Frances Inez Ford, BS, RN
Frances Ford has devoted her entire nursing career serving the citizens of Dallas and Perry counties. Ms. Ford, a graduate of the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, has served in many different areas of nursing including both hospitals and outpatient clinics. In 1997 she was recruited to work on a Robert Wood Johnson Grant, coordinating a project that would increase the number of healthcare professionals and expand the services of outpatient clinics in Perry County. This effort brought Ms. Ford recognition as an energetic visionary who truly understood the challenges of rural healthcare and the need to remove regulatory barriers that inhibited the delivery of services in rural areas of the State. In 2005 Ms. Ford was recruited as Executive Director of Sowing Seeds of Hope, Inc., a faith-based organization that has allowed Frances the opportunity to intertwine her faith and professional career.
One of the most far reaching accomplishments of her work was her involvement with the Governor’s Black Belt Action Committee to revise regulations that would permit End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Facilities to be located more than 10 miles from a hospital. This change resulted in the establishment of a dialysis center in Marion, Alabama and eliminated a 40 mile drive, 2 to 3 times per week for more than 50 people. Ms. Ford continues to follow her calling to “minister to those in need.”