Celena Slowick, Community ChampionCelena Slowick, Community Champion
Marshall Browning Hospital Selected to Participate in Delta Region Health Systems Development Program
Du Quoin, IL - November 14, 2019 - Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin was recently notified by The Health Resources Services Administration's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), Delta Regional Authority (DRA), and The National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) that they were one of six additional rural hospitals to participate in the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program. The program helps to improve healthcare services in the Delta Region through intensive technical assistance to providers in select rural communities, including critical access hospitals, small rural hospitals, rural health clinics and other healthcare organizations.
In addition to Marshall Browning Hospital, other new additions included Sparta Community Hospital, Sparta, IL; South Mississippi County Medical Center, Osceola, AR; Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services, Inc., Salem, KY; Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital, Ste. Genevieve, MO; and Henry County Medical Center, Paris, TN.
"Healthcare is a top concern for so many folks across the Delta Region. Through this important program, specifically with the partnership for these new hospitals, we'll be able to improve access and overall healthcare services in our rural communities," said DRA Chairman Chris Caldwell.
In 2017, DRA partnered with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the program. The technical assistance, provided by subject matter experts at the National Rural Health Resource Center, focuses on improving financial operations, enhancing coordination of care, implementing innovate service delivery techniques such as telehealth, identifying workforce recruitment and retention resources, and more.
Included in the program is funding for a Community Champion. Marshall Browning Hospital is pleased to announce the selection of Celena Slowick as their Community Champion. Celena is currently a student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in public health. Following graduation, she will begin a master's program in public health which will allow her to complete her role of Community Champion over the coming three years.
Celena has a healthcare clinical background as well as public health. She will be instrumental in creating a cultural shift in the community toward healthier living and preparing the community for population health. She will work towards the development and implementation of a community care coordination plan. This will include building a partnership between health care providers and other community partners to align local services with community needs to improve the health outcomes and address social determinants of health.
"We are very excited to have been selected to participate in the DRCHSD Program. We are looking forward to working with the DRA, FORHP and The Center in addressing and improving the health care services for the patients in our community," said Dan Eaves, CEO. "We are also pleased with the selection of Celena Slowick as our Community Champion and feel confident that great things will come from this partnership that will result in significant improvements in the health of our community."
"Local hospitals are the backbone of rural America. They provide quality care without forcing patients to drive miles away, and are an economic boost to the community," U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said. "I'm proud to see Southern Illinois hospitals selected to participate in this important program and will continue to fight to bring federal resources to Illinois' downstate communities."