President Obama has nominated Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, to be the next Surgeon General of the United States.
July 15, 2009 - The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) released a statement saying it is pleased to see President Obama has nominated Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, to be the next Surgeon General of the United States.
Dr. Benjamin operates a rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre, Ala., which she has rebuilt three times—after two hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina, and a fire.
HIMSS became acquainted with Dr. Benjamin through the HIMSS Katrina Phoenix Project, an effort that assisted practices, which had their paper-based medical records obliterated by Hurricane Katrina, by digitally rebuilding them with electronic health records (EHRs). HIMSS provided Dr. Benjamin’s clinic with a $5,000 grant through the HIMSS Foundation to aid in the acquisition of hardware and affiliated services, as well as volunteer physician mentoring assistance to transition the clinic from paper to an EHR. Watch the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic video to learn more about the clinic’s new beginning with an EHR.
Dr. Benjamin’s use of health IT is a prime example of transforming care delivery to underserved and rural populations. Her focus on quality preventative care, while leveraging health IT, anchors Dr. Benjamin as an exceptional choice to lead matters of public health concern and population health impact. HIMSS looks forward to how her role will influence an improvement in the nation’s healthcare system with an emphasis on achieving quality, cost-effective care delivery in the United States.
For more information: www.himss.org
June 28, 2024 
