GEO Foundation & FCCC Help Renovate Local Emergency Room! Cathee Ford, Florida Civil Commitment Center n 2009, Florida Civil Commitment Center’s (FCCC) Facility Administrator, Tim Budz, and DeSoto Memorial Hospital (DMH) CEO, Vince Sica, participated in the Inaugural Class of Leadership DeSoto. Sica is a long time resident and active community member in Arcadia, Florida. Budz is new to Arcadia, having spent most of his career in Chicago. Although FCCC had been sending its residents to DMH for years to obtain medical care, Budz and Sica’s participation in this ten month class for community leaders was the beginning of a new partnership.
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DMH is a 49-bed, non-profit community hospital serving DeSoto County, Florida and surrounding areas. All emergency cases from FCCC are transported to the DMH emergency room. “Providing emergency care of the highest quality in the shortest possible time is our goal,” reflected Sica. “One of our unmet needs was to provide emergency room triage areas with doors to offer patients greater privacy.” Sica pursued The GEO Group Foundation and FCCC to assist with the addition of privacy doors to the rooms rather than curtains, as used in most hospitals. “This was a great opportunity for The GEO Foundation and FCCC to support a
local non-profit organization our residents depend on regularly,” Budz commented. “Having the GEO name on the door in the emergency room emphasizes to our residents and other patients that GEO is a strong community partner whose impact reaches beyond the fences of our facility.” The DeSoto Memorial Hospital Foundation is designed to help ensure the hospital has the resources to continue serving the community with the latest medical technology and services available. It provides funds for capital equipment, and building renovation/expansions in the hospital. “We are grateful for GEO’s support to further our mission,” acknowledged Sica. DMH has spent over $22 million since 2006 on the latest medical technology to enhance and expand the services offered to the community. Through The GEO Group Foundation’s donation, FCCC residents are the beneficiaries of the new technology and services provided at the local hospital. DeSoto Memorial Hospital Donation – FCCC Executive Management (from left) Ron Lawrenz, George Emanoilidis and Tim Budz present a check to DeSoto Memorial Hospital CEO Vince Sica, CFO Dan Hogan and Bev Winton, VP (right) for the renovation of the hospital’s emergency room.
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