WELL + BEING
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Million Pounds Initiative
Meritus Health sets a ‘bold goal’ for Washington County community written by LAUREN LAROCCA When Meritus Medical Center staff and community members gathered to rethink the hospital’s strategic plan for the next decade, they dared to dream big. Could they set a goal of zero overdose deaths in Washington County by 2030? Zero suicides? Could the community lose a million pounds? After analyzing Washington County statistics via a community health-needs assessment, they knew any of the above would have a great impact on the health of the community. But in what Meritus CEO Dr. Maulik Joshi calls a “strategic planning sprint,” they decided to focus their attention on weight loss and created the Million Pounds Initiative to work toward that goal. “When you look at our BMI (Body Mass Index) for the county, it is higher than the state average,” said Joshi, who was appointed as CEO of Meritus in November 2019. Dr. Maulik Joshi. Photo courtesy of Meritus Health
