Submitted by Rodgerick Williams, GCHS CEO | Edited by Maya Quinn

Greene County Health System (GCHS) is changing how healthcare is delivered in Greene County and the role the Health System plays in the local economy. The system has already made great progress toward economic independence, expanding educational partnerships to generate a new wave of healthcare professionals, and improving the quality of services GCHS provides.

“We want to build a Health System that generates revenue by taking care of people,” GCHS CEO Rodgerick Williams said. “When Medicare, Medicaid, or an insurance company pays us for providing care here, those are dollars coming into Greene County. We can use those dollars to employ people, purchase goods and services, improve healthcare, and put those dollars back into our community.”

A Larger Economic Impact

GCHS currently operates on a budget of approximately $1 million per month with roughly $600,000 per month dedicated to payroll. “Our payroll is somebody else’s mortgage payment, grocery bill, car payment, or local business purchase,” Williams said. “When those dollars stay here and circulate, the benefit doesn’t stop with the person who works for GCHS.” 

The Health System shops at Banks & Company and Piggly Wiggly, refers patients to Mills Pharmacy, partners with local restaurants for employee events, and uses local skilled laborers and contractors for work outside GCHS employees’ expertise. “When those services are available here, and it makes sense to acquire them locally, we’d rather see those healthcare dollars circulate through Greene County.” GCHS is deliberately trying to keep more of its purchasing within the community whenever local businesses can meet the organization’s needs.

As GCHS increases revenue through patient care, insurance reimbursement, grants, and other outside sources, local resources can remain available for other community needs. “Every dollar we can bring into Greene County from outside sources is a dollar we don’t have to ask somebody here for,” Williams said. “That gives the County Commission, Sheriff’s Department, and other organizations more ability to use their resources for the other responsibilities they have to the people of Greene County.”

Creating Healthcare Professionals—and Reasons to Stay

GCHS is developing and expanding educational partnerships with Wallace Community College, the University of West Alabama, the University of Alabama, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Several education and workforce pipelines are already active, with additional opportunities being developed. GCHS wants Greene County to produce healthcare professionals who can work within the local Health System and throughout the surrounding region.

“We want our own citizens to have the opportunity to compete for these careers,” Williams said. “We want the people of Greene County to have access to the education that allows them to qualify for good healthcare jobs.”

Healthcare that serves the community

Community utilization of the hospital has increased substantially, and it has operated at or near capacity in recent days. Patient demand at the Physicians Clinic, however, has declined. GCHS leadership is working to reverse that trend by improving scheduling, access, and the overall patient experience. The health system hired a new Physician’s Clinic director and an additional nurse practitioner as part of a revamp of clinic operations. “The community is using us, and we are extremely grateful for that,” Williams said. “But increased utilization means we have to respond. We don’t want more patients to simply mean longer waits.”

The additional provider capacity is also expected to improve Emergency Department efficiency by increasing the clinic’s ability to accommodate primary care, walk-in, and lower-severity patients. This allows physicians greater availability in the Emergency Department and the hospital. “We’re not asking people to lower their expectations because they live in Greene County,” Williams said. “The standard shouldn’t simply be what’s acceptable for rural Alabama. We want to measure ourselves against healthcare across the United States.”

In closing, Williams wants to thank the citizens of Greene County for their continued support and trust in the health system’s staff. “We thank the people of Greene County for noticing the upgrades and improvements we’re making,” Williams said. “Our elderly citizens deserve to be treated with the same dignity, respect, and quality of care they would expect anywhere else. Growing older in Greene County should never mean accepting a lower standard of care.”