Drumroll please: It's moving day for Southwest Mobile Health Center in Tillman's Corner



MCHD lab technician Darlene Sommer moves supplies into a new laboratory

at Southwest Mobile Health Center in Tillman's Corner on Friday, May 31.



TILLMAN'S CORNER, Ala. -- After months of renovation work, staff from the Mobile County Health Department's newest primary care clinic, the Southwest Mobile Health Center, moved into newly refurbished medical office space on Friday, May 31. Steven Murray, the clinic's administrator, said providers should be ready to see patients and other staff will be prepared to assist clients who take part in the Women, Infant and Children's (WIC) nutrition program first thing Monday, June 3.

"It's our goal to have normal business hours Monday," Murray said Friday as workers pushed carts loaded with computers and other equipment past him. He said progress at the newest clinic has been satisfying to watch unfold, as staff members from Primary Care, MIS and the physical plant came together to achieve a common goal.

Friday morning, MCHD staff members including Jack Bolen crouched under desks and cabinets as they installed phone and computer cables. Raymond Johnson, a network coordinator for the MCHD, was busy, too, ensuring that WIC staffers would have enough space for their equipment in a records room where some contractors were testing lines in and out of the building. "We're trying to get the phones to work," Johnson said, nodding at two men who busily typed on laptops nearby.

Later, movers arrived from the former WIC offices in Tillman's Corner. Elizabeth W. Smith and other staff members directed the workers on how to place dozens of chairs they carried in. Within minutes, the waiting room was transformed from an empty space to a welcoming spot complete with a flat-screen television. 

Darlene Sommer, a lab technician, was spotted carrying armloads of supplies from the back of the building where a small clinic had been open since October 2012.  She was preparing the clinic's main laboratory for patients. "We're seeing new people here," she said of the client base at Southwest. "We're seeing new people from this area who haven't been to the Health Department before."



Workers unload equipment Friday morning at the new Southwest Mobile

 Health Center in Tillman's Corner. 



The Southwest Mobile Health Center was funded by a federal grant aimed at bringing quality primary health care to underserved areas. In addition to primary care services for children and adults, plans also call for adding dental services at the center as soon as renovations to the back of the site are complete. Located at 5580 Inn Road, the health center is near the intersection of U.S. 90 and Interstate 10. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Fees are based on a sliding scale and private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are accepted.

"I think the potential for growth here is exponential as far as services go," Murray said. "This has the potential to be the next Keeler. It's already a medical home and we have the potential to be a true medical complex."

      

Spring Fling 2013:Tooth Fairies dominate team building competition




Mobile County Health Department pediatric staff members Darlene Burrell, Dr. Debra Walks and Natalie Briceno react to their team winning the egg and spoon relay race on May 9, 2013 during the Spring Fling held at Ft. Whiting in Mobile.

 MOBILE, Alabama --  At the end of the day, it wasn’t the folks who shield us from infectious diseases or the people who make sure we get paid on time that brought home the bacon and the bragging rights during a May 9 staff training event for the Mobile County Health Department. The overall prize for competitive field games at the 2013 Spring Fling went to the Tooth Fairies, a group of dentists and other oral health staff members led by a colorful pink-headed pixie.

More than 400 MCHD employees participated in the 2013 Spring Fling that offered staff training and development opportunities – along with a variety of team-building exercises -- at Fort Whiting on the Brookley Field campus in Mobile. An employee sponsored cake walk raised $133 and a silent auction brought in $1,066 for the Previto Boosters. Staff from the Social Services department won a pizza party after their basket “Prosperity Blooming” received the highest bid of $125 during the event.




Members of the winning Tooth Fairies team, who are recipients of two hours of coveted comp time were: Dr. Kerri Bowie, Dr. Joel Green, Dr. Kelly Crooker, Dr. Marjorie O’Neal, Eckaydra Baker, Kendra Wilson, Iris Wiley and Brandi Jones.

 



Wearing matching purple T-shirts, the team known as WICtacular, with members that work for the Women, Infant and Children Nutrition Program, took second place in the games. Team members were: Wendy White, Rachel Howat, Kimbe Hawthorne, Jacqueline Forrest, LaCrena Nicholson, Margaret McCulloch, Lawana Bradley and Erica Redd.





Staff members in a group known as the Misfins took third place in the team competition that included everything from horseshoes and volleyball games, to an egg and spoon relay, a ball pass relay and a bean bag toss. Members of the Misfins were: Collena Matz, Celita Ransom, Waconda Towner, Cassandra Coleman, Raymond Johnson, Yatron Weatherly, Amy Rosson and Phyllis Moore.





Staff members from the Adult Clinic dressed out to cheer on their favorite team, fashioning tissue paper into pompoms.



For those who preferred a little more music and a little less competition, there was line dancing and bingo, card games and the cake walk. Game judges dressed the part, too, wearing black and white striped jerseys and blowing whistles at anyone who dared to get out of line. The egg and spoon relay was overseen by a particularly feisty ref who made sure her charges stayed in line until it was their turn to balance a small plastic egg on a ridiculously tiny spoon. We won’t name names, Miss Mildred, but if there was an award for the sassiest staff member at Spring Fling, you would win it.



Members of the "We AURA Beautiful" team gather for a photo outside Fort Whiting on May 9, 2013. From left to right, Cindy Norman, Natalie Wright, Tyra Harris, Pavonia Adams, Peggy Miller, Kelly Warren and Elizabeth Williams.