Angel Medical Center President's Column for September 2024

AMC Partnership with Library Offers Community Education

September reminds me of a very familiar phrase, song, and bible verse: To everything there is a season. I find as I grow older that these words gain more and more meaning.

One of the greatest gifts is one we often disregard. It’s hindsight, which allows us to change our future based on our past or others’. This applies to both personal health and the arena in which I’ve been fortunate to build my career: healthcare. This industry is ever-changing, and we must be ready to pivot at any given moment. The most striking example of this was the pandemic.

One of my personal health challenges is food and weight — and I know I’m not alone. I eat poorly and think about exercising more, yet I continue to wonder why I still have challenges losing weight. I know what behaviors to avoid weight gain, but I continue to repeat them. Sound familiar?

Extra pounds put you at risk for numerous conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. One dangerous healthcare trend is that there always seems to be a new weight loss “miracle cure.” To be clear, there’s a need for prescription weight loss medications for people who are doing the right things and remain unable to lose weight to improve their health. 

There’s a concerning obesity issue that’s plaguing our society and setting young people up for serious future health problems: childhood obesity. When it comes to modeling good eating habits, we parents are who children look to, because we set the nutritional tone in our homes. We owe it to our children to model sound eating habits, and I want to do this for my son, too. 

Struggles with weight loss to childhood obesity to good eating habits to healthcare could be reduced with more education and resources for community members to learn about health. Healthcare is more than medicine. It is about education, partnerships, outreach, and following your passion. An exciting recent initiative that exemplifies this is the partnership between Angel Medical Center and the Macon County Library. It started off as an opportunity to take people’s blood pressure, but it blossomed into education, support groups, tele-healthcare with support, direct support from a healthcare friend, healthy cooking, and most of all, healthy aging and the next generation teaching and learning from each other. 

The Fontana Regional Library System applied for and received a grant from the American Heart Association with the goal of raising awareness around heart health through better blood pressure knowledge regarding blood pressure control. The Libraries with Heart grant supplied a blood pressure console right in the library and automated at home-portable versions that can be checked out, just like a library book. 

The Angel team provided education to library staff that led to the creation of a monthly community education program. It was also noted that our community doesn’t always have the technology or understanding to conduct a telehealth visit at home. Through our collaboration, we addressed this issue by creating a private space in the library with an iPad for monitoring. The compassionate library staff members provided essential guidance for community members, for which we’re grateful. 

Initiatives like these truly make a difference for our community’s health. Come support the activities at the library and grow a healthier community together.

Clint Kendall, FACHE, MBA, MSN, BSN, RN, is Chief Executive Officer/Chief Nursing Officer of Angel Medical Center. He started his career as a nurse, and that perspective still informs his work and passion for the patient experience. Clint holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Nursing, and Health Care Management from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Carolina University. Clint has also earned the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) certification, and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), and the American Nurses Association (ANA).