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Dr. Russell Friedman and Candace Swanson / AlternaHealth Solutions
WIT Special Episode
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Sandy Welfare and Sarah Durry / WIT 
Jordan Rose / Atlanta Science Festival
Michelle LaPlaca / Georgia Tech & Emory University
Medical Reserve Corps – Top Docs Radio
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Medical Reserve Corps
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has approved MAG’s request to form the nation’s first medical society-sponsored statewide volunteer medical reserve corps (MRC). MAG and the Georgia Department of Public Health would oversee MAG’s MRC. MAG is now eligible for limited federal capacity building funds and has in fact received a 2015 grant for $2,500 – though the MAG MRC will require funding from private sources to fully maximize its vision.
The MAG MRC will train physicians to respond to declared emergencies in Georgia, and it will establish a system to coordinate the deployment of those physicians during any such emergencies. The MAG MRC will supplement the official medical and public health and emergency services resources that are available in the state. MAG MRC units will be capable of setting up mobile hospital systems. And under extreme circumstances (e.g., a shortage of health care providers in a given area), MAG MRC units can be called upon to perform some of the functions that would otherwise be performed by the full-time emergency medical response personnel in the state. MAG formed the MRC as a result of 2013 House of Delegates meeting action.
The MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC network comprises 993 community-based units and 207,783 volunteers located throughout the United States and its territories. Georgia has 19 approved MRCs.
MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, as well as other community members without healthcare backgrounds. MRC units engage these volunteers to strengthen public health, improve emergency response capabilities and build community resiliency. They prepare for and respond to natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, and floods, as well as other emergencies affecting public health, such as disease outbreaks. They frequently contribute to community health activities that promote healthy habits.
The designated point of contact is the Director of Health Protection with DPH. The MAG MRC may also be activated by MAG MRC leadership team as necessary. The MAG MRC Unit will supplement the State of Georgia Public Health Emergency Preparedness’ and Response Unit. The unit will not replace or supplant the existing emergency medical response system or its resources including locally based MRC units.
Special Guests:
John S. Harvey, M.D.
- Chief of Surgery, Gwinnett Medical Center
- Acting Colonel and Command Surgeon, Georgia State Defense Force
- MAG’s President-elect.
- Missions have included the Katrina/Rita hurricane and Haiti earthquake victim airlifts. He dealt with the Centennial Park bombing that took place during the 1996 Olympics as a medical command officer.
- Doctor of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia
Susan Moore
Susan Moore has been MAG’s Director of Health Policy and Third Party Payer Advocacy since 2013. She helps MAG members resolve third party payer claim disputes and grievances. She has spent 30 years in the health care industry – more than half of those focused on patient safety and health care quality. Moore has a degree in nursing from the Emory University School of Nursing and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Yale School of Public Health at Yale University.
Paul Hildreth
Paul Hildreth is the emergency management coordinator/grant coordinator for REMS for the Fulton County School District. He has 14 years of experience in emergency response and crisis management. He is a certified emergency manager and master certified emergency manager. He has been an integral part of the Georgia State Defense Force for 10 years. He has a degree in business operations from DeVry University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Telemedicine
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Telemedicine
This week I sat down with the founder of MedZed, a hybrid telemedicine platform that enables parents with sick children to receive care for their child with an in-home RN who establishes a remote link with a physician. Today, there are a growing number of urgent care centers available, along with after-hours pediatric care centers. These care centers are typically better options than being seen in an emergency room where wait times and exposure to very ill patients are a concern.
However, urgent care centers also frequently come with a long wait and exposure to numerous sick persons in the waiting room as well. Telemedicine is a health care delivery model where patients interface with a provider via phone and/or face-to-face video conferencing platform that allows patient and doctor to see each other. This week’s guests joined us to talk about how they are innovating with this technology to deliver quality health care in a patient’s home.
With the MedZed platform (and soon a mobile app) parents with sick children can request an in-home examination of their children. After a phone triage conversation, a registered nurse or nurse specialist is dispatched to the home to conduct the exam. The in-home clinician links up with the patient’s physician (when that practice is a MedZed participant) or a thoroughly-vetted, experienced pediatrician on the MedZed medical staff (when the patient’s physician office is NOT a MedZed participant).
