FARMINGTON — After 40-years of “pushing and prodding” to help create a local, rural health care system that has now become exemplary, Dr. David Dixon was honored by Franklin Community Health Network with a leadership award during Monday’s annual meeting.
It was Dixon’s vision to create a network of physicians offering multi-specialties that helped spur rural health practices during the 1970s, said Doug Walrath, FCHN board chair.
FCHN now offers that network and there’s nothing like it for health care in other rural areas, Walrath said.
Franklin Community Network is a locally controlled not-for-profit network of rural health care providers that include Franklin Memorial Hospital, Evergreen Behavioral Services, Franklin Health, NorthStar and the Healthy Community Coalition.
It was not only his work in health care that brought the honor to Dixon, Walrath said, but the fact that he is such a caring human being involved in his community.
Dixon acknowledged that he’s had a “great run” and for many years was one of many to fight, push and prod to improve local health care. Now there are huge challenges ahead in health care, he said, urging utilization of whatever the federal government puts out there.
During the annual meeting of the FCHN corporators, Richard Batt was given special recognition, a lifetime achievement award, for his 15 years at the helm of Franklin Memorial Hospital. He retired as president and CEO at the end of 2008.
Highlights of the organization’s numerous successes over the past year include a major focus on patient safety, a partnership with Tufts University School of Medicine and Maine Medical Center to make FCHN a teaching site for medical students, new physicians enlarging the scope of services offered and new technology for diagnoses and documentation of patient care, said Rebecca Ryder, president and CEO.
The year was not without challenges. Although a financial gain of $1.3 million was realized over the year, expenses offset a good portion of the net revenue of $8.5 million, said Jef Howell, corporation treasurer.
For the first time this year, the corporator-owned organization needed to secure a line of credit to provide the $48.4 million in salaries and benefits for over 800 individuals employed by the organization, he reported.
Being more cost effective will continue to be the organization’s mission to provide care to all those in need, Ryder said.
Dr. David Dixon, left, was given a leadership award by Franklin Community Health Network board Chair Doug Walrath during Monday’s annual meeting.
Dr. David Dixon, left, was given a leadership award by Franklin Community Health Network board Chair Doug Walrath during Monday’s annual meeting.
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