Compiled by Wayne T. Price
McKee named associate chief medical information officer at Orlando Health
Doug McKee recently accepted a role as associate chief medical information officer at Orlando Health.
His position involves advancing health care technology and improving care delivery across multiple Orlando Health markets.
Prior to joining Orlando Health, McKee was chief medical information officer at Health First.
McKee received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University, earning a bachelor’s degree in history. He received his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Orlando Health, founded more than 100 years ago, is a private, not-for-profit health care organization with a long tradition of serving its many and varied communities across Florida, Puerto Rico and Alabama. It operates 55 hospitals and emergency rooms in its network.
Last fall, Orlando’s Health acquired three local hospitals from Steward Health Care, including the 119-bed Melbourne Regional Medical Center, the 298-bed Rockledge Regional Medical Center and the 178-bed Sebastian River Medical Center in Sebastian. The deal also included related physician practices.
The acquisitions were the result of an asset purchase agreement with Steward Health Care that was approved by a bankruptcy court judge handling Steward’s bankruptcy case.
Orlando Health immediately rebranded the former Steward hospitals as Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital, Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital and Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital.
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Parrish Healthcare launches program to recognize extraordinary nursing care
Parrish Healthcare has launched the internationally acclaimed DAISY Award program at its facilities.
The initiative honors the exceptional compassion, skill and dedication of nurses.
Parrish Healthcare joins health care organizations around the globe in celebrating nurses who go above and beyond in delivering exemplary care to patients and families.
The DAISY Foundation was formed in January 2000 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.
When their son Patrick was ill, the Barnes family was in awe of the skill, care and compassion of his nurses.
They created The DAISY Award to recognize nurses for their outstanding contributions to health care. The foundation’s mission is to express gratitude to nurses whose work inspires and uplifts during challenging times.
“Our nurses are at the heart of everything we do, and their unwavering commitment to our patients’ well-being is truly remarkable,” said George Mikitarian, president and CEO of Parrish Healthcare. “We are excited to bring the DAISY Award program to Parrish Healthcare as a way to formally celebrate the extraordinary efforts of our nurses and ensure they receive the recognition they deserve.”
Patients, families and colleagues are invited to nominate nurses who demonstrate exceptional kindness, clinical excellence and commitment to care.
Honorees will be recognized in a ceremony where they will receive a DAISY award pin, hand-carved Healer’s Touch sculpture and a personalized certificate commending their achievements.
Nominations for the DAISY Award can be submitted year-round by going to www.parrishhealthcare.com/daisyaward and completing the included form.
“Caring for patients is both a privilege and a responsibility,” said Lisa Dickerson, vice president of nursing administration and chief nursing officer at Parrish Healthcare. “The DAISY Award gives us a unique opportunity to honor nurses who make an extraordinary impact every day, whether through their clinical expertise, a comforting word or the personal touches that set our care apart.”
For more information about the DAISY Award program or to submit a nomination, go to parrishhealthcare.com/daisyaward or contact daisyaward@parrishmed.com.
Titusville-based Parrish Healthcare includes Parrish Medical Center in Titusville; Parrish Medical Group; and Parrish Health Network, a coalition of health care providers, insurers and others.
Lee named program manager at Brevard Zoo
Michelle Lee recently started as program manager at Brevard Zoo. Previous to that, Lee was the zoo’s philanthropic operations manager.
In her new position, Lee will assist in managing the growth and expansion of the zoo (the East Coast Zoological Foundation) as it prepares to break ground on its Bowen Aquarium in Port Canaveral.
Lee will be responsible for the planning and implementation of key portfolios and programs to support the objectives of the East Coast Zoological Foundation.
The new position for the organization, and the responsibilities, include coordination of all programs and projects across the East Coast Zoological Foundation.
She also will build relationships, consensus and alignment amongst key stakeholders, including executive leadership, the board of directors and staff, in addition to developing the groundwork upon which the project management office will operate.
Lee is a graduate of Michigan State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in geography with a specialization in spatial information processing.
Arbor Day Foundation honors Florida Tech as Tree Campus
Florida Tech recently was recognized as a 2024 Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation for its dedication to enhancing community well-being through tree education, investment and community engagement.
To earn Tree Campus recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation, colleges and universities must uphold five core standards, including maintaining an advisory committee, setting and funding a campus tree care plan, marking Arbor Day, and creating a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
The Tree Campus program recognizes schools, universities and health care facilities that utilize trees to improve their communities.
“Trees have the power to inspire learning and improve well-being,” said Michelle Saulnier, vice president of programs at the Arbor Day Foundation. “By growing campus green spaces, forward-thinking higher-education leaders like Florida Tech are cultivating vibrant learning communities that also benefit the greater environment.”
The Florida Tech community helped the campus retain its tree-filled glory, said Kirk Hemphill, director of maintenance and co-chair of the University Sustainability Committee.
Over the last year, the campus planted five new native trees as part of the university’s sustainability efforts. And all year, dedicated landscape and grounds staff work to prune and maintain the health of the campus trees, ensuring their continued growth and vitality.
“This year was a great success for our Campus Tree Care Program,” Hemphill said.
Additionally, volunteers helped clean the Joy and Gordon Patterson Botanical Gardens and assisted with cleanup efforts after Hurricane Milton.
Florida is home to 15 tree campuses. Overall, there are 411 tree campus recipients nationwide in higher education, K-12 education and health care in all 50 states, the foundation reports.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. Its network of more than 1 million supporters and partners has helped the organization plant more than 500 million trees in forests and communities across more than 60 countries since 1972.
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