Mission

Tift Regional Health Systems mission statement is to serve the health needs of the patient as well as those of the community. To help meet this goal, the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation was formed. Foundation contributors have provided funds that directly impact patient care now and for years to come.

Since its incorporation in 1985, the Foundation has supplied financial support to Tift Regional assisting with patient-oriented projects. The Foundation's goal is to provide quality patient care through safe and effective medical equipment to aid in diagnosis and care of patients; financial assistance for the underprivileged, along with housing of state of the art equipment.

To fund these projects, Tift Regional relies on funds from services and corporate bonds. Special community oriented projects; such as educational and preventional plans, fall under this endeavor. The Foundation is committed in making our community a secure and vigorous one. This will be obtained through special projects such as the "Heart Safe Community."

About Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation

The Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation was established in the early 1980's by Homer Rankin and the John H. Dorminy family. Their vision for the community as well as their local hospital, led to the creation of the Tift General Hospital Foundation. Using their personal funds to begin this charitable organization, they formed a non-profit organization that would be focused on assisting patients and providing state-of-the- art care through the purchase of new equipment.

The Foundation has grown over the years, and has touched many lives. In the past three years, the Foundation has assisted over 500 families and has spent over 1.3 million dollars on families in Tift and surrounding counties. We strive to make a difference in our community and are focused on providing quality care, with a positive impact on those around us.

The assistance the Foundation gives is tangible and provides real-world impact. From programs helping with patients with medical bills, living expenses, medication, transportation to treatments to equipment purchases such as automatic external defibrillators and scholarships to ensure a well trained work force, the Foundation contributes to the betterment of health care in South Georgia every day.

If you are interested in being a part of the Foundation, please give us a call. Whether your interest is charitable giving from a tax or estate planning viewpoint, a corporate donation or in making a contribution to help families in their time of need, Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation is an organization worthy of your consideration.

Board of Directors:

Pictured L-R: Joe Pope, Chris Dorman, Dr. Rodney Tyson, Dr. Margaret Richardson-Nixon, Joe Manning, Mandy Brooks, Dr. Bill Hancock, Heather Stripling and Tamara Branch.  Not pictured: Angie Hunt, Mary Perlis and Anita Stovall.

  • Dr. William Hancock, Chairman
  • Joe Pope, Vice-Chairman
  • Mrs. Mary Perlis, Secretary/Treasurer
  • Mr. Chris Dorman
  • Mrs. Angie Hunt
  • Mr. Joe Manning
  • Dr. Margaret Richardson-Nixon
  • Mrs. Anita Stewart Stovall
  • Mrs. Heather Stripling
  • Dr. Rodney Tyson
  • Mrs. Mandy Brooks - Executive Director
  • Mrs. Tamara Branch - Legal Counsel

Foundation Appoints Two New Board Members:  

 

The Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation’s board of directors recently announced the appointment of Heather Stripling and Dr. Rodney Tyson to the Foundation’s board of directors.

Heather Stripling is a native of Tifton and is a third-generation car dealer. She is one of the family owners of Prince Automotive Group with locations in Albany, Adel, Tifton, and Valdosta. She is the daughter of John B. Prince, III and Ann Clayton. She is a graduate of Tiftarea Academy and Valdosta State College, earning a Bachelor of Science in Education and master’s degree in education. She is also a graduate of the National Automobile Dealers Association Dealer Candidate Academy.

Stripling has given back to the community by serving on various boards including the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of South-Central Georgia, and the Tiftarea YMCA.

She is married to John Stripling. Their son, Austin, and his wife Diana, all reside in Tifton. The Striplings are members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Chula. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, attending Georgia Bulldog football games.

“We are thrilled to welcome Heather to the Foundation board,” said Mandy Brooks, executive Director of the TRMC Foundation. “Her deep roots in the community, combined with her leadership experience and passion for giving back, make her a tremendous asset as we work to enhance healthcare services for our region.”

