Southwell, Tift Regional introduce new board members

TIFTON – The boards for Southwell and Tift Regional Health System announced two leadership changes and the addition of three new directors.

George M. Dallas Hunt IV has been named chairman of TRHS. Hunt is president of GM Services Inc. based out of Tifton, which includes restaurant and real estate businesses. Hunt was first appointed to the Tift County Hospital Authority in 2004 and served as chair of the finance committee and vice chair of TRHS, and chair of Southwell Ambulatory Inc.

“We are grateful that Dallas has accepted the TRHS board chair position,” Jimmy Allen, chairman of Southwell Inc., said in a news release “Dallas has a sharp business acumen and is deeply committed to the hospital’s mission.”

Hunt said Southwell and TRHS are important to area residents from both a community health and economic development standpoint.

“I consider myself working on behalf of my family members, co-workers and neighbors,” Hunt said. “We all benefit from having a strong health care system. In addition to providing quality care, Tift Regional is one of the area’s largest employers and has a significant impact on the local economy. I enjoy working with and am inspired by the other members of the board who selflessly volunteer their time and talents to make Tift Regional better for our community. With our great executive team, we must continue the journey to broaden our scope of care and enhance quality outcomes.”

TRHS also announced the addition of Dr. Rubal Patel to its board of directors. Patel is a board-certified pulmonary medicine and critical care specialist with Southwell Medical Clinic in Tifton.

William Bowen has been named chairman of Southwell Ambulatory. With interests in farming operations and real estate development, Bowen is the owner of the Bowen-Donaldson Funeral Home in Tifton. Bowen has served in a hospital board capacity since 2016, including work on the finance committee.

“We are really fortunate to have William in this important leadership position,” Allen said. “He is invested in the organization’s success, bringing his community involvement and business experience to the table.”

Bowen said the Southwell Ambulatory board focuses on the development of new outpatient clinics and services for the system.

“It’s exciting that Southwell and TRHS are branching out further to provide more primary care and specialty care access points for our area,” he said. “When you serve on a board like this, you have the honor, challenge, and responsibility of understanding how everything needs to work together for a health care system to accomplish its goals.”

Southwell Ambulatory also welcomed two new members to its board of directors: Fortson Turner and Dr. Cameron Nixon. Turner is an owner of Turner Furniture Company, headquartered in Tifton. Nixon is a board-certified internal medicine physician with Southwell Medical Clinic and also serves as chief transformation officer for Southwell.

“The members of our various boards represent great diversity,” Southwell President/CEO Christopher Dorman said. “We couldn’t ask for a better group of custodians for our organization. They maintain an effective governance framework that adds value to our operations, safeguards our values, and provides important direction and oversight.”

Visit www.MySouthwell.com for more information.

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