More than meets the eye

Disabilities can mean more than meets the eye

ASCENSION’S ALICIA BARLOW SHARES SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM HER DAUGHTER’S TRIUMPHANT EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY DEALING WITH DYSLEXIA

At Ascension, our ABIDE hallmarks (Appreciation - Belongingness - Inclusivity - Diversity - Equity) serve as constant reminders that encourage us to cultivate inclusive, welcoming and accommodating environments resulting in equal opportunity for all — especially for those of us living with unseen challenges.

According to the Invisible Disabilities Association, nonvisible disabilities are those that are not immediately obvious. They include, but are not limited to, autism, mental health conditions, and cognitive impairments such as dementia or learning difficulties. Without the presence of physical supports such as a wheelchair, walker or splints to indicate a disability, individuals challenged by nonvisible impairments are sometimes misunderstood and, as a result, often go without necessary support. Alicia Barlow, ABIDE Council Lead for Ascension Indiana, Manager of Community Development at Ascension St. Vincent and mom of four, understands this dynamic quite well. Her daughter Morgan Anderson, now a straight-A eighth-grade middle school student who plays three sports, initially struggled with schoolwork during preschool and kindergarten before being diagnosed with dyslexia in the fourth grade.

“Very early on, I could tell something was different about the way she was connecting with numbers, letters and sight words,” Alicia said. “People would tell me, ‘Oh, it’s only preschool, she’ll get it. She is still in kindergarten. Give her time. Give her grace.’ Some even suggested that I was unfairly comparing her progress to that of my high-ability son, Camren.’’

Alicia said that despite the feedback from others, she had a deep sense that something wasn’t right.

“I was spending two to three hours each night on homework with my daughter that should have taken us about 20 minutes,” she said. “I’ve always been hands-on with my children’s education, but this situation caused me to take my involvement to even higher levels.’’

In addition to doubling down on the individual time spent with her daughter, Alicia increased outreach to Morgan’s teachers and school

“We may work alongside leaders or colleagues every day who suffer from challenges we don’t know anything about.”

— ALICIA BARLOW, ABIDE COUNCIL LEAD FOR ASCENSION INDIANA, MANAGER OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ASCENSION ST. VINCENT

administrators and tapped the expertise of an aunt whose son has cerebral palsy. “She was an advocate for my cousin and knew the system,” Alicia said. “She understood supports and could speak the lingo. She knew how to help me help my daughter.”

Alicia said her aunt made a special trip from Washington, D.C., to Indianapolis to accompany her during a visit with the school psychologist and to demand the development of an individualized educational plan (IEP) for Morgan. After quite a bit of back-and-forth with the school administration and her insurance company, Alicia said, Morgan finally got the support she needed.

“We went from D’s and F’s to straight A’s. My daughter currently advocates for herself, knows what’s in her IEP, understands the supports she needs and knows what works for her,” Alicia said. “It took about four years for us to get here, but there has been a complete turnaround.”

Morgan is equally proud of how far she’s come and said she’s not defined by her learning challenges or by the expectations of those who don’t understand them. “There is so much more to me than what you see,” Morgan said.

Alicia and her daughter’s triumphant journey led to them being recognized as Parent Advocate and Student Advocate of the Year, respectively. Alicia said her experience with her daughter has emboldened her passion and commitment to help other families and students who are struggling with unseen disabilities as well as those who face other challenges.

“I even correlate this to my work managing language and translation services here at Ascension because it mirrors the situation with my daughter,” Alicia said. “Here’s a population of people who are experiencing communications challenges. It’s similar to dyslexia. If individuals can’t speak, read or understand a language, how can they communicate? It’s our responsibility to provide the necessary support to them.”

Alicia said the work she leads to provide translation and interpretation services for individuals with limited English proficiency served by the northern and southern regions of the Indiana Ministry Market plays an important role in supporting health equity for those with challenges.

