Invested and Committed Text

Published 5:17 pm Monday, September 23, 2024

Entertainer Eddie Cantor once quipped, “It takes twenty years to become an overnight success.” That illustrates that the success Whitfield County experienced in the past year is actually rooted in action taken long before.

For any community, the cure for most every problem begins with good jobs and affordable housing. In both areas Whitfield County made great strides. For jobs, much credit is due to Carl Campbell of the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority. Through partnerships and cooperative efforts including the establishment of the County’s Carbondale Business Park, we’ve begun diversifying our economy enabling us to better navigate economic peaks and valleys.

On the housing front, we’ve begun meeting market demands for denser housing. This has made our community more attractive to young people who literally are our future. Denser housing is also more environmentally friendly and providing government services to such areas is less expensive to taxpayers.

Most importantly, continued progress is tied to the cultural transformation of Whitfield County government in the last few years. We are now more proactive and creative towards identifying and solving problems. Part of that is establishing and maintaining cooperative relationships with local, State, and Federal elected and appointed officials. This allows us greater dissemination of information and economies of scale in providing services and sharing expenses. Most of all, that transformation means Whitfield County government expects excellence rather than hopes for mediocrity.

Bob Sivick, Whitfield County Administrator

In July of this year, Hamilton Health Care System announced a rebrand to Vitruvian Health as part of its regional expansion plans. The new name draws from the organization’s recognizable da Vinci-inspired Vitruvian Man icon, which has been a prominent part of Hamilton’s logo since 1976. Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man represents harmony, balance and the interconnectedness of all aspects of health, perfectly aligning with Hamilton’s integrated system of care.

This organization has been a part of this community and region for more than 100 years, and as it continues to grow, the purpose of that growth is investing in the health and wellbeing of the people we serve, both as patients and as an employer. With approximately 4,000 associates, Vitruvian is one of the largest employers in the area. It is a diverse healthcare system that has been completely woven into the community in all aspects.

One significant example of Vitruvian’s healthcare investment is a shift to Epic electronic health records. The system is focused on using technology for excellent care outcomes, patient experiences and clinician satisfaction. MyChart is part of the system. It is an advanced digital platform that allows individual users to view test results, request prescription refills, track health changes, manage appointments, streamline communication across providers and more.

Also, Vitruvian has forged stronger ties with four colleges in the area to open up more opportunities for hiring nurses, and Hamilton Medical Center’s residency program for internal medicine and family practice has expanded to 55 residents. Its nationally recognized Anna Shaw Children’s Institute for autism and developmental delays, open heart program, and Peeples Cancer Institute are among the significant investments that the system is making to improve the health status of the local population.

On Aug. 1, Vitruvian Health completed the purchase of Tennova Healthcare – Cleveland, now Bradley Medical Center, marking the system’s expansion into Tennessee.

Healthcare is evolving rapidly, but what’s important to our community members — our friends, family and neighbors — is accessing the care they need, when they need it, from providers they trust. Integrating Bradley Medical Center and its associated care locations into the Vitruvian Health system allows us to provide greater access to care in our region, enhance care coordination, empower local health care teams, and advance clinical quality.

We are proud to be a part of this community and continue to serve and build the future of healthcare in this region.

Jeff Myers, President and CEO of Vitruvian Health

At Whitfield County Schools, we aim to continuously improve our processes and services so students can grow and achieve their academic potential. We constantly track and analyze student growth and achievement data to show outcomes and information that may help us make instructional adjustments. One crucial achievement data point is the number of third graders who can read on grade level. This information is especially important because research shows that many students who struggle with reading in third grade may never catch up. Illiteracy is among the contributing factors leading to adverse life outcomes such as chronic unemployment or underemployment, poverty and even incarceration.

Over the past three years, we have seen an average of 69% of our third graders reading on grade level. This is five percent above the state average, but we are not complacent. We are committed to the ongoing work required to raise these numbers further. These figures are not just data points. They represent young individuals with aspirations, dreams and potential. They are the future of our workforce and leadership, and we are dedicated to supporting them.

As part of our OneWhitfield Reads initiative this school year, WCS elementary schools have embarked on a journey of adopting a new literacy curriculum complete with new high-quality instructional materials. Building on our teachers’ expertise and dedication, these instructional materials provide the necessary tools to ensure consistent teaching practices across the district, enabling students to achieve higher reading and writing proficiency levels than before. Investing in the materials is just the beginning. Our teachers are also undergoing professional development to ensure we maximize student learning opportunities with our new literacy curriculum. Additionally, we have invested in a new elementary curriculum coordinator position to help our teaching and learning team lead this charge. We expect this significant investment in resources to yield dividends in the future. Every percentage point of literacy improvement represents lives that could be positively impacted for future generations.

