By Christine Davis
The Palm Beach Health Network, made up of six hospitals including Delray Medical Center, supports opportunities for women to succeed in leadership roles. A McKinsey study on women in the workplace found that in 2021, 24% of C-suite members — or upper management — were female across all industries, and that number rose to 30% in health care.
In the Palm Beach Health Network, close to 70% of its top executives are female. They include Aganette Joseph, associate administrator for Delray Medical Center; Maria Morales-Menendez, chief operating officer for Delray Medical Center; Billie Young, IT director for Delray Medical Center and the Palm Beach Health Network; Amy Harrison-Daughtry, group director of health information management for the Palm Beach Health Network; and the top executive, Maggie Gill, CEO of Delray Medical Center and Palm Beach Health Network.
“I am proud that our female leaders are recognized for their strong work and that we are able to provide opportunities for them to advance their careers,” Gill said. “These women truly exemplify our commitment to delivering the highest quality care in the communities we serve. The Palm Beach Health Network is deeply invested in mentoring future female leaders and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion for everyone.”
***
Dr. Lloyd Zucker, medical director of neurosurgery for Delray Medical Center, which now offers a new scalpel-free treatment for Parkinson’s disease tremor patients, recently treated his first patient using sound wave energy to treat brain tissue at the source of the tremor. No surgical incision or anesthesia is necessary.
“I am honored to be able to not only treat the first patient at Delray Medical Center with this new groundbreaking procedure, but the first in any hospital in the region,” Zucker said. “We are now able to give those who suffer from this disease a chance to get back to living their lives, and pursuing their daily activities. We are at an exciting time in medicine when it comes to treating neuro disorders, and this technology is a game changer for patients who have suffered from Parkinson’s disease.”
***
Richard S. Isaacson, M.D., neurologist and researcher, is director of the newly launched FAU Center for Brain Health within the Schmidt College of Medicine.
He also will direct the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic and lead an academic clinical research program aimed at reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lewy body dementia in individuals with a family history of these diseases who do not yet have any cognitive decline or other clinical complaints.
“Most people are unaware that Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias begin silently in the brain decades before memory loss and other symptoms begin,” Isaacson said. “This leaves ample time to make brain-healthy choices in an effort to reduce risk and protect against cognitive decline. I am excited to join FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine to help identify patients at risk and to design personalized prevention strategies to delay or possibly prevent the onset of these diseases.”
Isaacson will maintain a clinical research program for individualized prevention for patients at risk. The FAU Center for Brain Health will support basic research, clinical care, education and outreach. The center plans to grow the clinical team to begin seeing patients in the second quarter of 2022.
In the meantime, the center has launched a free online course on brain health for the public at https://faumedicine.org/alz/course.
For information about the programs available at the FAU Center for Brain Health, visit http://faumedicine.org/alz.
***
St. Mary’s Medical Center & the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital appointed Jessica Miller as its chief nursing officer in December.
“This is homecoming for Jessica, as she is returning to Tenet Healthcare where she has spent much of her career, and she was actually born at St. Mary’s Medical Center, giving her strong family ties to this community,” said Cynthia McCauley, chief executive officer of the medical center and children’s hospital.
***
Palm Beach County has been recognized as one of 10 winners from across the United States of the 2020-2021 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize.
Palm Health Foundation, Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, and Palm Beach County Youth Services Department collaborated on the application process.
Palm Beach County was recognized for pursuing innovative ideas and bringing partners together around a shared vision of health, including expanding access to behavioral health, focusing on youth and elevating resident leadership.
The awards were presented at a virtual ceremony in November.
Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.
Comments