Doing the same job for 42 years, some would think could be repetitive, but Kathie explains that this job has never been boring. “This job has never been boring. I’ve had the great opportunity to watch life unfold from the beginning to its end. When I stop to think, it reminds me to cherish every day,” she explains.

Kathie’s role is to help coordinate a patient’s discharge needs. “Kathie goes above and beyond to locate appropriate facilities and resources even when a patient’s routine resources are not sufficient,” says her nomination form. She provides the best patient experience by listening to the patient’s preferences and concerns as well as the way that she communicates all of their options and costs to them. When asked what providing the best patient experience means to her, Kathie said, “it means going the extra mile to serve those that have placed their trust in us.”

Kathie demonstrates going above and beyond for her patients, through her favorite Metro memory. Kathie thought back to a time prior to Metro’s relocation, when she was a part of a wedding held in the hospital’s chapel. “A daughter chose to have her wedding in the hospital chapel, so that her father, a patient at Metro, would be able to join in on the celebration,” she explained.

Kathie also provides the best employee experience. “She works together with staff on many levels, especially nursing and therapy,” says her nomination form. “Kathie communicates with other staff regarding the plans as they unfold, ensuring that everyone involved knows the plan and what his/her role is.”

When asked what winning this award means to her, Kathie was pleased. “It makes me smile because I’ve had the good fortune to work with some pretty incredible folks through the years; this is the icing on the cake,” she explains.

Congratulations, Kathie!
YOU are the BEST of Metro!

The weekly open-air market will host a diverse array of vendors selling fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, plants, flowers and other locally grown and produced foods, as well as handcrafted artisan items such as jewelry, soap and candles. Now in its eighth year, the market will continue to hold free community health screenings on many of the days, including blood pressure checks and others.

The market will again accept Project Fresh and Senior Project Fresh/Market Fresh Coupons, which are state of Michigan programs that encourage eating healthy fruits and vegetables by offering coupons redeemable at farmers’ markets to residents on food assistance. The market will also offer Double Up Food Bucks to shoppers using their Michigan Bridge Card. Last year, more than $7,000 in food assistance programs was spent at the Metro Health market.

This year, the farmers’ market will host a series of special events throughout the summer, including:

• Kids’ Day on June 20, featuring a pint-size tractor pull and other fun games and activities for children.
• Christmas in July on July 25, when the market will open extra spaces for crafters and allow shoppers to get a headstart on the holiday shopping season.
• Health and Wellness Day on Aug. 1, offering a broad array of information and screenings, including stroke prevention, heart health, body-fat assessments and more.
• Chef Cookoff on Aug. 1, inviting local West Michigan chefs are invited to a friendly cooking challenge that will have them using farm-fresh ingredients from the market in their creations. The event will feature a panel discussion and free samples, wrapping up with the Metro Way 5K.

The market will share updates on Facebook about fun things happening each week during the season.

The market, which is free and open to the community, is held every Thursday on Main Street in Metro Health Village from May 9 through Oct. 10 from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m.

Metro Health first hosted a farmers’ market in 2006 when the hospital was still located in the city of Grand Rapids. The market, which was then biweekly, began as an initiative to encourage employees to live healthier lifestyles. Since then, it has grown into a community-wide event that attracts hundreds of visitors each week.

About Metro Health
An award-winning leader in community healthcare, Metro Health serves more than 250,000 patients annually from across West Michigan – and beyond. In addition to its 208-bed hospital, which provides a comprehensive suite of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services, Metro Health has a growing number neighborhood outpatient centers and offices throughout West Michigan, as well as a community clinic for the underserved and a student health clinic on the campus of Grand Valley State University. With more than 500 physicians on staff, Metro Health provides a growing number of specialty health services, including cancer treatment, heart and vascular, neurology, pulmonology and others. Many are members of the Metro Health Medical Group. The hospital is committed to promoting health and wellness through the work of the Metro Health Hospital Foundation, Live Healthy community outreach classes and educational programs and more. Visit us www.metrohealth.net, follow us on Twitter @MetroHealthGr and like us on Facebook/MetroHealth.

Metro Health is one of only 40 hospitals nationwide to receive an award, which recognizes the hospital for achieving national performance standards for clinical quality, safety and patient experience.  Winners were announced yesterday during VHA’s national meeting in Las Vegas.

The VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellent recognizes organizations that achieve top performance in care measures tracked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in three areas: value-based purchase and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Services results, 30-day readmission rates and Medicare cost data.

“The leaders and staff at Metro Health have shown their dedication to providing not only high levels of clinical care but also continually improving that performance to produce better outcomes for their patients,” said VHA Senior Vice President Steve Miff.  “We are especially proud of VHA organizations  like Metro Health for their exceptional performance against key national indicators.

VHA is a national network of 1,350 nonprofit hospital systems and 72,000 non-acute facilities that work together to achieve new levels of clinical performance and operational efficiency.

The popular three-on-three basketball tournament expects to draw more than 200 teams when it debuts at the Village later this spring. This is the first time that Metro Health will host the Macker, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

Proceeds from the two-day tournament will be used to purchase automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, which are portable devices used to treat potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Metro Health is encouraging schools within its West Michigan service area to visit www.metrohealth.net/gusmacker and apply for one of the free life-saving devices, which retail for approximately $1,500.

Approximately one-third of each team’s $132 registration fee will be used to purchase AEDs.

“Metro Health is pleased to host this special anniversary edition of the Gus Macker,” said Floyd Wilson, executive vice president of marketing, community outreach and physician relations. “This family-friendly sporting event gives everyone – experienced or not – the opportunity to have some fun, get some exercise and raise funds for an excellent cause.

“As a community healthcare organization focused on wellness, we look for opportunities such as the Macker to promote fun, physical activities. We are delighted that this popular tournament has chosen the Metro Health Village as its 2013 home.”

The Gus Macker Tournament is designed so that anyone – male or female, young or old, short or tall – can play. From modest beginnings on a driveway in Lowell, the Macker tour has expanded to eight states and this year will hold nearly 40 tournaments from New Mexico to New York, including 12 in Michigan.

Despite its national footprint, the Macker is still run in a hometown, friendly manner. By prohibiting alcohol and tobacco-related sponsors, the Macker has maintained the wholesome nature and pure fun of the event, which draws scores of players and spectators wherever it is held.

“Gus Macker is excited to partner with Metro Health because we share the same passion for family-friendly activities,” said Scott McNeal, owner of the Gus Macker tournament. “Being able to provide lifesaving AEDs for deserving organizations in our community makes this Gus Macker tournament especially meaningful to us.”

Registration for the event is $132 plus an $8 processing fee per team, which can include up to four players. Teams are computer-matched into male and female divisions within one of three categories: junior, adult or top. The age, height and experience of all team members are considered.

Since 1987, the Macker has held nearly 1,000 tournaments with more than 2.2 million players that have been viewed by more than 23 million spectators. To date, the tournament has raised more than $15 million for charity.

WOOD TV and Cumulus Radio are official media sponsors for the event. Metro Health is currently seeking corporate sponsors for the tournament. More details on team registration, AED applications and sponsorship packages are available at www.metrohealth.net/gusmacker.

Metro Health will once again participate in National Drug Take Back Day, which is sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., area residents will be able to return unused prescriptions to the Granger Green common area of Metro Health’s campus. A pharmacist will be available throughout the event to answer questions about medications.

New to the program this year, Metro Health will also accept and dispose of mercury thermometers. Those who drop off a mercury thermometer will receive a new digital thermometer in return from the City of Wyoming.

The Wyoming Police Department will be on hand to anonymously accept all prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, including controlled substances, with no questions asked.

Growing concern over pharmaceutical pollution in waterways and prescription drug abuse has led cities across the nation to develop drug take back programs. The West Michigan Take Back Meds program is a joint effort between local pharmacies, law enforcement, wastewater treatment facilities and government agencies to provide residents with safe, convenient access to proper medicine disposal. Medications collected in West Michigan are transported to Kent County’s Waste to Energy Facility where they are incinerated.

According to the West Michigan Take Back Meds website, 20-60 percent of prescription medications go unused and are eventually disposed. A 2002 analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey of 139 streams across 30 states found that 80 percent of waterways tested had measurable concentrations of prescription and nonprescription drugs, steroids and reproductive hormones.

This is the sixth drug take back event to be held nationally. Over its history, the event has collected more than 1,081 tons from 5,327 locations across the country.

To find out more about the program visit, www.wmtakebackmeds.com.

