A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
As the landscape of healthcare changes at a rapid pace, one thing that remains the same is the sense of community when it comes to Wilson Memorial Hospital. A community resource motivated by its respect for the people that it serves, Wilson Memorial Hospital strives to deliver quality healthcare services to Shelby County and surrounding communities.
“Sidney and Shelby County residents have always supported their community hospital,” said Thomas J. Boecker, president and CEO of Wilson Memorial Hospital. “By supporting a non-profit hospital, you are assured that 100% of any excess revenue generated by the hospital is reinvested into the community’s health needs.”
The results of this focus have been positive. “For every progression there is a team of people working together to ensure every patient, family and community member has a positive experience through Wilson Memorial,” said Boecker. “We strive to create a culture of service excellence and an atmosphere that inspires us all to put our patients first every time.”
The hospital is led by a 15 member Board of Trustees that volunteer their time and expertise towards improving the hospital. The trustees are: Dan Bensman, Thomas Boecker, Andy Counts, Stan Crosley (vice-chair), Gerald Doerger, Dr. Fred Haussman, Rudy Keister (secretary), Dave Monnier (treasurer), Ken Monnier (chair), Jeff Raible, Patti Ross, Tom Sheehan, John Spoltman, Tonya Theiman, and Bob Wheeler.
His report continues:
FINANCIAL AND SERVICE SUMMARY
The hospital's financial performance continues to provide a means to add new equipment and technology to better diagnose and treat disease as well as promote health.
Wilson Memorial is the area’s preferred healthcare provider and contributes significant financial resources to the area. Sitting at the number four spot amongst top employers in Shelby County, Wilson Memorial provides over $90 million in direct economic benefits.
A key component of Wilson Memorial’s mission is to provide healthcare for those with no ability to pay. In 2013, the hospital absorbed $6.4 million for patients who qualified for charity care. In addition, Wilson Memorial wrote off another $5.6 million for people who simply could not afford to pay their hospital bills due mainly to their economic circumstances.
In 2013, Wilson Memorial provided care for 3,147 inpatients. The hospital also performed: 4,489 surgical procedures; 15,447 occupational health patient visits; 5,725 urgent care visits; 41,026 cardiopulmonary and sleep lab procedures; 60,255 imaging procedures; 26,990 emergency visits; 288,194 laboratory tests; and 28,761 home health and hospice visits. In addition, 783 babies were born in The Copeland-Emerson Family Birth Center.
KEY PROVIDERS JOIN MEDICAL STAFF
Wilson Memorial continually recruits physicians and other providers. This initiative is critical in meeting the needs of the community. In 2013, 13 key additions joined the medical staff:
Wilson Care, LLC, continues to grow. With 26 providers, the hospital-owned network offers comprehensive healthcare services including, family medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN, endocrinology, and pediatrics. The physicians and certified nurse practitioners of Wilson Care offer close-to-home care with offices conveniently located in Sidney, Fort Loramie, Minster, Jackson Center, Anna, and Botkins.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Wilson Memorial’s commitment to employee health continues to be recognized by key health organizations at the state and national level. The hospital was named a Platinum Level Fit-Friendly Company for the fourth year through the American Heart Association for promoting a wellness culture in the workplace.
For the third year in a row, Wilson Memorial was the recipient of the Healthy Ohio Breastfeeding Gold Employer Award through the Ohio Department of Health.
Wilson Home Health was once again the recipient of the 2013 HomeCare Elite award. This award recognizes the top 25 percent of performing home health agencies in the United States.
In 2013, Wilson Memorial was recognized by the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) as a Gold-Level Champion for their advocacy efforts for the Hospital Champions Program aimed at increasing organ, eye and tissue donor registration throughout the community.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
In 2013, Wilson Memorial joined forces with the Sidney-Shelby County Health Department, Shelby County Family and Children First Council, Shelby County United Way, and Tri- County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services, among others, who have invested resources and significant time in gathering information for the Community-Wide Needs Assessment. Community forums were held to present key findings, recognizing that an informed community will enhance the partnership that community improvement requires.
The Diabetes Wellness Center continues to be a community resource, providing education and ongoing support for people with diabetes. Wilson Memorial is the only community hospital in the west central Ohio region recognized by the American Diabetes Association for outstanding diabetes education and service.
Wilson Memorial continues to collaborate with community health partners by offering health fairs, preventive screening events and disease specific educational programs. The hospital hosts various support groups and offers a comprehensive childbirth education program for expectant mothers.
The volunteers at Wilson Memorial are a wonderfully diverse group of people within the community that donate their time to make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. In 2013, 128 Auxiliary members donated 21,445 hours of their time and $15,000 to the hospital. There are 68 Wilson VolunTEENS who offered 1,420 hours of their time in patient care departments and assisted with different hospital and community related activities. The Shelby County Ministerial Association and members of the Chaplaincy Program provided spiritual services. Forty-nine Wilson Hospice Care volunteers provided over 3,343 hours of help to hospice patients and their families.
MOVING FORWARD
Wilson Memorial will continue to serve as a locally controlled, independent, community hospital providing inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and behavioral health services to patients in a caring and safe environment.
Construction is set to break ground in the fall of 2014 on a new medical office building that will house several medical practices. Design is underway for the 45,000 square foot building with an estimated cost of $10.5 million.
“At Wilson Memorial, we strive to ensure our community has access to convenient and high-quality care,” said Boecker. “With our continued growth it has become very important for us to find alternative methods to continue to meet our patients’ and the community’s health needs.”
In 2014, a leadership change will occur with Tom Boecker, president and CEO, retiring after 40 years of service at Wilson Memorial Hospital.
“Our top priority remains, as it has for more than 80 years, caring for our patients in the manner we would wish for our loved ones,” said Boecker. “We will continue our commitment to be responsive to the community’s health needs and offer appropriate services to allow patients to remain close to home for their care.”