“Individuals need to receive their health information in the language and format they can understand to comply with the guidance of their doctors, to read prescriptions and to get the care they need,” she said. “This work helps further Ascension’s commitment to providing equitable outcomes for all.’’

Equity is one of several ABIDE hallmarks Alicia believes everyone can use as a guide in support of those who face unseen challenges.

“Just because someone has a disability, it doesn’t mean they can’t do the work,” she said. “We may work alongside leaders or colleagues every day who suffer from challenges we don’t know anything about. We must appreciate everyone for who they are, what they are and their ability status. It’s important to create safe spaces where people feel like they belong and are free to bring their unique gifts to the workplace. Likewise, it’s important to be inclusive for the same reasons.”

Alicia Barlow and daughter Morgan Anderson

ALABAMA

Communities recognize hospitals Ascension St. Vincent’s Blount was named the Organization of the Year by the Oneonta Business Association. This award recognizes the outstanding commitment and dedicated service associates provide to the community. Also, Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Clair was awarded the Pell City Chamber of Commerce 2021 Industry of the Year.

Sleep center opens Ascension St. Vincent’s One Nineteen opened its Sleep Wellness Center. The sleep lab has two certified sleep educators on staff and offers a hotel-like atmosphere while providing state-of-theart technology.

Wound center blessing A blessing was held for the new Wound Center at Ascension St. Vincent’s Chilton.

BALTIMORE

Honoring Population Health team and Healing Hands Society inductions Ascension Saint Agnes received the 2021 Mayor’s Business Recognition Award from the Greater Baltimore Commission. The award recognizes the Population Health team’s hard work and dedication to building partnerships to vaccinate vulnerable groups in the community against COVID-19. A special ceremony was also held to celebrate the newest classes of physicians in the hospital’s Healing Hands Society. This cherished event honors physicians who have served the hospital and region with clinical excellence, innovation, leadership and service to the community. The double ceremony honored 2020 and 2021 inductees after last year’s celebration was postponed due to pandemic restrictions.

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK

Hospital recognized for outcomes The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program recognized Lourdes Hospital as one of 90 participating hospitals to achieve meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2020. Lourdes is required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures and collect data that assess patient safety and can be used to direct improvement in the quality of surgical care. Lourdes was in a select group that achieved a meritorious composite score in “All Cases.”

Grant supports trauma victims Lourdes was awarded a three-year grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation in New York to support its Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) program, which offers free health and wellness support services for children and adults who have experienced a traumatic event, abuse or violence. ACEs helps families manage their traumatic experiences and promote a healthy path forward.

New department of research Lourdes Hospital established a Department of Research as part of its Oncology Service Line to enhance oncology treatments and improve patient outcomes. Lourdes is conducting three oncology clinical trials relating to bladder cancer and metastatic prostate cancer with and without a gene mutation; Kathleen McGinley, DO, is the principal investigator.

FLORIDA AND GULF COAST

Best maternity hospitals recognition Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside and Ascension St. Vincent’s Clay County were named to the Best Hospitals for Maternity list by U.S. News & World Report. The publication rated how well hospitals performed on cesarean sections, newborn complications, breast milk feedings, early elective delivery rates and availability of vaginal birth after C-section.

Hospitals earn Leapfrog’s ‘A’ for safety Ascension Providence in Mobile, Alabama; Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside in Jacksonville, Florida; Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach, Florida; and Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola, Florida, earned a grade of “A“ on the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The safety grade is based on a hospital’s performance on 27 measures

Ascension St. Vincent’s Blount associates hold an award received for dedicated service.

An Ascension St. Vincent Medical Mission at Home event provides hundreds of clothing items for individuals in need.

related to preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

New Florida hospital set to open The new Ascension St. Vincent’s hospital in St. Johns County, Florida, is expected to open in July 2022. The 150,000-squarefoot facility will have 56 inpatient beds including an eight-bed intensive care unit, a 15-bed Emergency Department, nine procedural areas and six operating rooms.

