Page 11 - Innovation-Spring-2016

AN INVESTMENT IN

SAVING LIVES

Marian Emergency Physicians Medical Group
supports expansion effort

Left to right: David Ketelaar, MD, Mary Welch, DO, Samuel Miller, DO, Chuck Merrill, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs, Caleb Bailey, MD,
Stacey Harmon, MD, and Anne Aldridge, MD.

It’s the middle of the night, but within the walls of Marian recent years, wait times and the high standard of care provided
Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department, you to patients and families continue to be exceptional.
can still hear the bustle of physicians, nurses, and medical
professionals as the work of these dedicated individuals is “Santa Maria is growing and medicine is ever-changing,”
never done. The lights never turn off, the facility never empties, says Dr. Ketelaar. “Due to these reasons and more, Marian
and the doors never close. Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department is a crucial
safety net for each person in our community. Every minute
In constant operation, Marian’s Emergency Department is of every day, we have to be ready to help anyone who comes
the go-to for unexpected medical needs, no matter what time through our doors.”
of day. It’s an asset that many people will never need, but for
those who do, it can be the difference between life and death. The Marian Emergency Physicians Medical Group is made
up of 20 board-certified, residency-trained physicians and 10
The Marian Regional Medical Center Emergency Physicians advanced practice providers. Committed to improving the
Medical Group knows the importance of a top quality health of the community, this special donation is a testament
Emergency Department, perhaps better than anyone else. to their passion for health care and advancing the health of the
With this understanding, the group decided to make a community.
generous contribution to their own workplace, recently giv-
ing $50,000 in support of the Marian Emergency Services “I would challenge others to look at the community we live in
Expansion Project. and to reflect upon the importance of our ED now, and the
need for an advancing department as we move into the future,”
For the past 12 months, Marian’s Emergency Department says Dr. Ketelaar. “Supporting this project is a concrete invest-
has on average seen more than 200 patients a day. Although ment—not only in our hospital, but also in our own families,
patient volume has risen dramatically (approximately 35%) in and the greater community.”

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