Great Lakes Bay Health Centers Announces New Medical Director – Primary Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04/23/2024
Media Contact: Monica Woods, mwoods@glbhealth.org
 
 

 
Great Lakes Bay Health Centers is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Toby Long as the new Medical Director - Primary Care, effective June 1, 2024. With his extensive experience and unwavering commitment to patient-centered care, Dr. Long will lead our primary care team in delivering exceptional healthcare services. Dr. Long currently serves as the Education Director for our MiDoc Family Medicine Residency Program. He has led the efforts to expand and improve the program. In July 2024, the program will expand to three residents annually.
 
Having been an esteemed member of Great Lakes Bay Health Centers for 12 years. Dr. Long has consistently demonstrated exemplary leadership, clinical expertise, and dedication to improving patient outcomes. his passion for healthcare excellence and innovation has significantly contributed to our center's mission of providing compassionate and comprehensive care to our community.
 
In his new role, Dr. Long will oversee all aspects of primary care services, including leadership of the primary care department, improving quality outcomes, the health and well-being of the primary care providers, and establishing guidelines and protocols for the department. During his employment Dr. Long has demonstrated a collaborative approach and deep-rooted commitment to excellence that will drive our primary care department's continued success and advancement.
 
“I am very excited to have this opportunity, stated Dr. Chapin, Chief Medical Officer, to work with a physician of Dr. Long’s caliber and his historical knowledge of the organization.”
 
Dr Long attended Western Michigan University as a Medallion Scholar and graduated with a BA in English Literature, followed by a Masters in Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine as a part of the rural physician program.  Dr. Long has served as a faculty member at CMU’s Family Medicine Residency since 2016 and has enjoyed overseeing the MiDOC family medicine residency program since its inception. When he is not busy with GLBHC patients and paperwork, he is likely doing something with a local parish, coaching soccer, or trying to keep up with the wonderful chaos of raising six kids with his better half, Andrea.
 
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Long on his well-deserved appointment as Medical Director - Primary Care. We are confident that He will continue to elevate the standard of care at Great Lakes Bay Health Centers and positively impact the health and well-being of our community.
 
About Great Lakes Bay Health Centers:
At Great Lakes Bay Health Centers we provide family medical care, pediatric care, pharmacy, women’s care, x-ray, laboratory, behavioral health care, dental care, eye care, and much more. Over the years, GLBHC has provided medical education and has collaborated with many local agencies in the public and private sectors.  Community Health Centers are not just healers, we are innovators who look beyond medical charts to address the factors that may cause poor health, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental illness, access to nutritious food, and unemployment. We are a critical piece of health care systems and collaborate with hospitals, local and state governments, social, health and business organizations to improve health outcomes for people who are medically vulnerable.
 
The mission of Community Health Centers remains crucial today because access to basic care remains a challenge to over one hundred million people across the country. Many people live in remote and underserved communities where there is a shortage of providers and, in many cases, the nearest doctor or hospital can be as far as a 50-mile drive in another county. Fortunately, Great Lakes Bay Health Centers provides transportation services in some of the communities we serve but the need is in high demand and increasing this service would help with access to care and help to prevent costly emergency room visits that sometimes, are not medically necessary.