Lakeland HealthCare and Community Hospital Watervliet have completed the work needed for the merger of the two hospitals.
Work to integrate the two health care providers began in June and officials jointly announced that work is now complete.
And
from the business integration, the new Lakeland Community Hospital,
Watervliet has emerged. Work is ongoing to upgrade facilities and
services there. An expansion to the emergency department, converting
patient rooms to private rooms, and enhancing the waiting areas are
among the first changes patients will notice.
Lakeland Community
Hospital, Watervliet also will immediately be added into the electronic
health record implementation project already under way at Lakeland.
As part of the agreement, essentially all Community Hospital Watervliet associates will continue to serve patients there.
Local
oversight will continue, as the Community Hospital Watervliet Board of
Directors will remain in place as a subsidiary board.
Loren B.
Hamel, MD, president and CEO of Lakeland HealthCare says Lakeland
leadership looks forward to working with the Community Hospital
Watervliet team and he praised their diligence and creativity in the
collaboration from which a comprehensive business plan for the future
was developed.
With the merger, Lakeland HealthCare now includes
four hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, rehabilitation centers,
long-term care residencies, home care services, and physician
practices.
Lakeland will have almost 3,900 associates
providing clinical and support services at locations throughout
southwest Michigan, and partner with over 400 primary and specialty
care physicians.
Lakeland HealthCare is a not-for-profit, community-owned health system.
Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Loren B. Hamel, Lakeland HealthCare
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.