ILLINOIS

Collaboration expands cancer care University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) launched a collaboration at Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago that brings UCM’s specialized cancer expertise, access to advanced therapies and innovative clinical trials, and greater cancer care options. The collaboration includes radiation, medical and surgical oncology services, as well as research services. Patients can see UCM oncology physicians at the Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago campus.

Reaccreditation for chest pain center St. Mary’s Hospital Kankakee has been recognized by the American College of Cardiology with Chest Pain Center Accreditation for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain. The renewed accreditation is based on rigorous on-site evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.

Top hospital citation Named a Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group for 2021, Resurrection Medical Center was honored for its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality. It was one of only two teaching hospitals in Illinois to receive the honor.

INDIANA

Heart center receives top honors Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center was named to Newsweek’s 2022 World’s Best Specialized Hospitals – Cardiology list for the third consecutive year — the only hospital in Indiana to receive this honor. The center was also recognized as one of the nation’s top-performing hospitals by Fortune and IBM Watson Health. This was the 10th consecutive year that the center has been recognized as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in this study, which uses a balanced national scorecard of hospital performance metrics including clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, financial performance and patient experience.

New centers offer advanced care Ascension St. Vincent opened the Ascension St. Vincent Adult and Pediatric Burn Center and the Pediatric Trauma Center at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent. These new centers, combined with the Ascension St. Vincent Adult Level I Trauma Center, provide severe injury care for the entire family in the same place.

Medical Mission at Home In partnership with St. Monica Catholic Church in Indianapolis, the Ascension St. Vincent Medical Mission at Home event provided 450 sets of winter accessories and coats and more than 100 bags of food and personal care items. COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations were administered, and the Ascension St. Vincent Health Access team assisted individuals with insurance.

Maternal and infant health honored All eight Ascension St. Vincent delivering hospitals earned the INspire Hospital of Distinction recognition from the Indiana Hospital Association for the second consecutive year. The recognition honors associates and clinicians for having shown supporting evidence in at least four of the five key drivers of maternal and infant health.

Family makes games donation Working with certified child life specialists at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent, an Indianapolis family donated $15,000 in video game systems and accessories for the enjoyment of young patients.

COVID-19 survivor discharged after 6 months After 175 days of hospitalization for COVID-19, 160 of those spent on a ventilator, Wesley was discharged to begin rehab. During his stay at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent, the 16-year-old had 12 caregivers in and out of his room almost daily, representing about seven

specialties. He also received approximately 233 hours of physical and occupational therapy. The teen kept up with his education through the hospital school program. Wesley said he was so grateful for the many clinicians who cared for him that he plans to become a respiratory therapist and then obtain a nursing degree.

KANSAS

Heart valves clinical trials Ascension Via Christi’s Structural Heart team is participating in two pivotal U.S. clinical trials that will help advance new therapeutic options for patients with failing tricuspid valves. Until recently, patients with failing tricuspid valves have had limited treatment options, resulting in heart failure, frequent hospitalizations and a diminished quality of life.

MICHIGAN

Hospitals to train medical students Ascension Michigan has signed a 25-year agreement with Central Michigan University College of Medicine to help educate and train third- and fourth-year medical students at several Ascension Michigan hospitals, including Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit, Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw and Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc.

Cancer center opens Ascension Borgess Hospital opened a 38,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art cancer center in Kalamazoo. The center offers medical oncology, hematology and infusion services in a multilevel, contemporary clinical space.

Clinic for women’s heart health Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield Campus, opened a Women’s Heart Clinic focused on helping women with risk factors for heart disease maintain optimal heart health based on a care model that specifically addresses the unique ways heart disease presents itself in women of all ages.

Emergency care expansion complete The expansion of Ascension St. Mary’s Emergency Care Center is complete, including a 12,600-square-foot addition to the front of the hospital. The space provides 24 treatment rooms, two state-of-the-art trauma rooms, and improved access for ambulances and the public.

