Reflecting on a Year of Resilience and Continued Progress

As we step into the new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the incredible strides we made together in 2024. This past year tested our resilience, but it also highlighted the strength, innovation, and dedication that define our clinic and community.

Weathering the Storms

Facing two back-to-back hurricanes tested us in ways we couldn’t have imagined, but we were incredibly fortunate that the clinic building withstood both storms with minimal damage. This allowed us to reopen swiftly and provide essential care to residents and workers. Thanks to our incredible staff, care never faltered – whether through home visits, telehealth connections, or onsite services.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the Annex, which sustained extensive damage from storm surge. While its demolition in December was bittersweet, it also marked a significant step toward the future of healthcare on the island.

We’ve experienced a pandemic and three hurricanes all in the last four years. With each event, we learned where and how to improve. We also learned that we’re pretty good at soldiering on. We’ve learned from these adversities to never take for granted the beauty of the island and the resilience of the community.

Pioneering Progress

This year brought significant advancements in our ability to deliver care with the adoption of the Epic electronic health record system. Used by many of the nation’s top hospitals and health systems, Epic enhances how we manage patient information, helping us better support our commitment to continuous quality improvement. Epic’s information-sharing capabilities provide our care team with a fuller picture of patients’ medical histories, improving care coordination and enabling informed, personalized treatment decisions. It also automates routine tasks, allowing our physicians to spend more time focusing on what matters most – caring for patients.

Our dedication to quality extends to diagnostic advancements. Acquiring the DermaSensor, a cutting-edge tool for early skin cancer detection, is just one example of how we continue to adopt breakthrough technologies to improve patient outcomes.

A Record Year

We saw more patients than ever during our fiscal year (which ended in September, a testament to the growing trust in our services. Despite national challenges in healthcare – like the growing physician shortage that makes timely off-island appointments harder to secure – our three board-certified physicians and dedicated staff ensured that same-day appointments, long patient visits, and personalized referral management remained a standard that’s hard to beat.

Excellence in Care

Our team-based care model – a collaborative approach where healthcare providers work together to coordinate and deliver personalized care – continues to provide value. We’re seeing faster callback times, improved organization, and exceptional readiness for patient visits. This year, we also strengthened partnerships with providers like Yale-trained and board-certified psychiatry specialist Alexander P. Miano, M.D., enhancing access to psychiatry services.

Our commitment to quality is reflected in every aspect of our work. Not only do we conduct internal quality reviews and reports, but our care is also regularly assessed through external reviews, including those conducted by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care and monthly evaluations overseen by our board’s quality committee. These processes ensure that we continually improve and uphold the highest standards of care.

We’re equally committed to providing reliable and timely health information. Through articles in the Boca Beacon, updates on the clinic’s website (www.bghc.org/news/healthcare), social media posts, and emails sent directly to patients, we strive to keep the community informed and engaged in their health.

Building the Future

While the island’s businesses and residents continue the hard work of recovery and rebuilding, there is also much to look forward to. In 2025, we will break ground on the Clinic of the Future. This state-of-the-art facility will bring enhanced diagnostic imaging, expanded lab services, and advanced physical and rehabilitation therapy capabilities to the island. Designed with the community’s evolving needs in mind, this new clinic will offer greater convenience and enable our staff to focus on providing the personalized, high-quality care our patients need. It’s an exciting step forward for healthcare on the island.

As we reflect on 2024 and embark on 2025, I am filled with gratitude – for the dedication of our staff, the unwavering support of our community, and the trust of our patients. Together, we embody what it means to care, adapt, and grow.

Here’s to continued health and progress in the year ahead.

Warmly,
Mark Driscoll
CEO, Boca Grande Health Clinic

About the Author

Mark Driscoll

Chief Executive Officer

Mark began leading the Clinic’s operations in July 2020. He brings with him more than 30 years of healthcare experience in service line administration, practice management, managed care, and business development. His strengths as an entrepreneurial-minded, financially grounded executive with strong performance and achievement drive and exceptional team-building skills are invaluable in his role as […]