About Metro Health

An award-winning leader in community healthcare, Metro Health serves more than 250,000 patients annually from across West Michigan – and beyond. In addition to its 208-bed hospital, which provides a comprehensive suite of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services, Metro Health has a growing number neighborhood outpatient centers and offices throughout West Michigan, as well as a community clinic for the underserved and a student health clinic on the campus of Grand Valley State University. With more than 500 physicians on staff, Metro Health provides a growing number of specialty health services, including cancer treatment, heart and vascular, neurology, pulmonology and others. Many are members of the Metro Health Medical Group. The hospital is committed to promoting health and wellness through the work of the Metro Health Hospital Foundation, Live Healthy community outreach classes and educational programs and more. Visit us www.metrohealth.net, follow us on Twitter @MetroHealthGr and like us on Facebook/MetroHealth.

The 2013 officers are:

• Carol Karr, a partner at Miller Johnson, chairperson
• Mike Damstra, owner of Carelinc Medical Equipment & Supply, vice chairperson
• John Van Singel, managing partner of Van Singel Holdings, treasurer and secretary
• Steve Klotz, president and CEO of Huizenga Group, immediate past chairperson

About Metro Health Hospital Foundation
The Metro Health Hospital Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of West Michigan through its support of Metro Health, an award-winning leader in community healthcare. The Foundation funds a wide variety of programs and services, such as buying books for the Cancer Center’s library, providing special computers for ventilator-dependent patients, supporting the popular Metro Health Farm Market and providing diapers, car seats and other baby supplies for low-income families. The Foundation’s support of Metro Health allows individuals, employees, organizations and businesses to contribute funds that help families cope with catastrophic illnesses, provide life-saving education and screenings and improve overall patient care. For more information, visit www.metrohealth.net/foundation.

New board members are:

• Joe Belsito, corporate counsel-product regulatory at Amway Corp.
• Brandon Bissell, director of marketing at Imperial
• Kaitlyn Disselkoen, director of sales and marketing at GR Outdoor
• LauraAnn Gordon, sales and marketing director of Metron Integrated Health Care

The following board members were approved for re-election:

• Tommy Brann, owner of Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille
• Mike Damstra, president of CareLinc Medical
• Michael Mraz, vice president of development at Rockford Construction Co.
• Michelle Tremper Brown, owner of Keller Williams Realty
• John Van Singel, managing partner of Van Singel Holdings

About Metro Health Hospital Foundation
The Metro Health Hospital Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of West Michigan through its support of Metro Health, an award-winning leader in community healthcare. The Foundation funds a wide variety of programs and services, such as buying books for the Cancer Center’s library, providing special computers for ventilator-dependent patients, supporting the popular Metro Health Farm Market and providing diapers, car seats and other baby supplies for low-income families. The Foundation’s support of Metro Health allows individuals, employees, organizations and businesses to contribute funds that help families cope with catastrophic illnesses, provide life-saving education and screenings and improve overall patient care. For more information, visit www.metrohealth.net/foundation.

Being part of the Pre-Arrival Services and Patient Registration departments, Kelli and her staff are the patient’s first impression of the hospital. “Kelli gives 100% into making the patient experience the best in any situation,” said her nomination form.

“I spend a lot of time discussing the Best Practice Standards and AIDET with my staff, because I believe every interaction should have these elements,” she explains. Demonstrating these core values is why Kelli is known for providing the Best Patient Experience.

Kelli works very diligently to provide the Best Employee Experience as well. “She does the best to her knowledge and ability to solve any issue, and always has an action plan in store for any situation or concern,” says her nomination form. Kelli explains that for her team to possess a culture of excellence, she believes a key characteristic to have is approachability. “Kelli has always had an open-door policy for all of her employees,” said the employee that nominated her. Providing the Best Employee Experience is verification to why Kelli is such a great leader.

When asked about her favorite Metro memory, Kelli remembered a time just prior to moving to the new hospital. The hospital conducted numerous tours of the new facility, so that community members could get a sneak peak. Kelli was one of the tour guides that offered that service. “There was one specific group that were in awe of the beauty and all its’ amenities,” she explained. “I just remember at that moment, how proud I felt for being able to work for this hospital, which is talked about so highly.”

