If You Know, You Know
Audrey Lewis, Podiatric Surgery
Working at TBHC has never been a chore to Audrey Lewis. “I’m like a kid in a candy store,” says the longtime Human Resources Specialist. “I love what I’m doing.” In fact, after retiring in 2022, she missed work so much that she returned to TBHC, where she is now in her 33rd year.
What happens when you, a long-time employee, find yourself in need of medical care? “When you work in a hospital, you know what’s what. You know if it’s a good place to go,” she says. “I can tell you this about TBHC: I recommend it to anyone and everyone because we've got excellent doctors.”
In fact, Ms. Lewis gets all her routine care at TBHC — dentistry, primary care, you name it. After developing a painful foot condition known as hammerhead toe, she met with O. Joseph Falcone, DPM, Chief of Podiatric Foot and Ankle Surgery, who scheduled her for surgery. Of course, she already knew Dr. Falcone and his staff (after 33 years, she knows everyone!) and she knew she was in good hands.
Dr. Falcone is not only chief of his surgical division, he’s also Medical Director of the Wound Care Center and Director of the Podiatric Medicine & Surgery Residency. He established the residency program when he joined the hospital in 2014. “When you work for any organization, it must be able to support and service the patients,” he says. “Patient care must be number one, but as an institution, we must also be giving back to the community beyond our care. For me, that meant training new generations of podiatric surgeons, many who stay in the community.”
According to Dr. Falcone, doing a good job starts with leadership. “The doctors see that leadership has their back,” he says. “The job I want to do is take excellent care of our neighbors, and it is what hospital leadership wants, too. Patient care is the anchor of the TBHC culture, and it only gets better every day, every year.”
As for Ms. Lewis? She maintains, “If you come to TBHC, you will not be disappointed.”