Dr. Jerry Williamson

Dr. Jerry Williamson, medical director of CHS, was involved in developing the job position and the interviews.

"The No. 1 quality by far we were seeking was someone who was interested in teaching and did it well," Williamson said.

C.B. Rebsamen, chief medical officer/ strategic services for Lee Memorial Health Systems; Dr. Jerry Williamson, vice president of clinical affairs/ medical director, Collier Health Services, Inc.; and William Dillon, general counsel for Collier Health Services, Inc., who will participate in a panel discussion on healthcare and hospital issues.
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For more information, call Gerry at 947-6016.

The program will feature Dr. Allen Weiss, president of NCH Healthcare Systems; Dr. C.B. Rebsamen, chief medical officer/ strategic services for Lee Memorial Health Systems; Dr. Jerry Williamson, vice president of clinical affairs/ medical director, Collier Health Services, Inc.; and William Dillon, general counsel for Collier Health Services, Inc., who will participate in a panel discussion on healthcare and hospital issues.
...
For more information, call Gerry at 947-6016.

This month's program will feature Dr. Allen Weiss, President of NCH Healthcare Systems; Dr. C.B. Rebsamen, Chief Medical Officer/ Strategic Services for the Lee Memorial Health Systems; Dr. Jerry Williamson, VP of Clinical Affairs/ Medical Director, Collier Health Services, Inc. and Mr. William Dillon, General Counsel for Collier Health Services, Inc.

Jerry Williamson, M.D., F.A.A.P., L.H.R.M., Chief of Medical Affairs

Dr. Jerry Williamson , medical director of CHSI , said a couple of different sites in Naples are being considered for an indigent-care clinic.One possible site is on Goodlette-Frank Road , another site is north of Central Avenue , and there are options in East Naples , he said.

Naples will be the place where we begin , he said.Williamson said CHSI hopes to have something more definitive for the board's consideration at the workshop.

He said CHSI's proposal would be to start with an anchor physician , employed by CHSI , who would provide the majority of services to patients.But CHSI also would hire physicians in the community to work part time , for such things as evening clinic hours.

He projected 3 , 500 patient visits the first year but that is just a ballpark..

If the commission approves going forward with an indigent-care system , CHSI could potentially be ready to open a clinic 60 to 90 days later , he said.

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The consequence of the funding cut will be scaling back or eliminating evening and weekend hours at the clinic, but precisely by how much is uncertain at this point, said Dr. Jerry Williamson, CHSI's medical director.

During the winter months when migrant workers are in Immokalee working the fields, the clinic is open two to four evenings a week, Saturdays and some Sundays, he said.The clinic is the only one in Immokalee that provides primary-care services to the migrant workers and other low-income residents who are charged a sliding scale fee based on income.

"Now, at best, we will have two evenings and Saturdays, and possibly not Saturdays and evenings," Williamson said."It's hard for me to anticipate."

The reduced hours will likely start in late September, Williamson said.

CHSI administrator Richard Akin estimates the clinic handles 5,000 to 6,000 patient visits a year during the evening and weekend hours.Cutting back the extended hours will create hardships for patients who are unable to get to the clinic during daytime hours, whether for job or transportation reasons.

"It's significant, particularly in season, that is when it will hit hardest," Akin said of the impact.

State Sen.

Jerry Williamson, M.D. Medical Director, Collier Health Services

Dr. Jerry Williamson
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Dr. Jerry Williamson