Student Spotlight: Terry Scoggin

What is your job title and what are your responsibilities?

I am the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Titus Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Mount Pleasant, Texas. TRMC is the last independent hospital remaining in the thirty-five counties of Northeast Texas. We are a 50-bed Joint Commission-accredited hospital responsible for the health and wellness of five counties (population 78,000). Our health system is comprised of a Primary Heart Attack Center, Primary Stroke Center, Level IV Trauma Center, Level II NICU, Level II Maternal Service team, and a large specialty and primary care physician group.  

If you had to pick one area, which aspect of your role gives you the greatest satisfaction?

My greatest satisfaction in my role is impacting the lives of others (team members who share the same passion/mission supporting rural Northeast Texas, patients who seek our health system when they are in their most vulnerable condition, and community members who choose to live in a rural community relying on us to navigate with them their journey for health and wellness). Ensuring our health system meets the needs and requirements of each member of every segment in our community is a responsibility that drives me daily and brings great satisfaction.

How has your experience in the MS Health Care Transformation program changed how you approach your work?

My eyes have been opened to the inequities in health care and the barriers many of our community members face daily. Once you see these things, there is no going back – you must change them. The MS Health Care Transformation program has challenged me to look deeper into OUR community, my health system, and myself. The program has prepared and encouraged each of us to use various lenses to see deeper than the surface and listen to the lived experiences of everyone around us to drive increased value to the community. I have seen the importance of outcomes as our north star in each clinical pathway to success and analyzing these outcomes at every possible level.

What types of solutions do you hope to achieve or make progress towards through this program?

I want to be a catalyst in driving down the mortality rate in rural communities across the United States (lessening the mortality gap between rural and urban populations). My goal is to lead our health system and our community through a roadmap to improve health and wellness that can be used by others. I want to understand all the barriers in each segment and partner with them for improved health and well-being.

Anything else you want us to know about you or your health care journey?

I am excited to use the new tools, resources, and friends I have met in this program to make a difference in my community. The program creates a relationship with so many leaders in health care, you feel supported to challenge yourself. I truly appreciate the opportunity to participate in this program and want to incorporate these principles into my daily life. I love living in rural America and look forward to the transformation of rural health.

September 2022