Healthcare News

Nancy Durkee from Women of Impact presented Sariem Am, DNP, CPNP-PC/AC of Grace Health checks from Women of Impact for Grace Health’s Reach Out and Read / Early Literacy Program.  Through this program new, age-appropriate books are given to children 6 months – 5 years of age by the provider during their well-child visit.  The provider explains to the parent/guardian the importance of reading to/with a child – linking health care to literacy.

Grace Health’s Reach Out and Read, Early Literacy Program started in 2004.  Through the continued generosity of organizations like Women of Impact, Grace Health has provided more than 54,400 books to children since the start of the program.

Grace Health staff, Bradly Kirkbride, Kalyn Gable, Sha’Kyra Prather, Amanda Nichols, Jordan Norman, Britteny Morris, Katrina Christiansen, and Sierra Spooner successfully completed Grace Health’s Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program and received certification as a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA).

Grace Health’s Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program is provided through a partnership with Career Step and Michigan Works.  Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and professional training, provides online training for Grace Health employees who would like to become medical assistants. Michigan Works provides services and support to Michigan’s workforce development system.  Grace Health provides the tools for people to become successful and Michigan Works and the YOU (Youth Opportunities Unlimited) Program will try to help them get a paying job.

It takes Grace Health staff 6 – 7 months to complete the program and be eligible to take the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) national certification exam. The Grace Health Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program offers class time as well as hands-on training and clinical experience all designed to equip employees to function as medical assistants. During training, staff are being paid an hourly wage and receive benefits – making it the only medical assistant training program in our area in which people are paid while they learn.  The next program will begin in October 2019.

Grace Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center and has been serving Calhoun County since 1986, providing care to 1 in 4 County residents.  Just over 133,000 services were provided in 2018 for almost 32,000 patients, averaging about 500 new patients each month.  Approximately 70% of patients seen at Grace Health either have Medicaid or are uninsured.  Grace Health employs just over 340 staff.

Grace Health was awarded the Michigan Primary Care Association Data Hygiene & Validation award at the Michigan Primary Care Association 2019 Annual Conference on Tuesday, August 6. Not only was TOC and Risk validating done, but Grace Health also ran the Questionable Values Report 5,219 times since January 2019. T’Auna Crawford was recognized since she ran 2,016 of these reports herself. Thank you T’Auna!

Grace Health providers Dr. Kevin Steely and Sue Vrobel, FNP-BC were recognized at the Michigan Primary Care Association 2019 Annual Conference on Tuesday, August 6. Dr. Steely received the Advocate of the Year award for his advocacy work for dental therapists and Sue Vrobel received the Distinguished Service Award for all her work in Quality Improvement at Grace Health for the past 20+ years. Congratulations Dr. Steely and Sue!

Grace Health recently earned a Michigan Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Silver Award presented by Michigan Breastfeeding Network, which recognizes employers that support breastfeeding employees upon their return to work. With this recognition, Grace Health joins a growing number of businesses working together with their local breastfeeding coalitions to make Michigan breastfeeding-friendly for families in the communities in which they live, work, and play.

“Grace Health very pleased to be recognized as a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace for supporting our employees who choose to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.  We understand the benefits babies receive from breast milk as well at the benefits breastfeeding moms receive.  Therefore, we provide a private space for employees to use where they may easily and comfortably pump while at work,” said Dr. Peter Chang, Grace Health President/CEO.

Mothers are the fastest growing segment in the U.S. labor force and investing in breastfeeding employee support programs makes good business sense. Employers who support breastfeeding employees enjoy a 3-to-1 return on investment through greater employee retention, increased productivity, lower healthcare costs, and fewer sick days. Businesses with workplace breastfeeding support also attract valued employees who report increased job satisfaction, morale, and company loyalty.

As a Michigan Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace, Grace Health recognizes breastfeeding as the optimal method for feeding infants and children and is in compliance with the federal breastfeeding accommodation law. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until at least two years of age, the American Academy of Family Physicians for at least 12 months, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life with continuation of breastfeeding for up to 1 year or longer as mutually desired by mother and child. Breastfeeding provides valuable disease protection against gastrointestinal illness, pneumonia, and upper respiratory infections especially during the first year of life with continued benefits well into childhood. In addition, breastfeeding reduces a mother’s risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers as well as lowering the lifetime risk of osteoporosis and type II diabetes.

The Michigan Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Awards are a component of the MIBFN “MI Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Project,” a worksite lactation support initiative funded by the Cardiovascular Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity Section at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

For more information on this program and how to apply to be a Michigan Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace visit: http://mibreastfeeding.org/workplace-awards.

About Michigan Breastfeeding Network
The mission of the Michigan Breastfeeding Network (MIBFN) is to lead the statewide collaborative actions for advocacy, education, and coalition building in order to create a supportive breastfeeding culture. To learn more, visit www.mibreastfeeding.org.

Grace Health Pharmacy celebrated its 1^st anniversary on May 22 by having cake with staff.  The anniversary celebrations will continue into the first few weeks of June as we celebrate with patients and visitors to the pharmacy.

With a pharmacy on-site, patients can conveniently fill and pick up their prescriptions the same day as their medical/dental appointment.  Grace Health Pharmacy is also open to the public – everyone is welcome.  Grace Health has a total of 3 full-time pharmacists and 5 pharmacy technicians.  Since the opening of Grace Health Pharmacy, a total of 11,306 patients have been served with 48,331 prescriptions filled.