Once in the home the nurse establishes an internet connection using either the family’s connection if available or by cellular wi-fi if in-home internet is absent or inadequate. Via the communications link, the physician is able to view the results of otoscopic exams, listen to their stethoscope, and see vitals all in real time. This portal also gives the patient and family the ability to also see what is being visualized by the exam, offering educational opportunities and a decreased measure of anxiety.
We talked about the fact that as more diagnostic equipment such as radiographic devices become more mobile, the scope of care that will be able to be delivered in the home will expand dramatically. This will serve to reduce use of ER and urgent care for more acute, complex complaints. The service is offered as fee-for-service—patients pay using credit cards when the care is delivered. In some cases third party insurors will reimburse for part or all of the visit, depending on plan.
Special Guests:
Scott Schnell, CEO, Co-founder of MedZed 
- BGS, Accounting & History, University of Michigan
- Former CPA
- Previous SVP/ CFO of Simply Floored
- Previous Chairman/CEO of Pike Family Nursing
Tiffany Holland, RN at MedZed
Katarina Quinterno, Parent, MedZed client
Special Edition: Home Delivery World Event
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Martin Kelly, Managing Director with Terrapinn, joined us on the show to talk about Home Delivery World Event
Spotlight on Atlanta International Special Events Society
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Doc Waltrop / Full Circle Lighting & Productions
Doc Waldrop brings more than 30 years of experience in theatrical lighting and overall technical production to the meetings, special events, convention, motion picture, and association industries.
His lighting designs and installations have gathered praise and awards from international and Fortune 500 companies and have been featured in many industry and related magazines. He has held an executive board position, including Chapter President in 2004-2005, with the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the International Special Events Society and was recently honored with the 2008 Bob Blaesing Lifetime Achievement Award from ISES/NACE Atlanta. Doc is a founding member of Full Circle Lighting and Productions.
In his spare time (what little there is of it), Doc enjoys ripping up mountain roads on his Triumph Speed Triple motorcycle, chasing his son around, NASCAR racing, or playing a competitive game of pool, darts, croquet, or golf (OK, so the golf game could hardly be called competitive). Mr. Waldrop currently resides in Marietta, GA, but can often be found wherever his clients take him.
Andrea Kidd / Bold American Event Design 
Sarah Steadman / Convention and Visitors Bureau of Dunwoody 
Kelly Treadway / EventCurious
Creative Circus, BBDO, Escalate, and Coca-Cola
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Creative Circus, BBDO, Escalate, and Coca-Cola
This week my guests included experts from Creative Circus, BBDO, Escalate, and Coca-Cola. The focus of our discussion was centered around marketing/brand awareness through creative campaigns and experiential/word-of-mouth marketing. And we started by sharing the story about Creative Circus, an Atlanta-based creative school that recruits top creative arts students from around the country to continue their education and professional development in their 2 year program. A key feature of Creative Circus is not simply teaching creative arts/ad creation skills. Rather, Creative Circus also teaches the students fortunate to attend how to market themselves in the interview/application process and how to build a professional, well-constructed portfolio of work. With the combined quality of instruction in the creative process and portfolio development, the Creative Circus’s graduates have a high rate of placement with creative agencies upon graduation.
The Creative Circus collaborates frequently with such well-known firms as BBDO, the globally-known creative agency responsible for innumerable high-profile ad campaigns as seen during the Super Bowl, on our TV’s daily, and across the spectrum of media forms. Debbie Lindner, SVP and Chief People Officer stopped by to talk about how the agency will sometimes refer candidates who are seeking to work with BBDO to the Creative Circus for additional experience and development of their book of work. She talked about the fact that Creative Circus graduates clearly come out of the program prepared and ready to contribute to creative campaigns with a high level of ability.
Stu Sheldon of Escalate joined the conversation to talk about how Word of Mouth earned media adds an additional layer of engagement on top of well-planned, quality creative campaigns to boost effectiveness of brand campaigns. He introduced us to a frequent client, Zakia Holland, a Director of Brand with Coca-Cola (a personal favorite brand of mine). We talked about a number of experiential marketing campaigns Coca-Cola has employed to reach new customer bases such as those in the younger generations and when they launch new brands into the market place.
