Troy Regional Medical Center’s new CEO Ronnie Dean spoke Tuesday to the Health and Human Services committee of the Chamber of Commerce about what can be done to improve the Troy-Pike health delivery system.

Dean, who joined TRMC in June, promoted cooperation between the hospital and the other healthcare providers serving Pike County.

“We need to capture a vision for healthcare delivery in Pike County,” Dean said. “Maybe I’m here to facilitate that.”

The committee meeting was a good place to push that message, considering that representatives from many of Pike County’s healthcare providers were in attendance at the meeting. Dean praised the hospital and the community while noting there is always room for improvement.

“I was taken back when I listed out all the specialists that we have,” Dean said. “It’s unheard of to have some of these in a community of this size.”

Dean came to Troy from Dothan, where he served as vice president of operations at Southeast Alabama Medical Center. SAMC is a 420-bed facility, about four times larger than TRMC, but Dean said that it started much like Troy Regional. One thing Dean said stood out about Troy is the community support of the hospital.

“Not only does the community support the hospital by using our services, they also support us with a one cent sales tax.” Dean said. “That’s not common. A lot of community hospitals would love to have that.”

Dean told attendees at the meeting that healthcare providers needed to prepare for sweeping changes that could be coming with the Affordable Care Act and the state’s Medicaid crisis.

“The landscape is swiftly changing,” Dean said.

“We don’t know what’s coming around the corner.” Dean gave three keys to maintaining a top-notch healthcare system: unimpeachable credentials, unsurpassed experience and unparalleled access.

“The question we have to ask is ‘What should we be doing to sustain our healthcare delivery system?’” Dean said. At the end of the day, Dean said, it’s about providing the best possible service to the community.

“When someone walks through these doors, they’re here because they have to be,” Dean said. “We serve a valuable purpose.”