Grace Health Pharmacy is open Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm.  For more information about the Pharmacy or to fill a prescription, call 269-441-6774.

The recent open house at Grace Health Student Health Center located in Northwestern Middle School gave students, parents and community members the opportunity to see changes made to the Health Center.  Through support provided by Battle Creek Community Foundation and the Community Partners, the Student Health Center was renovated in order to provide a safe, welcoming and private environment for students to receive care.  Sandra Snyder, LMSW, Grace Health Behavioral Health will provide mental health services and Hannah Frentz, RN, Grace Health Registered Nurse will provide limited clinical nursing services and health education at the Student Health Center.

Grace Health also manages the Student Health Centers located in Battle Creek Central, Lakeview Middle School, Springfield Middle School and W.K. Preparatory High School.

The Student Health Centers located in Northwestern Middle School and W.K. Preparatory High School are School Wellness Programs and are open during the normal school year.  They will be staffed with a nurse and social worker.

The Student Health Centers located at Battle Creek Central, Lakeview Middle School and Springfield Middle School are Child and Adolescent Health Centers and are open year around.  These centers will be staffed with a nurse practitioner, social worker and support staff to meet the student’s physical and mental health needs.  The Health Center’s nurse practitioner can be the student’s regular provider or support the student’s regular provider/pediatrician.  Services available include: routine well-child exams with immunizations, school and sports physicals, preventative care, urgent care and behavioral/mental services.

Grace Health Student Health Center – Your Partner for Success

Grace Health recently recognized Ben Cilley and Anisa Santiago for successfully completing Grace Health’s Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program and receiving certification as a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA).

Grace Health’s Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program is provided through a partnership with Career Step and Michigan Works.  Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and professional training, provides online training for Grace Health employees who would like to become medical assistants. Michigan Works provides services and support to Michigan’s workforce development system.  Grace Health provides the tools for people to become successful and Michigan Works and the YOU (Youth Opportunities Unlimited) Program will try to help them get a paying job.

It takes Grace Health staff 6 – 7 months to complete the program and be eligible to take the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) national certification exam. The Grace Health Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program offers class time as well as hands-on training and clinical experience all designed to equip employees to function as medical assistants. During training, staff are being paid an hourly wage and receive benefits – making it the only medical assistant training program in our area in which people are paid while they learn.  There are 10 staff members participating in the current Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program.  The next program will begin in October 2019.

Grace Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center and has been serving Calhoun County since 1986, providing care to 1 in 4 County residents.  Just over 133,000 services were provided in 2018 for almost 32,000 patients, averaging about 500 new patients each month.  Approximately 66% of patients seen at Grace Health either have Medicaid or are uninsured.  Grace Health employs just over 340 staff.

Dr. Peter Chang and Grace Health were recently recognized as a Patriot Employer by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense Program.  ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between the Reserve Component Service member and their civilian employer.   The intent of this program is to increase employer support by encouraging employers to act as advocates for employee participation in the military providing tools to effectively manage employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

National Guardsmen Airman First Class Allison Bartha nominated her employer, Grace Health, for the Patriot Award which reflects the efforts made by Grace Health to support citizen warriors including flexible work schedules, time off for deployments and granting leaves of absence during active military orders.  Prior to taking a leave of absence from Grace Health in August of 2018, Allison worked closely with Grace Health to communicate her military orders and training requirements which was instrumental in a smooth transition back to the civilian workforce in April 2019.

The Patriotic Award recognizes supervisors and managers nominated by the National Guardsman employee for support provided to the nominator.  Recognizing supportive employers is vital to ESGR’s mission.

Grace Health, Battle Creek Public Schools, Lakeview School District and Calhoun County Public Health Department (CCPHD) are pleased to announce that, effective January 1, 2019, services provided at the Student Health Centers and School Wellness Programs in Battle Creek Central High School, Lakeview Middle School, Springfield Middle School, Northwestern Middle School and W.K. Preparatory High School will be transitioned to Grace Health. These programs have been administered by the CCPHD for the past 24 years.

Students seen in Student Health Centers or School Wellness Programs listed above will become Grace Health patients and will have access to the same resources as other Grace Health patients.

The Student Health Centers located at Battle Creek Central High School, Lakeview Middle School, and Springfield Middle School provide quality healthcare in a friendly setting at a time that is convenient for students and their family. The clinic will be staffed with a nurse practitioner, social worker and support staff to meet the student’s physical and mental health needs. The Health Center’s nurse practitioner can be the student’s regular provider or support the student’s regular provider/pediatrician. Services available include: routine well-child exams with immunizations, school and sports physicals, preventative care, urgent care and behavioral/mental services. The Student Health Centers will be open year around.

The School Wellness Program located at Northwestern Middle School and W.K. Preparatory High School will be open during the normal school year. It will be staffed with a nurse and social worker to help meet student’s physical and mental health needs. Services provided include: limited clinical nursing services, mental health services and health education.

“Grace Health is a well-established and highly regarded provider throughout the community. The CCPHD welcomes the transfer of the above five schools and associated programs to Grace Health,” said Eric Pessell, CCPHD Health Officer.

Dr. Peter Chang, Grace Health President/CEO said “Grace Health is looking forward to partnering with students and their families to improve their health and well-being. Healthy students are more successful in school.”