Page 24 - Cannabis News Florida August 2022

Care Combined With Compassion Spurs Successful Outcomes

Dr. Jason Hechtman’s treatment approach treats patients like family,

while offering world-class cancer care

BY CHRIS CURTLAND the best medical care possible, but also
feel beautiful and confident with the
Dr. Jason Hechtman has wanted to result. With more than 16 years of expe-
fight cancer since he was a little boy, and rience, Hechtman is an expert in breast
a beloved family member’s bout with the lumpectomy, mastectomy, axillary dissec-
disease still inspires him today. His tion, sentinel lymph node procedures,
grandmother was diagnosed with breast breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided
cancer while he was young, and breast interventions, partial breast radia-
Hechtman felt helpless that he couldn’t tion therapy, Savi Scout-guided breast
take care of her. resections, breast oncoplastic surgery,
“My grandma was filled with life and hidden scar technique and other mini-
vitality, and it was hard for me to watch mally invasive breast interventions that
the life slowly get taken out of her as she maximize aesthetic outcomes.
got more tired and became sicker and Inspired by his relationship with his
sicker,” he said. “I didn’t know how to grandmother, Dr. Hechtman has always
help her, so as I grew up, I knew I wanted focused on developing close relation-
to become a doctor.” ships with his patients and their families,
Dr. Hechtman, is now on the medical building trust and a system of support to
staff at Tampa General Hospital as part of improve patient outcomes and develop a
TGH’s Cancer Institute, and was an assis- continued road to success. He works Dr. Jason Hechtman and patient
tant professor of breast surgery at the with patients to develop individualized The fused relationship between TGH parents, their children, what they do,
University of South Florida (USF) Health plans that incorporate mental health and and USF has allowed Hechtman to seize what their likes and dislikes are. Because
Morsani College of Medicine. He recent- positivity. on the research, expertise and “environ- we’re going on a journey together, and
ly moved to Florida’s East Coast and sees “What I try to do when I take care of ment of learning” that the university that journey is not going to be for a short
patients from across West Palm Beach, patients is treat everybody as I would my structure offers. time. When I take care of my patients, I
Palm Springs, Wellington and Jupiter. grandma, mother or sister,” Dr. Hechtman “This environment breeds new take care of them forever.”
Dr. Hechtman specializes in the treat- explained. “I focus on how to talk and avenues and openings, but patients don’t
ment of breast cancer and breast dis- relate in that way, because family is the always want to be bombarded with the To refer a patient to Dr. Hechtman or to
eases. He blends cutting-edge treatment most important thing in everybody’s life. If science because it gets confusing,” Dr. schedule a consultation, please
options with advanced surgical interven- you treat your patient like you would treat Hechtman explained. “So instead, I really call (561) 644-0125.
tions to ensure patients not only receive your family, you can’t go wrong.” enjoy getting to know my patients, their

Cover Story: Brackin Advises Future Leaders

to Look Beyond Areas of Expertise When It Comes to

Patient Care, Are
Continued from page 1 marks on the community in a positive
developing field hospitals for the Marine way.”
Corps.” As a former mentor to many up-and- You Capitalizing on
After his military experience, Brackin coming healthcare professionals, Brackin
attended graduate school at George advises those looking to grow to move New Opportunities?
Washington University, followed by a one- beyond their comfort zones and explore
year administrative residency at South other areas.
Miami Hospital. Three years later, he “Look for opportunities to participate in Are we there yet? As of this writing, it seems
became the CEO of Homestead Hospital, projects or initiatives outside your area of like we are almost, maybe, perhaps, we hope,
and later the CEO of South Miami expertise—if you’re a physical therapist, putting COVID in the rearview mirror. I think BY JAY JUFFRE
Hospital, where he guided the merger of for example, get involved in quality headlines, variants and unfortunately some
both hospitals with Baptist Health South improvement initiatives in clinical areas more hospitalization and death will continue to
Florida. beyond yours. If you’re working in haunt us for months to come, but overall, most people are returning to pre-
One of Brackin’s strengths lies in being finance, get involved in HR initiatives or COVID lifestyles. For most organizations, this is a tremendous opportunity.
able to find common ground with other initiatives to improve morale. Seek out No matter how your associate, staff or patient experience was like pre pan-
healthcare professionals throughout hos- areas where you’re not the most comfort- demic, there is a limited window to implement changes which will make
pital systems. able, but have the most opportunity for things even better. A quick example, I have a colleague who grew so frustrat-
“I grew up in a very diverse environ- growth,” he said. ed (because of supply chain issues) that his dealer could not locate brakes
ment in Virginia, and between that and my Being able to adapt to any situation is for the vehicle he had purchased just 18 months earlier, that he went to a
military experience, I have developed the also a big plus, as healthcare is a continu- competitor and traded the vehicle in for a new one. Much to his surprise,
ability to communicate and relate to peo- ally evolving field. when he showed up to take possession of the new sedan, after signing some
ple of many different backgrounds, similar “Anybody in a leadership role for any paperwork, he walked out to find his new fully detailed car pulled right up
to the diversity you find in South Florida’s period of time knows that you have to be front. Not that impressive yet, but there is more. A red carpet had been rolled
healthcare teams,” he explained. “I am just prepared for change,” said Brackin. “We’ve out and velvet ropes lined each side of the pathway he would take from the
as comfortable talking to physicians as I had some kind of major upheaval practi- exit to the car. The salesperson and dealership had gone out of their way to
am to environmental service workers or cally every five to seven years for as long as make the purchase a big deal. My friend felt like a million bucks and more
engineering guys or lab techs. This has I’ve been working. At times, the upheaval importantly, he went out of his way to tell everyone about his experience.
been invaluable to me over the years to comes at you unexpectedly, but this cre- Was the dealer doing this pre-COVID? Who knows? But they are doing this
really understand what’s going on in ates growth opportunities, and you have now. If you were great at creating a wonderful human experience pre-
organizations from different viewpoints.” to adjust quickly to extreme circum- COVID but put some of those activities on hold out of safety concerns, get
Brackin also attributes his success to his stances, whether it’s a hurricane or back to them quickly. If you were only good, you now can be great. There
ability to place the right people in the right COVID.” are some who are looking carefully at ways to impress visitors, patients and
roles. “I believe that I am a good judge of He noted that healthcare professionals employees and others who are stuck in neutral. The companies who recon-
talent,” he said. “Throughout my career, I in South Florida need to be more readily nect with patients, their teams, and the community the quickest will be the
have selected people for leadership roles adaptable as a result of dealing with so ones who win in this post-COVID era.
who have taken the opportunity to grow many natural disasters.
and make bigger contributions to the Brackin added that no matter how suc- Jay Juffre is Executive Vice President, ImageFIRST. For more information on
organizations. If you look around the cessful a leader becomes, it’s important to ImageFIRST, call 1-800-932-7472 or visit www.imagefirst.com.
South Florida community, there are many stay grounded as well.
people that I’ve had the pleasure to work “One thing I tell all of the up-and-com-
with, particularly earlier in their careers, ing rising stars that I’ve mentored over the
who have done well and made significant years is to stay humble,” he said.

South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com August 2022 5