CONTRIBUTED BY
EAST ALABAMA HEALTH
OPELIKA —
April was a busy month at East Alabama Health (EAH).
EAH EMPLOYEES EARN FELLOWSHIPS, RECOGNITION FROM NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Three East Alabama Health employees have been recognized for their exceptional commitment and dedication to providing high-quality, compassionate health care by earning credentials from national organizations and landing prestigious fellowships.
Chuck Beams, executive director and chief pharmacy officer, was one of 21 pharmacy leaders who recently received the Certified Pharmacy Executive Leader (CPELSM) credential from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP).
“It was an absolute honor for me to earn this credential and be able to meet and learn from other pharmacy leaders from around the nation,” Beams said. “This credential and learning experience has allowed me to build connections with other industry executives to find new ways to provide our patients and employees with better experiences.”
The CPELSM recognizes commitment to achieving and maintaining excellence in professionalism, leading people, leading the pharmacy enterprise and leading within and across complex health care systems.
Launched in 2021 as the first of its kind in pharmacy leadership, the CPELSM acknowledges the unique expertise of pharmacy executive leaders. To be recognized, pharmacists must have a minimum of five years of progressive and sustained leadership experience, including significant managerial oversight in a health care organization resulting in advancing pharmacy practice and positive patient outcomes.
Beams also completed a four-day capstone at ASHP headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, to demonstrate achievement of validated CPEL leadership and professional competencies. Participants took part in progressive problem-solving exercise during the capstone.
“I’m very thankful for the support East Alabama Health has given me,” Beams said. “Over the years, EAH has been committed to giving me opportunities to learn and grow in my career; this is another excellence example of that commitment. I am the leader I am today because of their investment in me.”
Chelsea Kroll, social worker at the Spencer Cancer Center, was selected along with five others to make up the 2023 class of Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) fellows. Kroll also began her term on the AOSW Board of Directors in January 2023 as the director at-large for Special Interest Groups.
“It’s an honor for me to be selected as an AOSW fellow for 2023,” Kroll said. “AOSW is such a vital organization within the oncology arena, and I look forward to continuing to serve the membership by upholding our values of leadership, education and mentorship.”
The AOSW is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the enhancement of psychosocial services to people with cancer and their families. The fellowship is awarded to individuals who have made great contributions to the science and practice of psychosocial oncology.
Keith Matthews, a nurse practitioner at Unity Wellness Clinic and graduate student in Auburn University’s College of Nursing, has been awarded the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for 2023.
Matthews’ work at Unity Wellness, an AIDS Service Organization, is what earned him the prestigious fellowship. He said he hopes to use the fellowship to develop future projects and students that will have an impact on the treatment and treatment outcomes of patients afflicted with HIV.
“Being selected for the Schweitzer Fellowship is a tremendous honor,” Matthews said. “I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that I was chosen.”
Founded in fall 2015, the Alabama Fellows Program is one of 13 active Schweitzer programs across the U.S. dedicated to developing a pipeline of emerging professionals who enter the workforce with skills and commitment necessary to address unmet health needs.
“The thing I am looking forward to is being able to work and connect with some of the best and brightest across various specialties in health care,” Matthews said. “All are passionate about serving underserved populations, and our projects will help find ways to improve their overall health while increasing access to care.”
Alabama Schweitzer Fellows are competitively chosen from students enrolled in graduate and professional schools around the state who demonstrate a passion for cultivating positive change in Alabama communities where the need is greatest.
ALSOBROOK BELL OFFERS HOPE & INSPIRATION TO COMMUNITY
Greeting visitors as they enter the Spencer Cancer Center is a large, shiny brass bell offering these instructions: Ring this bell for courage, strength or hope. Ring for blessings, big or small.
The bell is in memory of O.D. Alsobrook III, by his wife Colleen, and was installed in February.
“O.D. was a very giving person with a positive attitude,” Colleen said. “I think he would love that people can ring the bell that was given in his memory, for any reason to celebrate.”
O.D. served on the EAMC Foundation board, and both he and Colleen were instrumental in helping raise funds for the Spencer Cancer Center. He assisted in raising funds to support medical services for the underserved. After his passing, Colleen took O.D.’s place on the Foundation board.
“O.D. served on the foundation board primarily because EAMC had meant so much to me for over 40 years,” Colleen joked, as she has worked in many roles at EAMC over her career.
Colleen said she hopes that anyone who needs something to lift their spirits as they enter the Spencer Cancer Center, regardless of their situation, gives the Alsobrook bell a ring.
AUBURN FOOTBALL STAFF VISITS EAST ALABAMA PATIENTS, STAFF DURING TIGERS GIVE BACK DAY
Auburn football’s coaching staff stepped off the gridiron and into the halls of East Alabama Medical Center April 11 to lend their support to patients and offer their appreciation to the hospital’s dedicated health care workers.
Coaches Hugh Freeze, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, Phillip Montgomery, Ron Roberts, Ben Aigamaua, Josh Aldridge, Marcus Davis, Zac Etheridge, Jeremy Garrett, Wesley McGriff and Jake Thornton visited with patients and staff on the second and fifth floors, as well as the Skilled Nursing Facility.
The visit was part of the university’s Tigers Give Back community service day, an initiative that gives coaches and staff a chance to participate in community projects and uplift their neighbors.
ABOUT EAST ALABAMA HEALTH
East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 314-bed regional referral hospital with a 26-bed Skilled Nursing Facility, while EAMC-Lanier provides inpatient services as well as a nursing home, an acute rehab unit, senior behavioral health and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 3,500 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University. For more information, visit www.eastalabamahealth.org.