Scott Kroell, the recently retired CEO of Liberty Regional Medical Center, has been selected to be the dean for health sciences at Savannah Technical College, the college announced in a news release Friday morning.
In this role, the release says, Kroell is responsible for managing initiatives related to the health-science programs and instructional services, including community, high-school and college programs, along with e-learning and faculty. He also will serve as a liaison between Academic Affairs and other units of the college.
Kroell holds a Master of Health Administration from Georgia State University and a bachelor’s in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech.
His retirement became public knowledge May 1 after he had served Hinesville’s hospital for 21 years. Amy Shaffer, the director of communications at Savannah Tech, said in response to questions from the Courier that Kroell began working for the college on May 18.
He is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives, a board member of the Georgia Board of Nursing Home Administration and Healthcare Georgia Foundation, and has been a member of the Governor’s Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee and Governor’s Ebola Task Force.
Kroell hired after a nationwide search, Shaffer said. He will spend most of his time at the college’s Savannah campus, but he will visit the Liberty and Effingham campuses, which also offer health-sciences programs, she said.
“We are thrilled to have Scott Kroell as the new dean for our Health Sciences Division,” STC President Dr. Kathy Love said in a statement. “His extensive leadership in health care, understanding of the value technical education provides for workforce development, along with his service to our communities made him the top candidate. He knows the health-care needs of the communities we serve and will be a great leader for the college as it works to expand health-care-related training in Liberty County.”
The college’s Health Sciences Division offers the following programs that prepare individuals for entry-level positions in the health-care community: dental assisting, dental hygiene, emergency-medical-services professions, health-care assistant (central sterile processing, nurse aide, patient-care technician), health-care science (for dental hygiene and surgical technology), medical assisting, medical coding/insurance data entry, phlebotomy, practical nursing and surgical technology.
Some of these programs use a competitive entry process and require applicants to submit an application to be considered for acceptance into the program. The division offers associate degrees to professional diplomas and technical certificates for programs that prepare graduates for careers in hospitals, dental offices, nursing homes and other health/illness care facilities, including home care.