Health center under construction Ascension Michigan began construction on the Ascension St. John Hospital Health Center. The outpatient center, designed with patients in mind, will provide personalized care by offering convenient access to many amenities and services, including 24/7 emergency care, a full range of imaging and lab services, and physician practices. Completion is expected in 2023.

Top 50 heart hospital Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo was named to the 2022 Fortune/IBM Watson Health Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals list for the second year in a row.

OKLAHOMA

Community health strategy launched Ascension St. John launched the Community Health Equity Catalyst Strategy, a long-term grant-making strategy that will deploy Ascension St. John Foundation funds to community-based organizations working to reduce health disparities in underserved communities and populations. Awards range from small single-year grants to significant multiyear grants for long-term transformational programs and projects.

Tobacco cessation efforts recognized Ascension St. John Broken Arrow and Ascension St. John Owasso were among 14 hospitals and clinic partners recognized for participation in Hospitals Helping Patients Quit, an initiative of the Oklahoma Hospital Association to reduce tobacco use in the state.

TENNESSEE

Hospital celebrates expansion milestone Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital is expanding and updating its Midtown campus with a new $300 million surgery and critical care building that will include 18 operating suites, an intensive care unit, an innovation and learning suite,

The last steel beam for an Ascension Saint Thomas expansion project, covered with signatures and best wishes from associates, is lifted into place.

and a new home for the spine institute. Additionally, a new rehabilitation hospital, a joint venture with Kindred Health Care, will offer state-of-the-art rehabilitation for patients who have had strokes, traumatic brain injuries, some spinal cord injuries and similar conditions.

Life after football Ascension Saint Thomas, Cigna and the Tennessee Titans are offering retired football players access to a supplemental healthcare program through the NFL’s Dedicated Hospital Network Program.

Joint venture extends care A post-acute care space opened on the Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West campus. The 30-bed facility, operated by Select Specialty Hospital, is a “hospital within a hospital,” allowing for greater continuity of care and easy access between the intensive care unit and postacute care for physicians and patients.

Emergency air medical coverage Air Evac Lifeteam and Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital have a dedicated medical helicopter for Rutherford County. The helicopter provides emergency medical coverage to Rutherford County and surrounding communities. Each crew includes an Air Evac pilot, nurse and paramedic with extensive education and experience in their field. First neighborhood hospital A satellite of Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, Tennessee’s first neighborhood hospital, will include eight private medical beds and an Emergency Department with eight treatment rooms. The hospital will offer advanced diagnostic imaging, a pharmacy and a laboratory with outpatient services.

Top heart transplant ranking Ascension Saint Thomas Heart West ranks in the top 1% for positive outcomes for heart transplant patients. Of the 148 results for adult heart transplant centers on the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, the hospital placed in the top 5% for survival on the waitlist; top 1% for getting a transplant faster; top 1% for oneyear survival, and top 25% for volume/ number of transplants performed in a year.

TEXAS

New women’s health tower Ascension Seton plans to build a new women’s health tower on its Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin campus. The $320 million investment is part of a broader expansion and modernization plan. Construction will begin fall 2022 and the tower is expected to open in fall 2024.

Center offers new hope Ascension Seton and UT Health Austin, the clinical practice of Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, launched a kidney transplant program to ensure that Central Texans have superior care close to home.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Imaging center accredited The Providence Diagnostic Imaging Center earned American College of Radiology accreditations for Closed MRI, Open MRI, CT, Mammography and Ultrasounds through 2024.

WISCONSIN

Influential doctors recognized O’Rell Williams, MD, Medical Director, Ascension Wisconsin–Milwaukee North Region, and Reginald Adams, MD, family medicine physician, Ascension All Saints Hospital, were recognized among Wisconsin’s 48 Most Influential Black Leaders by Madison 365.

Donation expands food programs Ascension Wisconsin donated $500,000 to PRISM Economic Development Corporation to continue support of a COVID-19 Emergency Meals Program and UpStart Kitchen entrepreneurs and the development of a youth culinary training program.