Kelli was very appreciative when asked about being selected Best of Metro. “I feel honored and thankful to receive this award, especially since it comes directly from my staff,” she explained. “This is a testament to the commitment I have for my job at Metro and as a leader”

Congratulations, Kelli!
YOU are the BEST of Metro!

The Zilver® PTX® drug-eluting stent combines the benefits of mechanical and drug therapies to provide physicians and patients with longer-lasting results in the superficial femoral artery. It has been studied for more than 10 years and was approved for use in the superficial femoral artery, or SFA, just two months ago.

“I’m excited that we can offer Metro patients this new technology,” said Dr. Fadi Saab, an interventional cardiologist with Metro Health. “This is one more tool in our amputation-prevention tool box. Too often, patients with critical limb ischemia face the threat of a major amputation. We want to restore and maintain blood flow for these patients to help avoid amputation.”

Stents have long been used in coronary arteries to restore blood flow through the heart.  Regular stents have limitations in treating femoral arteries. Regular non-medicated stents hold the vessel open, but sometimes reocclude because of the body’s natural reaction to a metal object in the vessel. The Zilver PTX stent contains time-release drugs that improve the chance of maintaining the vessel open.

Within the last two years, Metro Health’s interventional cardiovascular team has been either the first in the nation or the first in the region to debut new, innovative surgical devices shortly after being awarded approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,

More than 17 million people suffer from peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, in the United States.  PAD is caused by the accumulation of plaque in peripheral arteries – commonly the pelvis or leg – reducing blood flow.  Symptoms include leg pain when walking or at rest, and tissue loss that can lead to limb amputation.  Many patients with PAD are affected by diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity or renal insufficiency.

Zilver PTX stent is a product of Cook® Medical.

About Metro Health Hospital

Metro Health Hospital is a 208-bed general acute-care osteopathic teaching hospital that serves more than 130,000 patients in Kent and surrounding counties. Metro Health, which earned status as a Top 100 Hospital for the three consecutive years, offers a broad range of services, including inpatient and outpatient services, emergency, surgery, intensive care, rehabilitation, wellness and community education. Metro’s work is supported by the Metro Health Hospital Foundation, which is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of the West Michigan community through philanthropy. For more information, visit www.metrohealth.net.

The orthopaedic center of excellence, projected to begin service fall of 2013, will provide evidence-based, outcome-driven, quality outpatient and inpatient orthopaedic care to the community.

“We are very excited, not only to expand our partnership with OAM, but to expand the community’s choice in the delivery of quality orthopaedic care,” said President and CEO of Metro Health Mike Faas. “This is a natural and positive evolution in our very successful three-year partnership with OAM.”

OAM and Metro Health initiated a partnership in 2010 to provide outpatient surgical services at the Metro Health OAM Surgery Center at MidTowne in downtown Grand Rapids—the only single-specialty orthopaedic outpatient surgical center in Michigan. Today, they provide orthopaedic outpatient surgery to more than 4,200 patients each year in three surgical suites at this facility. A fourth surgical suite is planned to open on March 1 and will allow immediate expansion of the delivery of outpatient surgical services.

The new orthopaedic center of excellence will couple Metro Health’s community-based, patient-centered approach with the highly subspecialized orthopaedic services of OAM.

“By more fully integrating both outpatient and inpatient orthopaedic services, Metro and OAM will offer patients complete coordination of orthopaedic care,” said OAM President Jim Ringler, MD. “This new center of excellence will drive higher quality through lower infection rates and reduced patient stays in addition to lower costs and higher overall patient satisfaction.”

Orthopaedic Associates of Michigan is the largest orthopaedic practice in Michigan, with 30 orthopaedic surgeons trained in seven subspecialty areas within the field of orthopaedic medicine, including foot and ankle, hand and upper extremity, spine, joint, trauma, sports medicine and physical medicine.

With this partnership, Metro Health has committed to provide OAM physicians access to surgical suites at Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, MI. The organizations will build on the expertise OAM currently provides in the community driving services like total joint care, spine care and orthopaedic sports medicine by now diversifying services at Metro Health.

Both inpatient and outpatient orthopaedic services will be integrated into the orthopaedic center of excellence, with outpatient orthopaedic surgeries conducted at the Metro Health OAM Surgery Center and inpatient services provided at Metro Health Hospital.  To accommodate existing outpatient surgical services currently at Metro Health campus, Metro Health will lease space at 4055 Cascade Road.