The Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County recognized Stacy McFarland, Speech and Language Pathologist at the SGMC Lanier Campus as the February Hospital Hero. McFarland has been with SGMC for 1-1/2 years and was honored for her going well above the call of duty to enhance the quality of life for a patient in the Lakeland Villa nursing home.

A very caring person, Stacy was troubled because of a stroke patient’s limited means of communication. Stacy took it upon herself to research communication devices for the patient. Through Stacy’s diligence, she discovered that a speech generating device was available through the Georgia Telephone Equipment Distribution Program. This program provides 100 percent funding for devices for qualifying individuals. With the permission of the resident, Stacy completed the application and the resident was approved. 

Over the past few weeks, Stacy spent considerable time teaching herself how to set up the device and use it.  She has personalized it for the patient to reflect special interests and needs. Stacy is currently training the resident, staff and family members to use the tool. Thanks to Stacy’s dedication this Villa resident will be able to communicate more effectively and have improved safety and quality of life.