The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 brands. The Company and its bottling partners are dedicated to “2020 Vision,” a roadmap for doubling system revenues this decade, focused on five key areas—profit, people, portfolio, partners and planet. The Company has the strongest portfolio of brands in the nonalcoholic beverage industry – now featuring 20 brands that generate more than $1 billion USD in annual retail sales.
Special Guests:
Katie Harmon, Marketing Manager of the Creative Circus 
- BA, Art History, Criticism, and Conservation, Georgia College and State University
- Previous Representative and Event Coordinator, Coverdell Institute
- Former Self-Expression Coordinator, Carrera Model Program
- Hope Scholarship recipient, Weir Wells Study Abroad recipient
Debbie Lindner, SVP, Chief People Officer of BBDO Atlanta
- BA, Psychology and Finance, Missouri State University
- 25 years of leadership roles with BBDO Atlanta
- Board Member, BBDO Atlanta
- Member, National Association of Professional Women
Stuart Sheldon, Chief Advocacy Officer at Escalate 
- BA, English and Journalism, Washington and Lee University
- Former Senior Brand Manager, Coca Cola Company
- Founder and Former Evangelist Prime, ConnectUs Marketing
- 2006 Coca-Cola North America Big, Bold & Inspiring Marketing award; Coca-Cola Worldwide Marketing Excellence award finalist
Zakia Holland, Senior Brand Activation Manager at Coca Cola 
- MBA, Georgia Southern University
- 9 years in leadership role, Coca Cola
- Former Senior Account Manager, Ritz Carlton Hotel
- Avid Runner
Spotlight on BMA Atlanta
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Mark Semmelmayer / BMA Atlanta
Mark Semmelmayer is the Immediate Past President of the Business Marketing Association’s (BMA) Atlanta Chapter and a past National Board member and International Chairman of BMA. He’s the Chief Idea Officer of Pen & Inc. Marketing Communications, an Atlanta-based marketing consultancy he founded in 2013. Mark has over 40 years of broadcast, ad agency and corporate communications experience and retired from corporate life in 2013, after 32 years with Kimberly-Clark.
Karstin Bodell / IBM North America
Karstin is a Go to Market executive in the technology marketplace, with expertise in balancing profitable growth across distribution channels. She has global experience in business development, reselling and influencing channels, sales and marketing across both SMB and enterprise clients.
Karstin led several strategic transformations within IBM, ranging from establishing new markets such as e-business, architecting effective new sales roles & client coverage models and management systems in support of cross channel pipeline development. She is responsible for marketing to the Women Owned Business segment, in partnership with Procurement and Human Resources. As a serial early adopter of new technologies and techniques she is a strong partner to sales leadership in deploying progressive practices such as customer analytics for effective targeting and digital as a sales tool.
Karstin is a frequent executive speaker providing sales training on approaches to reach Line of Business buyers, as well as a popular presenter at industry events on the convergence of marketing and technology to both the CMO and CIO communities. She is a member of the GSU Atlanta Marketing Roundtable and she serves on the Executive Advisory Board for AMA Atlanta. She is a 10 year mentor with Pathbuilders, which focuses on high potential women leaders and is a recipient of their Inspiria Award.
Karstin holds a B.A in Management Science and Public Policy from Duke University. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband.
Celebrating Womens History Month
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On today’s broadcast, we featured a dynamic panel of 3 all-star woman business leaders that covered the issues surrounding being a double minority threat in the current corporate market. Mary Parker can dedicate an entire wall in her office to the number of awards and accolades she has garnered for both her work in the community and her entrepreneurial work. Mary is the President and CEO of ALL(n)1, a multi-million dollar international enterprise, the President of ABD Contracting, and the Immediate Past Chair of the Atlanta Business League, as well as a board member to a handful of other prestigious councils. Indigo Triplett– Founder and CEO– and Tammy Davis– Director of Operations– from Careers in Transition also joined us. Their company has been recognized as one of America’s Fastest Growing Companies for the last 3 years in INC magazine, and has assisted everything from Fortune 500 companies to the Federal Government itself. Indigo Triplett, the Founder at Careers In Transition, is also a renowned speaker on the subject of career advancement and leadership. Tammy Davis has 15 years of success in HR and operations, as well intimate knowledge of Federal and Defense relations. Join us in exploring the executive suite of minority business women in Atlanta business, past, present, and future!
