Q&A: Dr. John Powell returns home as Beebe Healthcare’s physician-in-chief

 

By Pam George

Dr. John Powell is back in the county where he grew up

On Nov. 11, a group of Beebe Healthcare employees gathered outside the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus to commemorate Veterans Day. For one physician, the ceremony had multiple meanings.

Dr. John Powell, who served active duty as a U.S. Navy diver and undersea medical officer, had become Beebe’s new physician-in-chief a week earlier. He oversees medical and clinical specialty care across Beebe Healthcare and Beebe Medical Group.

The University of Delaware graduate—the first in his family to attend college—had spent most of his professional career at ChristianaCare, where he completed his residency and fellowship in emergency medicine and emergency point-of-care ultrasound. Powell started ChristianaCare’s emergency services service line and, most recently, was an emergency medicine and physician executive in the ChristianaCare Medical Group.

A lot has changed in Sussex County since Powell grew up in Millsboro, including the increased demand for health care in fast-growing communities. Many new residents are retirees. Meanwhile, rural residents near the inland bays and in western Sussex lack convenient access to health services.

We asked Powell about his goals and the issues facing Beebe Healthcare.

How did your Navy service influence your decision to enter emergency medicine?

I got my scholarships to medical school through the Navy. The military gives young people the skills they need and puts them in a position where they must act with all the information available at the time. Emergency medicine is very much like that. My first duty station with the submarine force was in Italy, and we had to make the call if we needed to medevac someone off a submarine, which was a big deal. You change the entire mission. There was a person with an arm injury, and I had to make the call. I said it was fine, and the sailor did great. They went on with their mission. It shaped how I approached things.

The other thing I learned was from my first senior enlisted. When I got on board, he said: “Doc, we have to make sure the sailors have everything they need.” He lived by that servant mentality. I carried that with me—taking care of staff and patients as the primary focus.

Is there still a concern that too many patients use the ER as primary care?

The emergency department is the community’s safety net, open 24/7. With the population growth in Sussex, Beebe’s mission is to focus on increasing access to resources, and urgent care is important. But is the urgent care location on a bus line? Does it cost money? Do patients have insurance? How do we expand clinics and qualified health centers and weave partnerships to care for patients, regardless of their ability to pay?

[Lewes-based Beebe Healthcare currently has outpatient locations and clinics as far as the Route 113 corridor, and the outreach team goes farther west. There are also emergency services and cancer treatment locations in the southern beaches. The health care system’s goal is to serve the entire county.]

Beebe Healthcare is in a resort area lacking affordable housing and big city amenities. How do you attract staff?

When I was working upstate, we competed for folks who wanted to live in major cities, yet they might only go to a show once a year. They can do that here and drive two hours. The coastal area is more of a draw than it was a decade or two ago. We have great restaurants and retail.

With a huge segment of the population retiring, every industry will compete for talent. Can we augment services with virtual care? Do we have options for in-person care? We’re going to have to think differently.

How do you feel about the Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board, which will require hospitals to submit budgets to ensure compliance with government spending measures?

I don’t have a comment. I’m just stepping into this role, and I’m not sure how it affects Beebe. But I think the major entities it affects will make it a big focus this year, trying to collaborate. If you ask that question in six months, we’d have more granularity around it.

What are your immediate goals?

My focus is on meeting the key players in the system and the community. I’m in learning mode right now and then I want to quickly see where I can support executive leadership. I know for sure that I want to bolster core services and enhance expert care—improving access in the community through a great experience.

You now live in the Millsboro townhome you originally purchased for your mother. How does it feel to be back full time?

I’m thrilled. When I went to the University of Delaware, there was something about crossing the canal on my way home and getting a whiff of salt air—or maybe that was my imagination. I have grade-school friends who are still here or are moving back to the area. I’m just excited to be back in the community that took care of me.