Central Chamber’s Medical Board Of Governors Leads The Way On Healthcare Issues
Health&Wellness
(Front row) Lorna Kernizan, Robbin Lee, Dr. Lori Lane and Mary Lou Bedford; (back row) Dr. Adam Bromberg, Dr. Jeffrey Bishop, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene, Dr. David Soria, Dr. Kishore Dass and Dr. Edward Becker; and (not pictured) Dr. Mike Mikolajczak, Dr. Kathleen Minnick, Dr. Daxa Patel, Dr. Nick Sama, Bruce White, John Hornberger, Dr. Daniel Ghiragossian and Dr. Juan Gomez.
Story by M. Dennis Taylor • Photo by Abner Pedraza
Nearly a decade ago, the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce established its Medical Board of Governors, a group of leading medical specialists, hospital administrators, and key executive leaders in the healthcare and medical sector in Palm Beach County, with a specific mission: “To lead the way as a healthcare organization, to advocate, explore, integrate, develop, promote, mentor and inspire.” This unique group discusses and gets behind issues that involve the latest advances in science, patient care and operational innovation. It has addressed healthcare issues and provided recommendations that require the expertise of the medical leadership to the county’s business community, schools and local government. Some issues that the board has taken a stand on in the past several years include: continuity of patient care, the opioid crisis, and a proposed freestanding emergency facility that would have had an unintended negative impact on healthcare jobs and on the community. “We have a very large healthcare presence in our footprint,” explained Mary Lou Bedford, CEO of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber. “We are fortunate to have medical leaders who
are willing to give their expertise to weigh-in on the issues that can impact the community.” Chairing the group since 2017 is Dr. Lori Lane, a podiatric surgeon with offices in Wellington and West Palm Beach. Certified by the American Board of Wound Management, Lane has developed a passion for wound healing. She is involved in advanced treatments, including several clinical trials for the development of wound healing products and medications. Lane believes that the Medical Board of Governors is a unique asset to the greater community. “On it are physicians and prominent healthcare professionals with a combined 300-plus years of service to our community,” Lane said. “We live here, we work here, we raise our children here, and we experience the same com-
munity health issues as do all Wellington and central Palm Beach County residents. That is why we feel obligated, as well as honored, to provide professional insight into key community issues.” Recently, the board took action on the critical issue of opioid addiction. “Last year, we offered an educational luncheon to the community on the opioid crisis — an issue we as professionals experience first-hand daily,” Lane said. “Statistically, we know that most employers will have employees or employees with family members compromised by addiction. We want our board to be a resource on where to find help.” A closely related issue will be the focus of an upcoming luncheon. “This year, our healthcare luncheon, scheduled for Sept. 13, will center around mental health and the effects it has on our communities,” Lane said. “We know that so many of the tragedies happening in communities are rooted in mental health issues, especially around disparities in diagnoses, stigmas and treatment programs.” This is a particularly timely issue, given recent events. wellington the magazine | july 2018
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