While many executives spend an average of five years in one place, Newton Medical Center finds itself in the rare position of having four executives who have been with their hospital a combined 100 years.
CEO Jim Weadick has been with the hospital for 28 years, CFO Troy Brooks for 25 years, Human Resources Director Greg Richardson for 24 years and Chief Nursing Officer Barbara Valentine for 23 years.
The four executives have helped the nonprofit Newton Medical grow into a 97-bed, 285,000 square foot facility.
“I am extremely proud of the staff we have assembled. The level of compassion, vision and medical expertise is unsurpassed,” Weadick said. “We continue to push the boundaries as a team and share our vision for forward thinking to our entire staff. Inspiration is the seed of innovation and we constantly aspire to be the best we can be and provide superior clinical care to those we serve.”
Weadick is responsible for reporting to the board of directors about the clinical and business operations of the hospital, as well as ensuring the hospital fulfills its mission to the community.
Newton Medical began offering service in 1954 and has continued to take strides to provide innovative state-of-the-art medical services.
In addition to his financial duties, Brooks has also been responsible for the construction-related improvements to the facility since 1991
“Some of the biggest challenges we face are the constant changes to healthcare including managed care, physician recruiting and ever-changing payment systems. We are striving constantly to face these challenges head-on and find creative solutions that benefit the hospital, our patients, the physicians and our staff,” said Brooks.
Valentine is in charge of all aspects of the patient care program. Since beginning her career as a nurse in 1974, Valentine has held several management positions leading up to accepting the chief nursing position at Newton Medical in 1988.
With an emphasis on commitment to serving both inpatient and outpatient needs, Valentine leads and inspires her team daily to push beyond what is expected and provide outstanding care.
“It is a privilege and an honor to be able to care for our patients and know that we have helped them and their families through happy days, as well as sad and difficult times,” Valentine said.
Richardson arrived at Newton Medical in 1987 and came with one main goal in mind, to create a culture of outstanding customer service in the minds of employees and to create policies that support a high level of employee involvement. Results from the last employee survey show that goal was met as Newton Medical had a high level of employee engagement, and met ongoing improvements to policies regarding customer service.
In 2010 Newton Medical Center started using the Six Sigma quality improvement process, which led to a reduction of time patients spend in the emergency room, among other benefits.
In December, Newton Medical was re-accredited by The Joint Commission. Newton Medical also received the American College of Radiation (ACR) Gold Standard of Accreditation in Nuclear Medicine for a three-year term which helps in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of disease, including many types of cancers, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body.
Newton Medical has also been recognized with the following awards:
• 5-Star HealthGrades rating in Pulmonary Care - COPD & Pneumonia, 2011
• Georgia Hospital Association Chairman’s Award “Right Care Every Time” Initiative Core Measures, 2011
• CareChex Award, 2011
• Top 10 Nurses in Georgia, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2009, 2010 and 2011
• SterilMed, Inc., Environmental Excellence Best Practices, 2011
• 5-Star HealthGrades rating in Stroke, 2011
• HealthGrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™, 2011
• City of Covington Outstanding Tree Steward Award 2011
As for future goals, Weadick looks forward to adding new service lines and continuing to grow clinical outcomes and increase patient satisfaction, and to not sink the sailboat he recently acquired.
