​Memorial Hospital achieved "Straight A" recognition in the Spring 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, the nation's most prestigious honor for patient safety. This recognition is awarded in step with a grade of ‘A’ in the Spring 2022 announcement, marking eight straight ‘A’s’ in protecting patients from harm and error in the hospital.
 
“It’s reassuring to know the hospital you rely on to protect the health and well-being of your family is at the top of their game. And Memorial is,” comments Chip Hubbs, CEO and President of Memorial Health. “Our clinical teams work around the clock to ensure every visit you make to our locations is safe and comforting. Our end goal is to provide the care you need with the confidence you deserve. Congratulations to our team members as we mark eight straight A’s!”
 
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C,’ ‘D,’ or ‘F’ grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents, and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer‐reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
 
“I thank the workforce and leadership of Memorial Hospital for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”
 
To see Memorial Hospital’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
 
About Memorial Health
Memorial Health is an independent health system based in Marysville, Ohio, which consists of Memorial Hospital’s main campus and satellite outpatient locations including Memorial City Gate Medical Center; Memorial Urbana Medical Center; Memorial Hospital Outpatient Surgery Center; Memorial Gables – a skilled nursing facility; Memorial Medical Group – a network of 46 physicians and mid-level providers with office locations throughout Marysville, Plain City, Richwood, and Urbana; and the Memorial Health Foundation. To learn more, visit memorialohio.com.
 
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest‐value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.

Her practice name will soon become “Madison Health – Mechanicsburg” as she signs with Madison Health and their Alliance partners at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Mount Carmel Health System.

“Because I believe in giving the highest quality of care and operating with sound business principles and policies, I’ve chosen to partner with Madison Health, which will allow me more time to focus on what I love best – the clinical care of my patients,” she said. “It takes a great deal of time to oversee the daily operations of the practice, while maintaining a compassionate, patient-centered approach. There are simply not enough hours in the day to do all the things I love – and that’s a good dilemma to have.”

Elle and her husband, Scott, are thrilled with the partnership and are hopeful that the future may yield even more health care providers in the practice. Elle will continue to see patients full-time in Mechanicsburg, and will even expand patient appointment hours beyond her present business hours.

Elle explains with a smile, “This is a win-win, for me, my patients, and Madison Health – Mechanicsburg. I will be able to spend all of my time providing direct patient care, while the daily operations are managed by Madison Health.”

She continues, “I look forward to being part of a larger team, and having access to an expanded group of peer providers and the potential for leadership opportunities.”
Also of noteworthy value, Elle and her patients will have access to a more robust electronic medical record (Epic/IHIS) and will be able to view some of their records through a secure online portal called “MyChart.”

Madison Health’s CEO, Dana Engle, has visited Gentle Care a few times since doors opened in 2008, always offering to listen and discuss how Madison Health could help meet the needs of Elle’s patients and join efforts for the common goal of improving health care in Champaign, Madison and Clark counties.

“At Madison Health, we are committed to supporting our local communities,” said Engle. “Elle is an established and well-respected practitioner, whose heart is also committed to the communities for which she passionately cares. We are more than excited for her to join our team and look forward to the positive impact she will continue to have on the lives of her patients.”

The anticipated date for name and facade changes to the facility is the end of March, along with some equipment and technology upgrades and an additional employee. For now, the phone number for scheduling appointments will remain the same: 937-834-5320. Appointments will be offered from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Elle says, “I feel so blessed to take this next step. God has opened every door in front of me along this journey, in His own time. Empowering my patients with the knowledge and confidence to improve their health, along with diagnosing and treating their pathologies, is truly my professional heart’s desire. I’m grateful to have this opportunity to practice clinically in a setting that supports my growth and development as a women’s health nurse practitioner.”

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today provided the following updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://governor.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/governor/media/news-and-media/covid19-update-01072020
 
PHASE 1B VACCINATIONS
 
Governor DeWine announced those in Phase 1B will be able to receive vaccinations beginning on Tuesday, January 19. Those 80 years of age and older will be prioritized first in this next phase, roughly totaling 420,000 Ohioans. Ohio is expected to receive 100,000 doses during the first week of distribution to Phase 1B.
 
“With up to 420,000 people 80 years and above, and only 100,000 doses available the first week, it will take several weeks to vaccinate those 80 years of age and older," said Governor DeWine. "Phase 1B will take a few weeks, and a lot of coordination in distribution.”
 
Vaccines for Ohioans 80 years of age and older will be administered by physicians, local health departments, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, in-home health service providers, and some retail pharmacies.  As of today, the Ohio Department of Health has approximately 1,700 providers registered to distribute vaccines.
 
Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health will be hosting a webinar for registered providers to discuss expectations, and instructions for distribution. Additional details will be shared with registered providers in the coming days.
 
Governor DeWine anticipates vaccinations will be available to Ohioans 75 years of age and older beginning Monday, January 25. The following week, vaccinations will be available to those 70 years of age and older. Beginning the week of Monday, February 8 vaccinations will be available to those 65 years of age and older.
 
“As we include other age ranges, please know that does not mean vaccinations will be complete for the previous age range,” said Governor DeWine. 
 
