HEALTH NOTES
Former Medicaid director honored
The Rural Health Association of Oklahoma named Dr. Garth Splinter “rural health leader of the year.” Splinter retired earlier this year as state Medicaid director, a position that allowed him to work on growing provider networks in rural areas. He previously worked at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, chaired the Commission on Oklahoma Health Care and served as the first CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
Other award winners were Dr. Gary Mathews, rural physician of the year; Andy Fosmire, vice president for rural health at the Oklahoma Hospital Association, rural health advocate of the year; and Rural Health Projects Inc. in Enid, rural health educator of the year.
Local health department accredited
The Logan County Health Department received national accreditation for the first time earlier this year. Nine county health departments in Oklahoma are accredited. The Public Health Accreditation Board has 264 pages of standards that it uses to judge health departments’ services and their involvement in their communities.
Integris executive joins council
Tim Johnsen, president of Integris Baptist Medical Center, was elected to the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Council of Regents earlier this year. Johnsen represents Oklahoma health care leaders’ interests to the council. He has been president of Integris Baptist since 2013.
Chickasha hospital adds dermatology
Southern Plains Medical Center added dermatology to its services earlier this year when it recruited Dr. Ray Cornelison. Cornelison was vice chairman of the University of Oklahoma dermatology program and previously served as chief of dermatology at Fort Sill. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 405-309-3376.
Health association recognizes hospital
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association gave Norman Regional Health System the Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement award. The award recognizes hospitals that provide stroke treatment based on the latest guidelines. Those include providing clot-busting drugs when appropriate and helping patients schedule followup care. About 795,000 Americans have a stroke each year.