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16 ARCHBOLD
MEDICAL CENTER
LiveBetter
A COMMUNITY INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE OUR HEALTH
ARCHIVES
staff recently sat down
with Archbold’s Mark Lowe, Assistant
Vice President of Marketing, and Todd
Bennett, Clinical Outreach Manager,
to interview them about Live Better, a
recently launched health initiative in
Thomas County.
Q
Why was Live Better formed?
A
Lowe:
Live Better was formed as a
result of a challenge by Archbold CEO
Perry Mustian to do even more to im-
prove the health of our community and
look outside the walls of the hospital
to do it. Archbold has always had some
form of clinical outreach, most often
offered in the form of early identification
efforts such as free screenings, preven-
tion efforts such as Health Talks, or inter-
ventional education like breastfeeding or
smoking cessation classes. Those efforts
have had positive impact, but they really
haven’t moved the needle substantially
on the overall health of our community.
Research efforts uncovered that hospitals
that found a partner in clinical outreach
efforts were more successful. Using this
logic, the formation of an alliance with
several key partners created a type of
360-degree approach of tackling key
health issues.
Q
What is Live Better?
A
Bennett:
Live Better is the formal
name that represents an Archbold-led
effort of key community leaders and
community focused on improving the
health of the citizens of Thomas County.
Live Better is steered by leaders of major
sectors of the community (government,
education, media, business) that—when
working together—can leverage the
strengths of their organizations to
achieve measured health goals.
Q
What will Live Better focus on?
A
Lowe:
Primarily, the focus will be
on reducing obesity in Thomas County.
The members in the advisory group will
collaborate, problem-solve and put into
action solutions that involve what each
member organization can offer.
Obesity is a preventable condition,
yet the common link in most prominent
health issues in Thomas County: heart
disease, hypertension, stroke, COPD,
vascular disease, diabetes and cancer. In
addition to many other conditions, it also
is a risk factor for sleep disorders, arthritis
and spine problems.
Q
Where will Live Better take
place?
A
Lowe:
While there will be short-term
goals, the long-term vision is to change
the culture in which we live to the point
that being healthy isn’t the exception—
it’s a regular part of life. For that to hap-
pen, change must occur in every part of
our community: the workplace, schools,
on our streets and in our homes. It’s a
difficult goal to attain, but achievable
incrementally. Keep an eye out in the
community to see Live Better at work.
LIVE BETTER
ADVISORY
GROUP
Archbold Medical Center
Mark Lowe, Assistant Vice
President of Marketing
Todd Bennett, Clinical Outreach
Manager
City of Thomasville
Steve Sykes, City Manager
Michelle Juarez, Chief Financial
Officer
Thomas County Board of
Commissioners
Mike Stephenson, County Manager
Thomas County Schools
Dusty Kornegay, Superintendent
Thomas County-Thomasville
Chamber of Commerce
Lauren Basford, Executive Director
Thomasville City Schools
Sabrina Everett, Superintendent
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
Chris White, General Manager