved areas of Alabama. SAMC is presently hosting 5 medical students’ who are in their 3rd and 4th year of medical education. One 4th year student is from Pikeville College of Medicine in Pikeville Kentucky, the other 3rd year students are from Nova Southeastern in Florida, Pikeville College and Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. 3rd year medical students are required to spend clerkships under the supervision of licensed physicians in the clinical areas ofinternal medicine, family practice medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, geriatrics...