Greene County Medical Center’s year came to a close on June 30, and CEO Chad Butterfield said one word stands out for Fiscal Year 2024 — Pride. “I am very proud of our team,” Butterfield said. “But when I say team, it goes beyond our staff. Team encompasses those who are trustees, Foundation members, Greene Backers, Auxiliary members, patients who choose us for their healthcare and anybody that is a supporter of Greene County Medical Center.”
Butterfield said, historically, the focus has been on sustainability. “Our goal is to make sure we are going to be here in 10, 15, 25 years. After a successful year, we are excited about our continued plans to exceed that goal,” he said. “Our board of trustees made some difficult decisions over the past 18 to 24 months and we have incorporated many changes to internal processes. Every single member of that team mentioned above embraced those changes and began pulling together to reach our goals.”
Greene County Medical Center is a not-for-profit organization that directly employs more than 200 individuals, but has a countywide positive economic effect on more than 500 total jobs. The wage impact for Greene County is nearly $23 million and the medical center generates over $57 million through expenditures.
According to Butterfield, a stronger financial position for the organization has also resulted in tax benefits to area residents. “Our tax levy percentage is lower than it has been, even as far back as 2017,” he said. “Property values have increased, but our tax asking dollar amount is actually lower. We are able to ask for less while doing more for patient-centered care.”
This was the first full operational year for the Walk-In Clinic, which averages 26 to 28 patients per day. “That is 26 to 28 people who didn’t have to leave the community after deciding they want to see a provider that day,” Butterfield said.
The success of that clinic resulted in Walk-In Mammo Mondays. Since February, those in need of an annual screening mammogram can forego making an appointment and come in on any Monday, from 8 am to 4:30 pm for this service.
During this past year, Greene County public health conducted a Community Health Survey, identifying the growing need for behavioral health services. The invaluable information from that brought two new behavioral health counselors / therapists to the team.
There has also been positive growth in specialty service utilization with the Pain Clinic adding treatment options and both the pain and urology clinics treating more new and existing patients than ever before. Leadership continues to listen to community members about what types of healthcare they would like to have close to home.
“We realize we are never going to be able to be all things to every patient,” said Butterfield, “but if we can be here to help during any step of their healthcare journey, we are able to add value, quality of life and peace of mind to those we serve.”
That stronger financial position has also provided the opportunity for Greene County Medical Center to reinvest in capital equipment. Some of this has been in partnership with competitive grants offered by Grow Greene County and the Greene County Community Foundation. These grant dollars were pooled with medical center funds and used for the purchase of radiofrequency ablation equipment for the Pain Clinic and handicap accessible doors at the independent senior living facility, Ever Greene Ridge.
“The entire leadership team at Greene County Medical Center is perhaps most proud of being able to give back to our greatest asset—our people,” Butterfield said. “We have added tuition and nursing recertification assistance programs for qualified team members and been able to help further offset the cost of medical insurance plans. On top of that, we have introduced more “soft” benefits, such as up to 75 percent reimbursement for pool and Greene County Community Center memberships.”
Butterfield adds his pride in this team goes beyond their willingness to embrace change and row together in a new direction. He is pleased with the way they take every opportunity to engage with our communities. “It is fascinating to look at all the different things we do,” he said. “Whether it was a Spring into Action food drive, honoring our veterans or providing a first aid tent and walking in the parade at the Bell Tower Festival, it is incredibly eye opening to see how much our people truly care. I couldn’t be more proud to call them my team and to be a leader at Greene County Medical Center.”
