Forrest Health’s Spirit of Women Celebrates 20 Years of Women’s Health and Happiness
Here’s to Strong Women: May We Know Them. May We Be Them. May We Raise Them.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (March 15, 2024) Forrest Health has always been passionate about women and their health. In fact, one of the biggest choices women make in life regards healthcare decision making. Realizing this important role, Forrest Health introduced the Spirit of Women (SOW) program to the community in 2004. This year, the program celebrates its 20th anniversary boasting more than 8,000 members.
SOW programs are customized to meet the needs of today's women and their families, providing health education events, and health screenings in a fun and entertaining way called "health-u-tainment." While participating in a variety of entertaining events, women, in all stages of their life, hear from experts regarding important health information.
“We have always been strong in Women and Children’s Services and realize the important role women play in healthcare decision making,” said Millie Swan, vice president. “It really got us on track to do something unique and different for women by offering this national program – Spirit of Women – 20 years ago.”
Swan said this program really sets Forrest Health apart from others. “It is all about women,” she said. “You’ve heard, ‘We’ve come a long way, baby!’ Well, that speaks volumes to women. Women have made great strides, and they definitely have made their mark and proven themselves. Women are detailers, planners, and organizers and get a lot done in a short amount of time. It’s all about giving women a voice, making sure they are recognized for their qualities and their abilities.”
Swan said the way she knew the SOW program had been successful was during some strategic planning Forrest Health was doing several years ago. “When asking what programs stood out at Forrest General or Forrest Health, they, even men, would always mention Spirit of Women, because this was something their wives were interested in and a part of. That really told me a lot because they were giving recognition to the program.”
“Once we saw the good that the Spirit of Women program was doing for women, we created Spirit Girls for girls in grades 7 through 12,” said Swan. “These young ladies are going to one day be our future leaders, the moms at home, so we felt we should start talking to them at a younger age.” The program was designed to help these young ladies learn how to take action for their health at an early age. They also take part in community events and opportunities to volunteer.
Swan noted that an even younger offshoot of the Spirit of Women program was Sweeteas, for girls in grades Pre-K through 6th grade. This was a time for mothers and daughters to be together while the younger set learned about the essence of a true Southern Girl – charm, character, and charisma, and the art of touching the world with Southern grace “I feel those programs made a difference to a lot of people, and were also well received and appreciated,” Swan said.
One of the most popular SOW events was the Annual Event held at Lake Terrace Convention Center. At some of these events, there were more than 700 in attendance. Through the years, the event welcomed guest speakers such as First Lady Barbara Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and the Bush daughters/granddaughters, twins, Jenna and Barbara; Taya Kyle, wife of the late U.S. Navy seal sniper; and Tammie Jo Shults, U.S. Navy fighter pilot.
Swan said the Barbara Bush visit was one of the most memorable as the former First Lady was not doing a lot of traveling or speaking at the time.
“Mrs. Bush was very quick witted, and an incredible woman who mirrored everything Spirit of Women stood for,” remembers Swan. “She had led such an interesting life, but was so humble and down to earth. She put everyone at ease. And afterward, she sent us a hand-written thank-you note. Her visit will always be a fond memory.”
The Bush sisters’ visit was also of note because they actually toured the Cancer Center and visited with patients, “We usually didn’t have speakers who would make a visit, so that was special,” Swan said. “You could see the compassion and the tears in their eyes. You don’t often see the real side of people like that, but it leaves an impression, and it meant so much to the people at the Cancer Center.”
Swan said all of these Annual Event speakers shared some really passionate and wonderful stories that left an impression on the people who were fortunate enough to hear them.
Spirit of Women doesn’t discriminate against age, which is a big draw. It is relevant to women of all ages, in all stages of their life.
“There’s wisdom in every season of life. You are always learning, looking back, and reflecting, moving forward,” Swan said. “Everybody wants to age gracefully and enjoy each season. SOW offers that too. The younger moms or younger women are harder to reach because they are busy with careers, volunteer work in the community, children, carpooling, and dropping off, so that’s one thing we try to give a lot of thought to. What’s going to be appealing to a 30 or 40 year old is going to be different to that of a 50 or 60 year old and beyond, because we are all in different places.”
Spirit of Women is about taking action for women and their health, because they often take care of everybody else. Females understand juggling so many different aspects of life. If a female has a profession or is a stay-at-home mom, whatever her chosen path in life, she is juggling so many more things. If she works, she comes home and is responsible for the meal, getting kids taken care of, picked up at school, their social events, plus trying to be a volunteer and be a part of the community.
Swan said she loves that SOW stresses that women take care of themselves, but also reward themselves with something fun, thus the health-u-tainment. “I always say, ‘What woman wants to go hear a lecture about having a hysterectomy?’ It’s not what she wants to talk about. But if you can remind her to have her mammogram, colonoscopy, and schedule her health checkups, in addition to those of her family, all while enjoying a fun time, then we’ve put somebody on the right track.”
Swan said she is proud of the support medical staff has provided to the program through the years. She explained when these programs kicked off a lot of physicians didn’t know what we were doing, but they quickly figured it out. “Then doctors wanted to come out and speak at our different SOW programs, because they knew it was a great audience, and they wanted to have that connection,” said Swan. “As we get back into programs this anniversary year, we hope to have more of them sharing information with our members.”
So, what does the future hold for the Spirit of Women program?
“In 2020, COVID shut in-person down, but I think we did a great job of keeping the program going and women connected. Now, we want to bring Spirit of Women back strong and revive the program with the 20th celebration of our anniversary,” said Swan. “ think women are ready for it.”
“Our plan is to bring back our Annual Event and bring back some of the seminars or events we can do in person for women. Spirit Girls is still very active. These young ladies are out in the community learning all about volunteerism and the program continues to thrive.
“I think our 20th anniversary is going to be a big year. We are working on an annual speaker. There are still a lot of discussions, and we will have more, but no matter what we do, we hope you’re ready to celebrate with us.”
For more information or learn how to become a SOW member, visit forresthealth.org/spiritofwomen.
About Spirit of Women:
With more than 8,500 members, Forrest Health is the only Spirit of Women hospital for Mississippi. Since 2004, Forrest Health's Spirit of Women program has been a valued resource for women of all ages in the community. Membership benefits include special discounts at Spirit of Women programs and more than 100 local retail businesses and a monthly newsletter. A small fee of $20 provides you with a lifetime membership. Programs are customized to meet the needs of today's women and their families, providing health education events and health screenings in a fun and entertaining way - it's what we call "health-u-tainment." Great speakers provide the entertainment on topics ranging from gardening to home decorating, while experts from Forrest Health relay important health information covering all stages of a woman's life.
About Forrest Health:
Forrest Health is a system of healthcare organizations formed to increase access to quality health care in south Mississippi. Forrest General Hospital is its flagship hospital. In addition to Forrest General, Forrest Health hospitals include: Highland Community Hospital, Picayune; Jefferson Davis Community Hospital & Extended Care Facility, Prentiss; Marion General Hospital, Columbia; Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home, Poplarville; Perry County General Hospital, Richton; and Walthall General Hospital, Tylertown. Forrest Health is also home to The Orthopedic Institute and Institute of Neuroscience, both in Hattiesburg, as well as a variety of healthcare clinics throughout its 19-county coverage area.
