CARING FOR THE WHOLE PATIENT

ProMedica’s new Adrian campus offers wide range of services

— By Sarah Gray —

Creating a campus that treats patients and community members with all needs from preventative to acute care is the goal of Julie Yaroch, DO, president of ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital in Lenawee County.

“We want to take care of the whole patient,” she said, adding that this effort is not just the responsibility of the hospital, but also of everyone in the community.

ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital opened its doors September 24, 2020 – a challenging time for every hospital. Plans to merge Bixby Hospital in Adrian and Herrick Hospital in Tecumseh had been in the works for several years before the pandemic hit. Construction only slowed the opening date of the building by one month and that time was used to create a hospital that was equipped to handle the current needs of patients.

Dr. Yaroch stated that since the building was under construction when the pandemic hit, contractors were able put other safety measures in place while other hospitals were trying to modify their hospitals to accommodate. At ProMedica, it was there from the day the doors opened. The need for negative pressure rooms (which prevent airborne diseases such as COVID-19 from escaping the room) increased greatly with the virus and ProMedica took extra time to increase the number of negative pressure rooms in the hospital. More than 50 percent of the beds in the hospital are negative pressure rooms. Since ProMedica was used as an overflow hospital for the Detroit area hospitals, those rooms were utilized right away.

Dr. Yaroch takes pride in having a state-of-the-art hospital available to the residents of Lenawee County. Born and raised outside of Chicago, she came the area to practice internal medicine in 1999. In August 2015, she became the president of the hospital but admits the provider side never goes away. She says she will see patients when she is out in the community who thank her for saving their lives and she said she always says the same line: “I was just doing my job.”

At ProMedica Hickman, a high level of care is expected in all areas of the hospital. “What we do, we do well,” Dr. Yaroch said. This includes emergency room care, general surgery, labor and

delivery, robotic surgery, an infusion center, and rehabilitation services among many others. The hospital also plans to add bariatric surgery soon. Rooms in the hospital are designed for the patients’ and staff safety with lift services at each bed. Security was an essential piece to the new hospital. Not only are additional security measures built into the building, but more security staff has been hired as well.

ProMedica offers a wide range of services to Lenawee County, and Dr. Yaroch is committed to making sure every patient receives the care they need. “I have a passion to address the needs of rural health,” she said. “I want to help work for change. To help those who can’t help themselves.” Having access to the network of doctors in ProMedica’s 12 hospitals allows patients to have a wide variety of specialties available, all within the same network. Patients can be referred to doctors outside the area but still in the ProMedica network, allowing their full medical history to travel with them easily, thus avoiding any confusion or explaining. “It is greater access to multiple resources,” she said.

Cardio and Pulmonary Rehabilitation are located on the first floor with a view that looks out onto the campus. Total Rehab is located outside the hospital but right next door. ProMedica formed a partnership with the YMCA and they build a new facility on the hospital’s campus. Rehabilitation takes place in the building with the hope that once complete, they will continue their health journey by staying physically active with a membership at the Y.

Preventative health measures do not take place only in the YMCA, however. ProMedica’s campus is located on an old golf course with an abundance of green space and trails. Dr. Yaroch said she sees lots of families with strollers walking the paths, as well as community members coming expressly to the campus to walk the trails during their lunch hours.

ProMedica looks at all areas of preventative medicine. Throughout the hospital are many beautiful sculptures and artwork to bring a sense of calm and serenity to not only the patients but the staff as well. The building has no basement and large windows let light shine into every corner. Rooftops are utilized for flower gardens and outside the infusion room is a row of birdfeeders so patients can watch the birds or gaze out into the beautiful green space.

Promoting good physical health is more than just exercise. It also comes with eating well. The campus has a large greenhouse which grows a variety of fresh vegetables to be distributed throughout the county. The Veggie Mobile travels to 32 sites around Lenawee County to give the fresh produce to anyone in the community. Dr. Yaroch said it is important to make sure people who may not have access get the fresh food they need. Schools also visit the greenhouse to see how food is grown and the space is utilized as an alternative form of rehabilitation. Patients can work in the raised bed to improve coordination and walk on several different types of ground – dirt, grass or pavement – to simulate the surfaces they will be walking on when they return home. “It’s a prescription for health,” Dr. Yaroch said. “It closes a gap of issues patients struggle with.”

Later this fall, the campus plans to build a boundless playground. The playground will be for children of all abilities and barrier-free to allow everyone to play side by side. There are also plans to build a medical building on campus, but the hospital wants to maintain the large green space areas for patients and community members.

When Dr. Yaroch is not running a new hospital, she likes to spend time on her family hobby farm/ranch with her husband Dan and son Brady. “I like to get my hands dirty,” she said. She also enjoys riding horses and being in the kitchen cooking with her family.

Although regulations have loosened a bit since the hard lockdown, Dr. Yaroch states the pandemic is not over yet. Masks are still required inside the hospital and there are still visitor restrictions.

She also reminds everyone in the community of the stress and toll this pandemic has taken on all hospital and emergency staff and encourages everyone to say thank you to all medical workers for their tireless efforts during this unprecedented time. “Everyone please keep saying thank you.”

Promedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital is located at 5640 N. Adrian Highway, five miles north of Adrian. For more information, call 517-577-0000 or visit their website at promedica.org.