Category: In the news

  1. Ben Slocum, Former WebMD Health Services Chief Executive Officer Joins Wellpath

    Nashville, TN – Wellpath announced today that Ben Slocum joins Wellpath’s expanding operations team as Chief Operating Officer. Slocum is an experienced healthcare industry executive who brings vast knowledge from across the healthcare field.  Ben will work closely with our Division Presidents to ensure that we meet our commitments to our patients, people and partners, while achieving our operational goals.  Key areas of focus will include leveraging our significant support resources, and developing our talent and culture. “Ben’s experience speaks for itself; he is a talented leader and a dedicated professional who is committed to consumer healthcare,” said Jorge Dominicis, Wellpath CEO. “He has an impressive combination of executive management, business strategy and innovation, and we are thrilled to welcome […]

  2. Juneteenth: A Day of Solidarity // A Letter from our CEO

    Dear Wellpath Colleagues — I remember as a young man working for a gentleman who repaired HVAC systems. We were driving back from a day’s work in south Florida and there was someone without a shirt, jogging along the side of the road. My colleague said, “that’s illegal, you can’t exercise without a shirt.” I said, no it’s not — I play hoops without a shirt all the time. He looked at me and said, “I was stopped jogging just last week; the difference, Jorge, is you’re not black.” This year, on Juneteenth, we commemorate and celebrate the end of slavery, it is important to remember that the burden of systemic racism remains real. There are so many stories of […]

  3. Maple Lane nurse finds joy in helping patients

    Candice Noble has seen and heard just about everything in her work as a registered nurse in a psychiatric facility. “When you’re in behavioral health it is not boring,” she said with a laugh. “It is a very high-paced job that you just don’t know what to expect.” Being a registered nurse and the program administrator at Maple Lane Competency Restoration Program means expecting the unexpected, however. Click here to read the complete article.

  4. Yolo County Jail staff continue efforts to combat COVID-19

    Precautions being taken at the Yolo County Jail and Juvenile Detention Facility seem to be paying off. While giving an update to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sheriff Tom Lopez reported no cases of COVID-19 at the adult facilities. Patrol units have “stayed busy” as the department is receiving more calls than normal though Lopez said they primarily aren’t related to the pandemic. Calls about people violating the health order have mostly stopped since golf courses reopened, he explained. Click here to read the complete article from the Daily Democrat.

  5. Wellpath Donates Surgical Masks to Correction Staff and Residents

    Wellpath announced a donation of surgical masks to Westchester County Department of Correction to add to their strategic supply being provided to their staff and residents. This effort is in addition to masks being provided for all Wellpath staff and supports the mask protocols for all essential staff and residents that was initiated by the Westchester County Department of Correction (WCDOC) in an effort to lessen the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in the facility. Read more: https://news.hamlethub.com/somers/publicsafety/4212-wellpath-donates-surgical-masks-to-correction-staff-and-residents  

  6. Prisons, jails will reignite the coronavirus pandemic unless we act to stop it | OPINION

    The high rate of COVID-19 infections in some of our nation’s prisons and jails is a stark warning of what could happen if our nation continues to treat inmates and healthcare workers in those facilities as second class citizens, unworthy of personal protective equipment. The outbreaks among the incarcerated will contribute to the current overburdening of hospitals. But more ominously, as asymptomatic inmates are released they will infect their communities, as will correctional healthcare workers who travel daily from their facility to their home. If our nation wants to turn the corner on the global pandemic, we must move quickly to address this aspect of the crisis. Read the full Op Ed here: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/opinion/2020/05/08/coronavirus-nc-prisons-jails-reignite-covid-19-pandemic-unless-we-act-stop/3076222001/  

  9. Sheriff Responds to False Media Reporting about Healthcare in the Grand Traverse County Jail

    Wellpath Partner: Grand Traverse County, Michigan Grand Traverse County Sheriff, Thomas J. Bensley, recently wrote an op-ed for the Traverse City Record-Eagle responding to the inaccuracies the media company had previously published regarding inadequate medical care at the Grand Traverse County Jail. Sheriff Bensley writes: “Recent articles in the Traverse City Record-Eagle surrounding Mr. Greg Hall’s complaints of inadequate medical care for his mother while she was incarcerated in the Grand Traverse County Jail have been inaccurate and very misleading.” Read the Sheriff’s entire letter here. Our company is honored to partner with the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office. It is a privilege for our team to continuously deliver compassionate, high-quality medical and mental healthcare to our patients in Michigan. […]

  10. Tampa Bay Times story highlighting Stefanie Beetz, Wellpath Mental Health Coordinator

    Congratulations to Stefanie Beetz, Wellpath mental health coordinator on being recognized by the Tampa Bay Times for her compassionate care for our Pasco County patients. She collaborated with Pasco Sheriff’s Office to create new innovative mental health units focused on reducing recidivism. Stephanie is passionate about helping patients lead successful lives after release—connecting them with in-patient and outpatient services, caseworkers, and preparing them for jobs with resume writing and interviewing skills. Thank you for all you do, Stefanie! Read the entire article here.

  11. North Carolina Opens First Behavioral Health Unit in the Mecklenburg County Jail

    The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s office unveiled a major innovation towards improving public safety and strengthening their community by creating North Carolina’s first behavioral health unit in a correctional facility at the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte. The team at Mecklenburg County recognized that they had many challenges with mental health in their population and they decided to address the growing trend. Nationally, The National Alliance of Mental Health estimates that nearly 15 percent of men booked into correctional facilities have serious mental health conditions. The creation of this new facility will undoubtedly improve mental health treatment for inmates and move them closer to their end goal of preparing inmates to succeed once they are released. Wellpath’s own Tom Sybesma was […]

  12. Wellpath Provides New Nurse At Zero Cost To County

    At Wellpath, we don’t just say patient care is our number one priority. Our actions prove it. When Guilford County, North Carolina Sheriff Danny Rogers was looking for the budget to hire a new discharge planner at the county jail, he met many obstacles. He was denied budget request after budget request and simply did not have the money to pay for the additional healthcare staff the jail needed. Through further discussion, Wellpath was alerted of the situation and stepped up, agreeing to fill the position at no additional cost to the county. Shortly after being denied funding by the county, Sheriff Rogers met with Wellpath’s VP of Partnership Development Zela Guirola and Director of Partnership Development, Laura Busbin to […]

  13. veteran services

    Veterans Services Offers Mental Health Resources

    At least 20 U.S. veterans die from suicide every day because of their traumatic experiences during military service. Military culture often focuses on the needs of the larger group over the individual. Soldiers are not superhuman, they are just humans who have honored served our country. We applaud the work Veteran Services is doing to provide veterans with the mental healthcare they need. With these services, they learned to open up, move on from their past and focus on the positives in life. We need to repay them by providing the care that they deserve, to honor them and to bring them back to a functional society. That means one thing: Taking care of those who take care of us. […]