Jennifer Ventress stood before the room full of women and smiled.

“Wow. Thank you,” she said with a beaming smile. “This is such an awesome turnout.”

That awesome turnout – more than 70 strong – were women on hand for the inaugural meeting of The Female Factor, a new outreach program sponsored by Troy Regional Medical Center and a number of community partners.

Ventress, chief nursing officer at the hospital, was one of several members of the organizing committee on hand for Tuesday’s luncheon at the Studio. “We had a fantastic program,” she said after the luncheon. “Even though this morning we didn’t know what we were going to do.”

The Female Factor, which celebrates “all the things that make us uniquely female,” was slated to open with an organizational expert from Birmingham. “She called me this morning and said she was being wheeled into the operating room for emergency surgery,” Ventress said. “We had to go to Plan B.”

“Plan B” was Dianna Lee, marketing officer for Troy Bank and Trust and a member of the council, who led a workshop on communication skills. “Communication is something we all absolutely do,” Lee said. “… Everyone has a personality, but everyone also has a communications personality.”

Lee led the women through a quick inventory of communication inventory and an exercise designed to amplify different communication styles.

“This was great,” said Ann Stewart. “It’s really helpful to see the different types of communication styles.”

Karen Herring, who oversees marketing at TRMC, said the monthly programs are designed to be “a little escape hatch, a little something just for you as a women.’”

Sandy Nasca, the deputy Pike County Coroner, agreed that the program is a welcome respite. “It’s a great way for women who are local to get together,” she said.

The Female Factor luncheons and programs, which are free of charge, will be held the second Wednesday of each month at The Studio in downtown Troy. Anyone wanting more information about the program may contact the hospital at 670-5487.