The Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation recently donated $7,500 to the Tiftarea Community Food Bank. For more than 40 years, the Tiftarea Community Food Bank has been in operation. Their main goal is to provide extra meals for Tift County’s impoverished and homeless residents. Their mission is to combat hunger and provide nourishment to aid assistance. More than 4,000 Tift County residents have received fresh produce, meats and dairy goods and non-perishable foods. “The Foundation is pleased to partner with the Tiftarea Food Bank. This is a wonderful service for our community, and we are very fortunate to have them provide services for the underprivileged.” states Mandy Brooks, Executive Director of the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation. To learn more, please visit www.trmcf.com. (fb)

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. (fb)