Merit Health Central has named its 2019 employee and managers of the year. Erica Smith, BSN, RN, CIC, infection control coordinator, was named Employee of the Year. Jan Cossitt, emergency medical services coordinator, was named Non-Clinical Manager of the Year. Elvie Willis, MSW, LCSW, director of behavioral health services, was named Clinical Manager of the Year. These awards are the highest honor bestowed on hospital staff members and were announced at a special ceremony in December. “The ability to e... ... Read More

Posted with permission from Well-Being magazine, as featured in their May/June issue Late last year, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released new cholesterol guidelines that include recommendations for more personalized risk assessments and new cholesterol-lowering drug options for people at the highest risk for cardiovascular disease. According to AHA President Ivor Benjamin, M.D., the updated guidelines reinforce the importance of healthy living, lifestyle modific... ... Read More

The Mississippi Braves and Merit Health have announced a partnership that will give citizens access to “Walk the Park” at Trustmark Park throughout the calendar year. Beginning Monday, April 22 with a ceremonial walk at 10 a.m. prior to the M-Braves 10:35 a.m. game vs. the Montgomery Biscuits, the Trustmark Park 360 degree concourse will be available to walk any time, year round, during team business hours. Participants will also be allowed to bring in food items and have use of the stadium picnic table... ... Read More

Merit Health Central has named Tom Wills, MPPM, BSN, RN, as Chief Operating Officer. Tom has served over 20 years in healthcare, beginning as a charge nurse and quickly moving into leadership over multi-faceted departments and service lines. In his previous role as executive director of heart and imaging services with another facility in the market, Tom led a total of 31 departments, including the inpatient and outpatient cardiovascular, imaging and pharmacy service lines. While serving at Brookwood Med... ... Read More

Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States sustains a burn injury serious enough to need treatment. Children under the age of 16 account for 26 percent of all admissions to burn centers. Most of those injuries are scalds, and most of them are preventable. Burn & Reconstructive Centers of America is marking Burn Awareness Week February 3 through February 9. This year, the focus is on keeping children safe from hot foods and liquids. “Knocking over something hot only takes a second, so parents sho... ... Read More

3D mammography, which utilizes advanced breast screening technology, is now available at Merit Health Central. In conventional 2D mammography, overlapping tissue is a leading reason why small breast cancers may be missed and normal tissue may appear abnormal, leading to unnecessary callbacks. A mammography exam with 3D imaging can greatly reduce the tissue overlap effect. This method is clinically proven to significantly increase the detection of breast cancers, and also decrease the number of women ask... ... Read More