CareSouth Carolina’s Kelli Cross, Latasha Bethea honored with statewide awards

CareSouth Carolina’s Kelli Cross and Latasha Bethea were recently honored by the South Carolina Primary Healthcare Association (SCPHCA)’s SEA Retreat with statewide honors.

Kelli Cross, who serves as Population Health Manager for CareSouth Carolina, was named the Billing and Collection Employee of the Year. The award recognizes an employee who consistently demonstrates dedication to billing and improving quality metrics.

“As Population Health Manager, I work with the billing/coding department to maximize the use of coding for value-based care and closing quality measures,” Cross said. “This collaborative work has proven successful by the improvements in our quality scores.  I am honored to receive this award from the South Carolina Primary Healthcare Association that reflects the ongoing work and dedication to billing.”

Latasha Bethea, Community Health Technical Advisor, was bestowed with the honor of Agriculture Health Worker of the Year. The award recognizes an employee who consistently demonstrates an exemplary and noteworthy performance in Migrant Health efforts.

“I am so shocked yet blessed and honored to receive this award,” Bethea said. “In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?” Truly grateful I get the privilege of coming to work to serve every day. Winning this award inspires me to continue pressing forward, no matter the challenges. The fruit, vegetables, meat, drink we consume, the flowers we plant, the clothes we wear, the pine straw we use, the desks we sit at, the paper we print off, the fuel we use for our vehicles, and so much more are all a part of Agriculture that touch just about every part of our work and personal lives at CSC. Farmworkers feed America! I hope my work will inspire others. Accepting this award could not be possible without our Ag patients, partners, and the support of our awesome Community Health/FSS team. It starts with a seed. There is much more to do, so let’s strap up our boots and continue to do this necessary work because we reap what we sow just like Agriculture. We rise by lifting others. Let’s lead the way being intentional and with purpose.”

The South Carolina Primary Health Care Association (SCPHCA) is the unifying organization for Community Health Centers (CHCs) in South Carolina. CHCs are time-tested models of community-based care. They represent public and private partnerships working together to improve the health status of their respective communities.

CareSouth Carolina is a private, non-profit community health center delivering patient-centered health and life services in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. CareSouth Carolina operates centers in Bennettsville, Bishopville, Cheraw, Chesterfield, Dillon, Hartsville, Lake View, Latta, McColl and Society Hill.

Services provided by CareSouth Carolina include family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, women's services, OB/GYN, HIV/AIDS primary care, infectious disease primary care, IV therapy, substance abuse prevention, dental, chiropractic services, pharmacy, senior support services, family support services, clinical counseling, laboratory, ultrasound, X-Ray, agricultural worker health services, podiatry, and veterans choice provider.