Dr. Rodney Tyson has provided medical care for South Georgia residents for more than 31 years, working over the span of his career as a family medicine doctor, endoscopist, and a hospital medicine physician. He served on the medical staff of Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) and Memorial Hospital of Adel (now Southwell Medical). In addition, he has received the Exceptional Physician of the Year award from the TRMC Foundation and has served as Rural Medical Director at TRMC for many years. He is currently semi-retired, but still provides peer-to-peer reviews with insurance physicians. He also provides cardiac stress testing at Southwell Medical in Adel.

After earning his medical degree from Mercer University in Macon, Dr. Tyson completed a family practice residency at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in South Carolina. He is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. Prior to becoming a physician, Dr. Tyson was a registered nurse, nurse director, and a clinical assistant.

Dr. Tyson currently resides in Adel with his wife Greta. He has two children and six grandchildren.

“Dr. Tyson’s longstanding dedication to the health and well-being of South Georgia residents is unparalleled,” said Brooks. “His wealth of medical expertise and commitment to serving others will greatly benefit the Foundation as we continue to support the mission of Tift Regional Medical Center.”

   

 

The Foundation remembers Dr. Joe Murray Turner for his dedication and love to healthcare:

The Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation mourns the loss of former board member, Dr. Joe Murray Turner. For many years, Dr. Turner has played a significant role in the Tifton community. In 1949, he graduated from Ashburn High School and in 1954, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Emory University. Dr. Turner served briefly in the United States Army Counterintelligence Corps before enrolling at the Medical College of Georgia, where he earned his degree in 1960. He completed his internship, residency, and fellowship in Cardiology at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. When Dr. Turner came to Tifton in 1964, he was one of twelve practicing physicians, a small number compared to the 135 that are currently on the Medical Staff at Tift Regional Medical Center.

He was the founder of Tifton Medical Clinic (Affinity Health Group), now known as Tift Regional’s West Campus. Due to Dr. Turner and the Tifton Medical Clinic’s leadership and contributions to the medical community, citizens of South Georgia benefitted from excellent healthcare. Some of these contributions include providing Tift General with its first cardiac monitor, defibrillator, and DC cardioverter, and thus began Tift General’s first “Intensive Care Unit.”  Dr. Turner introduced other medical advances, such as exercise testing, which started with an old homemade set of “master steps,” and a Bird ventilator for management of respiratory arrest. Further advancements include the addition of a Burdick treadmill for more sophisticated stress testing and later intracardiac pressure monitoring, cardiac echo doppler, carotid echo doppler, and venous ultrasound. Dr. Turner not only introduced innovative technology to the region, but he also recruited several of the area’s physicians, forever changing the landscape of medical care in this region.

For Dr. Turner community involvement was especially important to him. He had a long history of community service, having served as President of the Georgia Heart Association in 1978 and as a member of the American Heart Association’s National Board of Directors in 1980. From 1973 to 1976, Dr. Turner also chaired the Georgia Department of Human Resources’ Medicaid program. He was a member of the Tifton Rotary Club and served as President in 1991, Tift County Hospital Authority from 1981-1994, Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation Board, Tifton-Tift County Tourism Board, South Georgia Banking Company and honorary Co-Chairman of the Tift County Library Foundation and Fund Drive. Dr. Turner joined First Baptist Church of Tifton in 1965 and actively served as a Sunday school teacher and young adult department director for many years. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Deacons, Finance committee, Personnel committee, Building and Renovations committee, and Projects and Acquisitions committee.

In addition to creating a thriving medical community and a solid church, Dr. Turner led his large family. For nearly 65 years, Dr. Turner was married to his late wife, Bette Womack Turner. They had five children: Murray, Mike, Gay, Tom, and Laura and eight grandchildren and two great-grandsons. Dr. Turner enjoyed skiing, sailing, quail hunting and fly fishing.

Very few people possess the desire to make every place better than it was when they found it. Dr. Joe Turner was the exception. He was committed to helping others, which he demonstrated by his practice of medicine and involvement in community service. The Tift area has been blessed to have Dr. Turner spear head our Cardiac department and have the vision to grow healthcare. He was a godly man and he has left a mark on the lives of many in the community.