HEALTH BRIEFS
Bilbrey honored by SHSMD

Bilbrey

Pamela A. Bilbrey, president of the Baptist Health Care Leadership Institute and senior vice president of corporate development for Baptist Health Care was recently announced as the recipient of the 2007 Award for Individual Professional Excellence from the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) of the American Hospital Association. Bilbrey accepted the award from SHSMD President Ruth Colby during the Society's Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

As a senior executive of Baptist Health Care, Bilbrey was instrumental in guiding the organization to its recognition as a national pacesetter in service excellence and quality, culminating in its receipt of the 2003 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Through her visionary leadership and marketing acumen, she parlayed the cultural transformation of Baptist Health Care into the Baptist Health Care Leadership Institute, a multi-million-dollar consulting business that has helped to motivate more than 8,000 healthcare executives to achieve greater levels of service and operational excellence since its founding in 2001.

A former SHSMD board member, she is the coauthor of "BreakOUT: Unleash the Power of Human Capital," the editor of the monthly publication Leadership Excellence, and a sought-after national and international consultant, coach, and speaker.

SHSMD's Award for Individual Professional Excellence is the highest honor the Society can bestow on one of its members.

Students organize against tobacco

Concerned about the 88 Floridians who lose their life each day due to the effects of tobacco products, Santa Rosa County students are taking a stand by not speaking at all at school on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Students from Milton High, Holley-Navarre Middle and Gulf Breeze Middle schools will go through the school day without talking in order to honor the number of Floridians who lose their voice as they suffer life-ending battles with tobacco products. After school the students will hold up signs emphasizing the loss of life and their campaign titled, "unSpoken."

The students belong to a youth-led organization known as Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT). For more information about this event, call Leggett at or email him at Robbieleggett@doh.state.fl.us.