Dr. Indigo Triplett / Careers in Transition 
Dr. Indigo launched Careers In Transition as an independent consultant in 1995, which quickly parlayed into a successful venture resulting in the company becoming incorporated in 1997. Initially, the company provided career transitional assistance during a period when many companies needed to downsize, but ultimately changed its focus to performance management. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, her company was recognized as one of America’s Fastest Growing Companies by INC. Magazine. Stateside to abroad–from Tucker, Georgia to Shanghai, China–she delivers a message and philosophy that is insightful; thus, resonating with people at every tier of their career or within an organization. As the author of Playing by the Unwritten Rules I: Moving from the Middle to the Top and Playing by the Unwritten Rules II: From a Job Defense to a Career Offense, she is a leading authority on career and performance management. Noted for “making the implicit explicit” and injecting humor into her subject matter, she is called upon by nationally recognized magazines, newspapers, television and radio outlets. She recently Founded Indigo Insights a nonprofit that is changing the conversation from mental illness to mental wellness.
Mary Parker / ALL(n)1 Security Services
Mary Parker, President & CEO of ALL(n)1 Security Services, Inc. has more than 30 years of experience in the security industry. ALL(n)1 Security is the country’s nationally certified African-American female owned full service security firm in the United States. These services include Security Personnel, Security Technology, Background Checks and Traffic Control Management.
In 2001, Mary Parker founded ALL(n)1 Security in the kitchen of her home, with one employee, herself. Today, ALL(n)1 consists of a staff of more than 200 employees. From a small home office in Atlanta, Georgia, ALL(n)1 has evolved into a multi-million dollar enterprise with offices in Alabama, Mississippi, and Africa. ALL(n)1 serves markets in the Southeastern, Eastern, Midwestern, Southwestern, and Western Regions. Her company has even worked side-by-side with the Secret Service to protect the First Lady and the President when each delivered commencement speeches in Atlanta. Mary Parker is also the President of ABD Contracting, LLC, a five‐year old female and minority‐owned full service concrete and asphalt paving company located in Atlanta, Georgia. ABD Contracting, offers a full range of milling, construction, installation, coating, striping, restoration and maintenance services. ABD has the resources and experience that meet or exceed federal specifications. The company operates as a general sub‐contractor in the States of Alabama and Georgia.
She is the Immediate Past Chair of the Atlanta Business League and is one of its 100 Women of Vision. Mary has participated in ABL’s Student Business Shadow Program since its inception. Through this program, she seeks to identify participants to award a scholarship from the Mary Parker Foundation Annual Back to school event.
She has been featured in Black Enterprise, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Woman Magazine, Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Tribune Magazine, to name a few. She is the recipient of the 2014, KLEANCollar Spirit of Excellence in Entrepreneurship, 2013 Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta 2013 Salute to Mothers Business Award, 2012 Trumpet Awards Business, 2012 National Women Business Enterprise STAR Award, 2012 Enterprising Women Award, and 2010 National Minority Supplier Development Council – CLASS II Award.
Mary Parker holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and a Master’s Degree in Security Management from Stafford University. In Addition, she is a graduate of the Tuck Executive Leadership Program at Dartmouth, The Georgia Governor’s Mentor Protégé Program, Atlanta Economic Alliance Academy, Small Business Development Center, and Leadership Atlanta.
She is a sought after speaker for Criminal Justice students throughout the United States. She mentors youth, many women, new business owners, and aspiring security professionals. She believes that God chose her to go through many challenges and obstacles before allowing her to succeed. Her motivation is faith, commitment to change, and the responsibility to give back.
Mary Parker is the founder of the Mary Parker Foundation non-profit organization that is committed to uplifting humanity. The foundation aims to foster those imperative and principal fundamentals that are essential to lifelong learning. Signature programs include education, entrepreneurship and re-entry. Each program has been strategically designed to ensure all participants are placed on an assured and measurable pathway to success. A curriculum and program guide has been developed that empowers, enriches and motivates each participant, positioning them to attain key results. We are committed to “Raising Other Generations”. Mary Parker truly understands that to whom much is given, much is required.
Mary Parker is an ordained Minister. She is the mother of one daughter, Chana and 3 adorable granddaughters, Amber, Essence, and Jada.