Hospitals recognized for excellence Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee made the list of Healthgrades 2022 Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Awards, recognizing hospitals that show “superior patient outcomes in cranial neurosurgery.” Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee achieved accreditation as a Comprehensive Center for Obesity Medicine from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program in partnership with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the American College of Surgeons.

Doctor voted best pediatrician Margaret Hennessy, MD, Ascension All Saints Hospital, was chosen as Best Pediatrician in Racine County following a vote in the Racine Journal Times.

Leaders named notable heroes Several leaders were named Biz Times’ Notable Heroes in Healthcare for their dedication to improving the health and well-being of the Greater Milwaukee community: Vanessa Freitag, Vice President, Pharmacy & Lab, Ascension Wisconsin; Erin O’Tool, MD, family medicine physician, Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin; Melissa Kersten, APNP, Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Regional Burn Center; and David Galbis-Reig, MD, Medical Director, Addiction Medicine, Ascension All Saints Hospital.

MME honored as leader of the year Bernie Sherry, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Wisconsin, was honored by the Harvard Business School Club of Wisconsin for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ASCENSION GLOBAL MISSION

Innovation Lab project creates job opportunities The Global Solidarity Fund, the notfor-profit organization founded by Ascension, through Ascension Global Mission and seven international foundations, first launched an Innovation Lab project to create job opportunities for the most vulnerable last July. With partners the Tent Partnership for Refugees and Goal 17 Partner, the initiative has advanced to include private sector leaders and faith-based organizations to solve issues affecting migrants and produce positive social impact.

ASCENSION INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

Impact investments Ascension Investment Management is continuing its efforts to source impact investments that have the capacity to generate a beneficial social and/or environmental impact, while targeting a market-based return for its investors. Since 2014, Ascension Investment Management has aggregated $264 million to fund impact investments.

ASCENSION LIVING

Best nursing homes Sixteen Ascension skilled nursing facilities, including 13 that are part of Ascension Living, were named by U.S. News & World Report as “America’s Best Nursing Homes” for 2020-21. The publication evaluated over 15,000 sites nationwide, in every state and nearly 100 major metropolitan areas.

ASCENSION TECHNOLOGIES

Tech resources made available Ascension Technologies launched several self-service tools to help associates resolve tech questions, including the ability to reset passwords with Password Reset Station, find one-click solutions by clicking the Optibot Healing Station desktop icon, or quickly connect with a Service Desk agent using Google Chat. The tools and more are on the Good Day Ascension Intranet Technology page.

ASCENSION VENTURES

New investments, capital Ascension Ventures announced two new investments: Cala Health, a medical technology company pioneering a new class of electrical medicine called neuroperipheral therapy, and Help at Home, a national provider of person-centered home care services. Several other Ascension Ventures portfolio companies raised capital, including AristaMD, Cardionomic, Cofactor Genomics, Community Psychiatry, CSA Medical, HealthMyne, Ivantis and Regent Surgical Health. Three portfolio companies were acquired and one completed an initial public offering.

CLINICAL & NETWORK SERVICES

Two new service lines established The identification and transfer of best clinical practices across our ministry is one advantage of our growing clinical service line structure. Our commitment to innovation requires strong collaboration, alignment and shared accountability. To that end, Clinical & Network Services recently established two new service lines: Behavioral Health and Maternal

The Global Solidarity Fund, supported by Ascension Global Mission, brings leaders together.

Health and Perinatal Medicine. The development of the Behavioral Health Service Line allows us to leverage the collective expertise across our System and address the needs of even more patients. Focused on high-reliability principles for safe and high-quality care, health equity, patient experience, strategic marketing, and financial sustainability, the new Maternal Health and Perinatal Medicine Service Line provides the ability to collaborate with multiple service lines, including the Oncology Service Line in the areas of women’s cancer screening and gynecologic oncology care. The continued focus on service lines supports the evolution of our current structure to align strategies and resources and leverage internal expertise to ultimately improve access to care and achieve optimal outcomes for those we are privileged to serve.