Mike Ewton, Whitfield County Schools Superintendent

We have experienced a strong, positive enrollment trajectory. In fall 2023, enrollment increased 8% over the prior year. This fall, we are serving more than 5,100 students, and we anticipate final official enrollment to be about 5% over last year. This growth is driven by the value and experience we offer to students. The U.S. Department of Education ranked DSC the most affordable four-year college in Georgia and No. 52 in the country, based on net cost, and the Wall Street Journal ranked us as the No. 2 most recommended college in the country. We also offer outstanding academic programs to help students achieve their career aspirations and to meet workforce demands. Some of the newest bachelor’s degree programs include Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Information Technology, Environmental Sustainability, Engineering Technology and Organizational Leadership.

With our growth and momentum, this is a pivotal point for Dalton State. We kicked-off a strategic planning process earlier this year that is grounded in our commitment to transforming lives and partnering for success, and, while it is still in progress, I anticipate that it will lead to innovative partnerships that enhance student success and educational attainment.

John Fuchko, Dalton State College President

Exciting things are happening at AdventHealth Murray as the hospital continues to grow to meet the increased demands of the growing community. The operating room has been extremely busy as AdventHealth Murray physicians are now performing procedures in the areas of general surgery, orthopedic surgery, pain medicine, ophthalmology and ENT.

Outside the hospital, the physician group continues to grow with the addition of several new providers, including general surgeon Craig Murray, MD; and primary care provider, Jim Laughridge, MD. Also recently joining the team are Elizabeth Thompson, FNP-C, who joined AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Chatsworth in September, Sheena Battles, FNP-BC, who joined AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Health Depot in June, and Macie Cable, PA-C, who joined AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Health Depot in January.

In October, AdventHealth Medical Group Cardiology at Chatsworth will open, and will see patients five days a week.

Additionally in Murray County, AdventHealth has the following practices that work in conjunction with the hospital:

AdventHealth Medical Group Urology at Chatsworth, AdventHealth Medical Group Cardiology at Chatsworth, AdventHealth Medical Group General Surgery at Chatsworth, AdventHealth Medical Group OB-GYN at Chatsworth, AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Chatsworth, AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Health Depot and AdventHealth Medical Group Primary Care at Cook.

We are excited to continue to add and enhance our services in the Murray County community as we work together to extend the healing ministry of Christ.

Chris Self, President and CEO of AdventHealth Gordon and AdventHealth Murray

Education is always about looking for ways to continuously improve in all areas, and in Murray County, that’s been our goal for our students and our school system as a whole. Our five year strategic plan drives the work we do each day, and in the last year, we’ve seen strides in our student achievement, professional learning, and school safety.

Academically, our students continue to make positive progress each year, but there is much work to be done across our district. We fully believe in the idea of having a growth mindset which believes that abilities, intelligence and talents can be developed and improved through dedication, hard work and learning. We’ve seen this play out as we analyze results from the state’s Georgia Milestones assessment and our i-Ready assessments in reading in math.

On i-Ready, our K-8 students have achieved results higher than state and national averages in reading and math. As we track growth from year to year on Georgia Milestones, our K-8 students have shown great improvements and have outpaced the state’s growth over the last three years, and our graduation rate has continued to outpace the state’s average. While we are proud of the growth we are making, we know we know our students are capable of accomplishing even more. Our goal has been for our students to score at or above the state averages in all grade levels and subjects on Georgia Milestones. We are working each day to challenge our students with high expectations and engaging work so they can continue growing, reach the goals set for them, and be better tomorrow than they were today.

A large part of meeting our academic goals has to do with quality professional development for our teachers. New literacy directives for our elementary schools along with a new set of English/Language Arts standards in all grades require hours of professional development and study beginning last year and moving into this year. Our teachers have been up to the task, and they have begun to dig into our literacy work so we can better serve our students. They have engaged in hours of professional learning, and we are working to support them as they begin to put that learning into practice. Our goal is to have highly qualified and well-trained teachers in our classrooms, and we’re excited about the hard work and dedication our teachers give each day to get better at their craft to better serve our students.