The week of January 25 will also include vaccinations for Ohioans with severe congenital, developmental, or early onset medical disorders.  Additional details about distribution for this group will be forthcoming.
 
During the week of February 1, Governor DeWine announced that vaccinations will be available for personnel in Ohio schools.  The Ohio Department of Heath will send forms to Ohio superintendents to indicate their school plans to go back to in full in-person and hybrid learning by March 1, as well as indicate the number of staff they believe will choose to take the vaccination.  Superintendents will also be asked if a community partner has been identified to help with the administering of the COVID-19 vaccines to school personnel.
 
Additional information about vaccinations can be found at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Once work is completed, TIS – a minority-owned, full-service commercial inspection, engineering and construction management company – will occupy the building’s second floor, moving from its current South Main Street location.
 
Community Health & Wellness Partners (CHWP), which offers a full range of primary medical care including behavioral health services in Bellefontaine, Indian Lake and West Liberty, will open a newly approved Urbana location on the first floor of 605 Miami St. by late fall 2021. The Health Resource Service Administration has also granted CHWP approval to open a school-based health center in West Liberty-Salem Schools in early 2021, CHWP President/CEO Tara Bair said.
 
The third business – The Door Shop, a commercial door and hardware distributor – will have light manufacturing and warehouse operations at the site.
 
The former Q3 JMC building is the fourth major vacant structure in Urbana to be given a new lease on life this fall. It joins the Douglas Hotel and the former Urbana North and South Elementary Schools, which are being restored and renovated for FC Legacy Place, a total of 51 affordable senior apartments.
 
“Both projects have moved forward thanks to strong public-private partnerships, of government and business working together to obtain the necessary funding and provide the expertise to bring plans to reality,” said Marcia Bailey, director of the Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP), Champaign County’s economic development agency.
 
Bailey credits the Champaign County Board of Revision for helping set the wheels in motion for the Q3 JMC project when it approved in 2015 the City of Urbana’s request to obtain the property free of unpaid back property taxes and other encumbrances after no one bid on the property at a sheriff’s sale.
 
The city took ownership of the 20-acre site in 2017, said Doug Crabill, community development manager who has managed the project for the city. After that the city pursued redevelopment of the property, to clear it of contamination and prepare it for development by new owners.
 
Bailey assisted the city in reaching an agreement with TIS, the city’s development partner, to oversee the site cleanup and redevelopment. “They were the only company that came forward with interest in renovating the building and turning the brownfield into a greenfield for business development,” Bailey said. “Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to find an end user for the property because of the contamination that had to be removed.”
 
On behalf of TIS, Bailey wrote an application for a JobsOhio Site Redevelopment Pilot Program grant to help fund the work.
 
JobsOhio, encouraged by the number of community partners involved, awarded TIS a reimbursable grant of $883,947 to help cover the cost of demolition, environmental remediation, asbestos abatement, removal and disposal of waste, and site preparation. The city provided $348,435 in matching funds, and TIS contributed $116,145.
 
TIS has acquired 12.6 acres on the east side of the 20-acre redevelopment site, including the Q3 JMC building. The remaining portion of the 20-acre site is being readied to be marketed for business development, Crabill said.
 
Timm said TIS’s new location will “help take us to the next step in the growth of our company, to hire more personnel and expand our operations.” In addition, he said, some of the 12.6-acre parcel that the former Q3 JMC building sits on will be developed for sale to other businesses.
 
“The building will be an anchor for future development on the rest of the property, restore jobs lost when Q3 JMC closed, and generate tax revenue for our community,” Bailey said.  
 
Kerry Brugger, Urbana’s director of administration, said, “We’re excited to see the building come back into productive use. It’s a great project for our community. It eliminates a severe safety and health nuisance for the community and will retain and create jobs.”
 
Of TIS, he said, “It’s been a pleasure working with them. They’ve been an excellent partner to work with.”
​

In this four-episode series, behavioral health professionals offer insight and guidance and share their own stories about sending students back to school. The podcasts aim to give parents, teachers and administrators tools to help them and their students adjust to returning to the classroom during a pandemic.

The podcasts feature Dr. Carson Felkel, director of Behavioral Health for Bon Secours Mercy Health, and Dr. Aimee Drescher, a clinical psychologist with Mercy Health. The episodes focus on normalizing anxiety, working with children, CDC guideline reminders, tips on talking with children and when to contact a professional.

“This year has been brought challenges unlike any we have ever experienced into our homes and schools. We want to make sure our communities know that they are not alone and that Mercy Health is here to help,” Dr. Felkel said. “Our mission is to care for the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – and through conversation and guidance, we hope to ease our communities back into school.” Mercy Health is making the podcasts available to area school districts for distribution and also posting them on the Mercy Health blog at blog.mercy.com/ for use by all. The first video is available at blog.mercy.
com/coronavirus- covid-19-school-stress-video/.

It covers stress and normalizing anxiety during this back-to-school season and also provides tips on how to implement self-care into your routine and different ways to help your family cope during this time.

“Our communities and our schools have shown a strength while working through what it means to send our children – who which we hold most dear – back to school,” Dr. Drescher said. “It is our hope to let our school leaders, parents and teachers know that the anxiety they feel is normal and offer tips on how to adjust.”