Oaklawn officials and staff enthused by response to new Coldwater Medical Center  

COLDWATER – Oaklawn officials, medical providers, patients and visitors expressed enthusiasm about a new expansion of regional health services during an open house Oct. 6 at the new Ascension Borgess and Oaklawn medical center.

The center initially is offering primary care, occupational health and physical rehabilitation services in a shared location in Suite B at 375 N. Willowbrook Road through a partnership between Kalamazoo-based Ascension Borgess and Marshall-based Oaklawn. 

The primary-care office staff will include Jackalyn Govier, D.O., formerly of Oaklawn’s Tekonsha office. Mindy White, N.P., now is staffing Oaklawn’s Homer and Coldwater locations.

“I was born and raised in Branch County and graduated from Quincy High School,” Govier said, “so this is a wonderful opportunity to come back home. Since I started working with Oaklawn three years ago, I’ve seen a lot of patients come from the Branch County area who seek out Oaklawn for services. That means having Oaklawn in their backyard is wonderful.”

Govier said she was particularly impressed that the new facility offers immediate access to specialists who can share information and improve the efficiency of medical treatment as a result.

“It’s a beautiful facility and the opportunity to have laboratory and X-ray facilities along with occupational health right here at your fingertips is fabulous for Branch County,” Govier said. 

“The synergy here already is fantastic,” said Gregg Beeg, Oaklawn’s interim president and chief executive officer, who spent much of Saturday’s open house greeting visitors and established Oaklawn patients who are interested in using the new facility. 

“Our staff has done an exceptional job of coming together and coordinating their efforts to get the foundation set for our first patients,” Beeg said. “Through this collaborative effort between Ascension Borgess and the Oaklawn team, we’ve designed and built a phenomenal facility.”

“We’ve recognized for some time that many of our patients are coming from Coldwater, and this new medical center makes it more efficient for us to get to them,” said Kathy Rhodes, executive director of the Oaklawn Medical Group. “When we consider the concentration of our patients here, it’s important for us to be where they are.”  

The partnership between Ascension Borgess and Oaklawn was formed in mid-2016 to allow collaboration and innovative approaches to improve patient care. Medical services in Coldwater are to be staffed by personnel from both organizations. 

“We’re pleased to be able to offer these services to the Coldwater community,” said Richard Lindsey, Oaklawn’s executive director of legal and community affairs. “I’ve talked to a lot of existing patients from places such as Coldwater and Tekonsha who now are very happy not to have to travel so far.”

“We look forward to other initiatives with our partner Ascension Borgess and we look forward to nothing but good things in the future,” Beeg said. 

In addition to the newly opened Coldwater center, the work by Oaklawn to reach out to patients beyond Marshall includes an ongoing effort to expand services in Albion, Lindsey said.

“We’ve also stayed very involved in health care in rural communities, so those patients don’t fall through the cracks,” Lindsey said. “We’re very much about providing real care in the communities we serve.” 

At the Coldwater medical center, Ascension Borgess will offer occupational health services to employees and employers within the community. Walk-in treatment for work-related injuries will be available, including laceration repair, burn care, foreign-body removals, sprains and strains as well as substance-abuse testing. 

Scheduled appointments will be offered for new-hire physicals, Department of Transportation physicals and return-to-work physicals. Medical Review Officer services, audiograms and worksite wellness opportunities also will be available. 

To reach primary care services, call (517) 924-1605. For occupational health, call (517) 924.1790. For physical rehabilitation, call (517) 924-1620.  

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CAPTION (ColdwaterMedCenterA100618.jpg): Oaklawn officials gather in the physical-therapy room at the new Ascension Borgess and Oaklawn medical center at 375 N. Willowbrook Road, Coldwater, which opened for business Monday, Oct. 8. From left are Jackalyn Govier, D.O., formerly of Oaklawn’s Tekonsha office; Richard Lindsey, Oaklawn’s executive director of legal and community affairs; Gregg Beeg, Oaklawn’s interim president and chief executive officer; and Mindy White, N.P., who now is staffing Oaklawn’s Homer location as well as providing primary care in Coldwater.