Adrian resident Donna Dahman has a complicated health history, especially when it comes to her heart. “I had open heart surgery 27 years ago, and since that time I also have had a pacemaker and two stents implanted, I have congestive heart failure and I had pneumonia three times last year.”
So when Donna was having trouble breathing on Friday, March 6, she went to see her primary care physician, James Miller, D.O., Nursery Street Family Care Clinic. “I have been seeing Dr. Miller for years. Normally, the 10 miles from Adrian to Butler isn’t far, but it feels like 100 when you can’t breathe,” she says.
Dr. Miller wanted Donna to have immediate medical attention and admitted her to Bates County Memorial Hospital’s (BCMH) Critical Care Unit (CCU). “I went straight from Dr. Miller’s office to the hospital,” Donna says.
There, Tony Fangman, M.D., hospitalist, and Mark Galant, M.D., the BCMH lead hospitalist, took over Donna’s care. “I’ve been hospitalized in the city before and realized that Dr. Galant had taken care of me there,” she says. “It was nice to see a familiar face. Dr. Galant put me at ease.”
During the seven days she was in the hospital’s CCU, Dr. Galant oversaw Donna’s care. “Some days, Dr. Galant saw me several times,” Donna says. “He always took the time to answer my questions and explain what was going on with my health to me and my family. He was very focused on my care.”
She also appreciated being in her local hospital. “I am on a first-name basis with a lot of the nurses here,” Donna adds. “When you’re hospitalized, it means a lot to be surrounded by people you know care about you.”
After nearly a week at BCMH, Donna’s condition stabilized and she returned home. “I know that if we didn’t have the hospitalist program, I would have been sent to Kansas City,” Donna adds. “But thanks to this, the doctors were able to keep me here.”
Donna adds that she’s thankful her family and friends also were close by. “It’s a real hardship on your family to have to drive to the city when you’re hospitalized, especially when it’s for a week. It was much more convenient for them to come here.”
Now she’s following up with Dr. Miller for tests to pinpoint additional health problems, but she’s grateful for the new BCMH hospitalist program. “I believe this is one of the best things that’s happened at the hospital in a long time.”
The new BCMH Hospitalist Program is a collaboration with Saint Luke’s Health System and Saint Luke’s Physician Specialists that is bringing a more advanced level of inpatient care to the community. In addition to Dr. Galant, the BCMH hospitalist team includes Tamara Crouse, D.O., Preeti Sood, M.D., and Berhane Solomon, M.D.
BCMH Hospitalist Program Keeps Adrian Resident Close to Home for Care
No comments:
Post a Comment