The current Leadership Dublin-Laurens County class gathered at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center recently for their annual visit during the “Healthcare Session” of their program. 

After a greeting by medical center Director Manuel Davila and Assistant Director Ryan Baker, in which Davila reaffirmed the medical center’s commitment to collaborating with community leaders in caring for veterans, communications director Dr. Frank Jordan and Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE) assistant chief Evon Culver gave participants an overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Dublin VA, and programs and services VA offers to veterans in 49 counties in middle and south Georgia. Davila, who just completed his first year as the Dublin VA director, thanked participants for visiting.

“Seeing you community leaders here at our medical center is very encouraging since it confirms what I’ve come to know in the past year which is that the Dublin-Laurens community is absolutely committed to veterans and their needs. Having you as partners truly makes our efforts more effective,” Davila said.

Jordan highlighted the fact that the Dublin VA is the largest employer in Laurens County with nearly 1,900 staff and the economic impact that their medical center has on the local economy. 

“Our mission is to provide the highest quality healthcare possible to America’s heroes in an environment of dignity and respect, but we do take pride in knowing that our presence also invigorates the local economy. The reality is that we are continually reaching out to our community leaders for support for our veterans, so knowing that the relationship is mutually beneficial while supporting veterans’ needs makes our collaboration a huge win-win,” Jordan said. 

Duana Cooper, HR manager at Nichols, Cauley, and Associates in Dublin, also emphasized collaboration as well the educational benefit for program participants in networking with VA staff. 

“The purpose of Leadership Dublin-Laurens County is to identify existing and emerging leaders within the community, to bring them together in an atmosphere conducive to the free exchange of ideas, and to provide them with an enlightening educational experience by informing them about leadership skills and about subjects, issues, people, places, institutions, and other matters of current importance in the community. Our annual visit to the VA goes a long way toward meeting that objective,” Cooper said. 

The 9-month Leadership Dublin-Laurens County program includes leaders from private and public organizations and includes multiple part sessions each month on different topics. The Healthcare session provides insightful education and information about primary health care facilities in the community and gives participants direct access to the facility leaders for interactive learning. 

“It has been such a wonderful experience participating in Leadership Dublin-Laurens County this year. So far we have done sessions on Criminal Justice, Education, Quality of Life and Healthcare,” Dublin VAMC Credentialing & Privileging Specialist Anissa Pricher said. “As someone who has not lived in Dublin very long, it’s a great opportunity to learn about our community. We met with Dr. Frank Jordan for part of the Healthcare session here at CVVAMC and, of course, there was a lot about our facility that I learned. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent CVVAMC for the 2022-2023 year.”

The session began at Fairview Hospital with leadership presentations from the CEO and CMO followed by discussion and a tour of the facility. Next, the Director of the South Central Health District and Laurens County Health Department presented information on all aspects of their responsibilities which include the clinical and health department, environmental department, epidemiology department, health promotion and disease prevention, health inspections, vital records, emergency preparedness, and the WIC program.  The session concluded at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center where leadership gave a presentation on the facility offerings, history, and upcoming projects and expansions.