Open house planned for new Coldwater medical center

Sept. 17, 2018

 Open house planned Oct. 6 for new medical center in Coldwater

 COLDWATER – An expansion of regional health services to Coldwater offers new options for area residents seeking high-quality care. The new Ascension Borgess and Oaklawn medical center initially is offering primary care, occupational health and physical rehabilitation services to the community.

 The public is invited to meet medical providers and tour the new medical center in Suite B at 375 N. Willowbrook Road during an open-house event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. Light refreshments will be provided. The center will open for business on Monday, Oct. 8.

The new services are operating in the shared location through a partnership between Kalamazoo-based Ascension Borgess and Marshall-based Oaklawn. The services are to be staffed by personnel from both Ascension Borgess and Oaklawn

The partnership between Ascension Borgess and Oaklawn was formed in mid-2016 to allow collaboration and innovative approaches to improve patient care.

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.

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.

“In the wake of ongoing change in health care, hospitals and health systems such as Oaklawn and Ascension Borgess have sought ways to work with other hospitals and health systems to improve patient care and patient experience while reducing the cost of care,” said Dr. Thomas “Tim” Stover, interim president and CEO of Ascension Borgess. “The strategic partnership is based on the shared values of quality, care and community service.”

“This partnership has become a unique way for two high-quality health systems to work together for the betterment of the community, while still remaining independent,” said Gregg Beeg, Oaklawn’s interim chief executive officer.

The organization’s oversight committee is made up of an equal number of individuals from each hospital. The committee evaluates strategic initiatives and makes recommendations to a Board of Managers made up of the CEO from each hospital, who share the responsibility for decision-making equally.

“We are very excited about this development in our ongoing partnership with Ascension Borgess,” Beeg said. “Our values line up well and we can see tremendous opportunities in working together. This is a great expansion of our existing relationship with the excellent team at Borgess.”

Oaklawn is a 94-bed facility serving Calhoun, Eaton and Branch counties with a staff of providers representing over 50 specialties. Oaklawn has received numerous awards for quality and patient safety, including recognition as one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics in 2017, and five-star rankings from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.