School safety is a timely topic of discussion, and it is always at the forefront of our minds as we know providing a safe and secure learning environment will help our students improve. Last year, we worked to bring consistency to our school safety plans and implement some changes we believed would help our buildings be more responsive and secure. Another improvement in the area of school safety began last year as we partnered with Centegix to provide wearable safety badges for all of our staff members. With these badges, any staff member can call for immediate assistance due to medical or safety concerns. They can also call for an instant school lockdown and immediately notify law enforcement if a direct threat is present. We’ve already seen this partnership pay dividends as the use of these badges has helped speed response times in medical situations. Another important improvement has been having dedicated School Resource Offices in each of our schools. They have become a valuable resource for building relationships with our students and adding another layer of security for our students.

While we are proud of the progress we have made over the last year, we are always looking forward to see what more we can do to help our students grow and achieve. When one goal is met, another is set, because when it comes to our students and their futures, there are always improvements to be made, and we’re starting this year with high expectations for what our students can achieve.

Tim Wright, Murray County Schools Superintendent

Housing: In the last year, we have had many new housing units available for residents to move into for their housing. These units are in different areas of the community, are at different price points and fall into several different categories. Housing choices have not always been a strong suit in our community, but we now have new multifamily complexes with apartments and condominiums in many sizes, qualities, and price points. We also have more new single-family housing to choose from than ever before, in modern design neighborhoods and traditional developments.

Jobs: Many new job opportunities opened up in the last year, so people have more options for their work and careers than before. This includes manufacturing, retail, and hospitality establishments.

Beautification: Our community is looking better because of a conscious effort to improve our surroundings. Streetscape projects are underway, the new hotels look great, murals add color and stories to our buildings, and houses are being renovated in ways that look better and are safer.

Community offerings: The Mill line trail is now open and used by many people in the community.

What improvements do I want to see in the Dalton and Whitfield County area in the near future?

More land to sell to grow our economy.

I want to see continued job growth, with jobs that pay well and are desirable for the citizens.

Expanded retail offerings, with brands and locations that we don’t have now but desire.

More people living and working in the Greater Dalton area.

Growth in the tax base through new investments to keep our property taxes down.

More local involvement and support in our school systems. We have tremendous things happening in our schools, but the citizens can make it even better. The students are the future of our community so I would like to see more adult engagement with the schools to help students have better outcomes.

Transportation improvements, including maintenance, new roads, and a few roundabouts.

New housing options for our citizens.

Carl Campbell, Executive Director of Economic Development at Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce

Over the past year, Dalton Public Schools has experienced tremendous growth and transformation. As we continue to evolve, one of our top priorities has been strengthening our connection to the community. Whether it’s through fostering deeper relationships with local businesses, civic organizations, or individual families, we are dedicated to building a united and supportive environment for all.

One key element of this effort has been our focus on continued partnership and guidance from our Superintendent Advisory Councils, which provide students, parents, and teachers with a platform to share their voices and contribute to meaningful conversations about our district’s future. Additionally, our Diversity Committee remains a critical part of ensuring that we are cultivating an inclusive environment that reflects the rich diversity of Dalton. Through these initiatives, we are engaging in honest, open dialogue that helps shape our district’s vision and priorities.

As part of our broader efforts to support our families and enhance communication, we have also redesigned our district website to be more user-friendly and accessible. Along with this, we’re introducing a new communications tool to improve the speed and clarity of our outreach, ensuring that every family feels informed, supported, and engaged.

This year also marks an exciting evolution of our district’s identity. After years of standing behind The Dalton Difference as our overall brand, we are now embracing a new vision of unity. As a district, we are focused on working together as one team, building on our strengths, and leading with both purpose and heart. This is more than just a new slogan — it is a reflection of the collaborative spirit that drives us forward.

Looking to the future, I am incredibly excited about the Dalton Reads! initiative, a bold step toward ensuring literacy proficiency for all students. Our teachers and administrators have engaged in robust professional development to learn the most current, research-based approaches to literacy instruction. This initiative, launched district-wide in August, is already showing promising results, and I couldn’t be prouder of how our educators and students have embraced this opportunity. Together, we are building a foundation that will impact our students for years to come.

As we move ahead, the strength of our district lies in the partnerships and collaborations that continue to grow throughout our community. I am confident that we will keep progressing, united in our mission to provide every student with the tools they need for success. Together, we are shaping a bright future for Dalton Public Schools — one that is grounded in purpose, driven by heart, and filled with promise.

Steven Craft, Dalton Public Schools Superintendent