COMMUNITY HEALTH MINISTRIES

Collaboration trains physician assistants Michael Griffin, President and CEO, DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHS), and Gary Cloud, PhD, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, A.T. Still University, announced a new collaboration designed to train physician assistant students. The first cohort of students began their year of training at DCHS in September 2021 and additional cohorts will arrive each fall.

Associates provide ‘blessing boxes’ Associates at DePaul Community Health Centers Arkansas used a grant to build two “blessing boxes” designed to help residents meet basic food and hygiene needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The boxes include canned corn and beans, macaroni and cheese, granola bars, toiletries, bath soap, diapers, and feminine hygiene products. Senior Christmas giving Ascension DePaul Services of San Antonio held its annual Senior Christmas drive-thru event distributing bags of food, hygiene items, warm clothing and special gifts to 298 seniors and their families. In collaboration with John Paul II Catholic High School, the ministry’s Social Services team hosted a similar Christmas distribution at the El Carmen Wellness Center and served 130 seniors.

MEDXCEL

Podcast launched Early last year, Medxcel launched “Greater Than Words,” an internal podcast that airs across the Medxcel organization to build connections with others and foster an opportunity to recognize associates for who they are personally and professionally. Associates have enjoyed listening to others share their vision, tell their personal stories about their passions and commitments for life, and hear funny stories. The podcast supports the element of Inclusion in the ABIDE framework, focusing on self-awareness and relationships.

THE RESOURCE GROUP

Associates lend a hand To ensure that The Resource Group continues providing the highest level of service to clinicians during these challenging times, it instituted a “Lend-A-Hand” program through which associates from vice president to intern temporarily relocated to markets in need of additional labor support. At publication time, 40 associates had contributed more than 1,100 hours of service supporting frontline staff. The Resource Group reported that through this effort, it became a closer family and gained a greater sense of appreciation and solidarity across Ascension.

Learn more about Ascension at ascension.org.

Stay connected with Ascension

@ HOME, @ WORK, @ YOUR FINGERTIPS

Twitter: @ascensionorg Keep up with Ascension tweets. Follow Ascension.

Facebook: facebook.com/ascensionorg Like our Ascension page and get the latest updates on your newsfeed.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ascensionorg Stay up to date with organization news and connect with other associates.

YouTube: youtube.com/c/ascensionorg Watch videos about Ascension on an array of topics.

Instagram: instagram.com/ascension_org Check out the latest Ascension posts by following Ascension.

Podcast: ascension.org/news/podcasts Listen to the latest Good Day Ascension Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

4600 Edmundson Road St. Louis, MO 63134 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID

Oakland, CA Permit No. 1584

Solving patient problems is the most rewarding part of his work for Reginald Adams, DO, who serves as a family medicine practitioner in his hometown of Racine, Wisconsin.

“It feels good to work in the community you grew up in,” said Dr. Adams. The ability to work with a diverse group of patients on an array of procedures is what initially drew him to family medicine.

“From caring for children to adults to seniors, I have the opportunity to do a variety of procedures, such as draining a knee or providing an injection. I’ll also consult on chronic illnesses such as diabetes,” he said.

According to Dr. Adams, diabetes care has been even more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic because some patients have been avoiding visits to the doctor. “Diabetes is a hands-on condition, and due to COVID, people don’t want to come to the clinic right now. Diabetes care changes over time. Something that works now may not work a year from now,” he said.

When Dr. Adams isn’t caring for patients or making the 45-minute drive between Milwaukee, where he lives, and Racine, he likes to spend time with his family, cook and dance, noting that he and his hobbies are a “work in progress.”

“My wife will occasionally check on me, making sure I’m still content with making the drive or if I need a change,” he said. “But I’m happy where I work; I like serving in Racine.”

Dr. Adams was recognized as one of the 48 Most Influential Black Leaders in Wisconsin by Madison365, a publication dedicated to fostering conversations, solutions and community building, as well as the development of leaders in the communities of color in the greater Madison, Wisconsin, area.

WE ARE ASCENSION