Rae Young Bond, CEO of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, will head a local COVID-19 Joint Task Force that will be holding weekly meetings to coordinate response to the deadly new strain of virus.
Mayor Andy Berke said, “In the midst of an unprecedented pandemic like this one, it’s never been more important that we listen to experts. Mayor Coppinger and I feel the best way to continue to make our community as safe and healthy as possible is to bring everyone together. Our goal is to give our community timely, informed updates about our vulnerable populations, how our medical facilities are preparing, and other information related to the spread of the virus in our area.”
County Mayor Jim Coppinger said, “In an emergency situation like this there is no county or city divide, we’re all one community. It’s vital we keep our residents safe and healthy, and bringing together the best subject-matter experts in our local healthcare industry will help Mayor Berke and I do that.”
Rae Bond said, “We are all working around the clock to keep our community safe. This Task Force brings all the brightest minds into one setting and it will allow us to provide more detailed information to our community on this rapidly changing situation.”
The first meeting of the Task Force will be Tuesday.
Meeting notes are to be provided to the community, it was stated.
Members include:
Dr. Kelly Arnold - Founder & Clinical Director, Clinica Medicos
Becky Barnes - Hamilton County Health Department Administrator
Dr. Matt Gibson - President & CEO, Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation
Dr. Timothy Grant - Chief Medical Officer, Parkridge Health System
Dr. Martina Suttles Harris - Assistant Dean of Nursing & Allied Health at Chattanooga State Community College
Dr. Gregory Heath - Guerry Professor of Public Health, University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaDr. Keith Helton - CEO, One to One Health
Dr. William Jackson - President & CEO, Erlanger Health System
Dr. Robert Magill - Chief of Staff, Parkridge Health System
Angel Moore Esq. - Vice President of Population Health & CEO, Erlanger Community Health Center
Tom Ozburn - President & CEO, Parkridge Health System
Janelle Reilly - CEO, CHI Memorial HospitalDr. Colleen Schmitt - President, Galen Medical Group
Dr. James Sizemore - Chief of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, UTCOM Chattanooga and Medical Director, Infection Prevention, Erlanger Health System
Dr. Christopher Young -Vice Chief of Staff, Erlanger Health System"