Four USA Health employees recognized with community health leadership awards
“We hope that others will be inspired by their work,” said Daryn Glassbrook, Ph.D., executive director of the Mobile Medical Museum, which presents the awards.
By Michelle Ryan
mryan@health.southalabama.edu
Four USA Health employees are among the fifth annual class of the Mobile Community Health Leadership Awards, which recognize local leaders in education, awareness, and action around the city’s most urgent health issues.
USA Health representatives are:
Kimberly Hale, manager of community outreach and special projects
Theresa Miller, MHS, PA-C, physician assistant in the Division of Infectious Disease
Jean Sansaricq, M.D., obstetrician, and gynecologist; adjunct assistant professor, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine
Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., director of the Center for Healthy Communities, assistant professor in the Whiddon College of Medicine and trauma surgeon at USA Health
They will be recognized on Saturday, May 18, during an outdoor luncheon on the museum grounds. This year’s group was selected from a pool of public nominations, which were reviewed by museum staff and chosen with dedication to action, awareness, and diversity in mind.
“These leaders have rolled up their sleeves and designed impactful responses to perennial community health challenges such as gun violence, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and unintended pregnancy. They are often working with patients who are the least able to afford or access quality care,” said Daryn Glassbrook, Ph.D., executive director of the Mobile Medical Museum, which presents the awards. “That kind of compassion and dedication deserves to be more widely acknowledged.”
Hale, who serves as the director of operations for USA Health Industrial Medicine and the SouthNet Medical Clinic, described receiving the award as a significant achievement.
“Community leadership in healthcare is crucial for several reasons,” she said. “Community health leaders advocate for access to essential healthcare services, promote preventive healthcare measures, and address public health concerns in underserved communities.”
Miller, program coordinator for the USA Family Specialty Clinic, who said the award came as a total surprise, has always seen herself as advocating for patients to receive equitable access to medical care and for seeking ways to help support underserved populations in the community.
“There has always been a need for effective community leadership to address challenges in healthcare accessibility and affordability,” she said. “Healthcare leadership should be addressing current issues and guiding healthcare in the direction it should go in the future so that it can make a lasting impact.”
Williams Hogue described the honor as a “full-circle moment” because her goal is to make an impact on the community, which she does in multiple ways.
“As a trauma surgeon, I help to take care of anyone in this area who is injured,” she said. “I also have the honor of leading the Center for Healthy Communities, which focuses on health equity, and Project Inspire, which focuses on youth empowerment.”
She cited multiple struggles in the community, such as food insecurity, unemployment, lack of opportunities, housing insecurity, that have a direct impact on health outcomes. “It is extremely important for healthcare professionals, community stakeholders, community-based organizations, and community members to work hand-in-hand in finding solutions to the struggles we face,” Williams Hogue said.
The awards, handcrafted by local artist and Mobile Medical Museum Board President April Livingston, will be presented at an outdoor brunch reception on the grounds of the Mobile Medical Museum on Saturday, May 18, 2024, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Tickets, on sale now, are $35 per person or $265 for a table of eight.
