News Releases from Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial

Links to full articles are in PDF format.

June 21, 2010
Spectrum Health Named One of Nation’s Top Ten Health Systems
Only System in Michigan to Receive Honor
Spectrum Health was named one of the nation’s top 10 health systems today in an annual study analyzing clinical and financial performance. Spectrum Health was the only health system in Michigan to receive the “Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Health System Benchmarks” honor.

Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® program analyzed the clinical quality and efficiency of 255 health systems to identify the top 10.
>Read full story here

July 1, 2010
Gerber Memorial Merges with Spectrum Health
IT’S OFFICIAL! It is with great pride that Gerber Memorial announces the final documents have been signed, incorporating Gerber Memorial Health Services into the Spectrum Health System. On May 1, Gerber Memorial Health Services emerged as Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial.

A gift to the community by the Gerber family in 1918, Gerber Memorial was established "for the relief of pain and suffering." This legacy will live on -- our capacity to relieve pain and suffering through technology and our special "human touch" has never been greater. This event signals a new era for Newaygo County, and its citizens, as we continue to provide for their health care needs. This is also the beginning of continued growth in services for all the communities we serve.

We look forward to beginning this new chapter as Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial

March 31, 2010
Spectrum Health and Gerber Memorial Health Services Vote to Move Forward with Integration Process
The Spectrum Health Board of Directors and Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) members have each approved resolutions that would integrate GMHS into Spectrum Health. Based on the resolutions, GMHS will become a Spectrum Health hospital, effective May 1, 2010 pending execution of final legal documents.
[Read full story here]

March 19, 2010
GMHS Recognized as One of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in West Michigan
Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) has won designation as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in West Michigan by the Michigan Professional and Business Association.

“The selection, recognition and awarding of this year’s 101 companies allows our organization to showcase their best practices. The honorees have clearly demonstrated why each of them would be an ideal place for employees to work. Companies that capitalize on their greatest resource—their employees—know how to attract and retain top talent,” said Jennifer Kluge, MBPA chief operating officer and executive vice president.
[Read full story here]

March 9, 2010
Gerber Memorial Health Services to Raise Funds for Digital Mammography Machine
GMHS is pleased to announce that it will soon acquire a new Digital Mammography Machine for its Women’s Imaging Center. Funds for the purchase are being raised through a number of events during the Spring and Summer of 2010. The first event – a Winter Golf Experience - will take place March 20, from 8 AM – 2 PM at Tamarac, The Center for Health and Well-Being, 1401 W. Main St. in Fremont.
[Read full story here]

February 11, 2010
Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) Hosts 6th Annual Day of Dance
T he 6th Annual, GMHS Day of Dance for Health event will be held at Newaygo Middle School, 850 E. 76th St., Newaygo, MI on Saturday, February 27th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (doors open for registration at 9:30 a.m.).  GMHS will present a fun-filled day of dancing and heart healthy activities with the theme, “Dancing Through the Decades”. Whether young enough for Hip-Hop or old enough for the Two Step, Day of Dance will provide dancing opportunities and activities for all ages.

With heart disease the number one killer of women and men, and February being proclaimed National Heart Health Month, Day of Dance, created through the GMHS affiliation with the national Spirit of Women organization, provides the perfect blend of opportunities for education and activity.
[Read full story here]  >View event video

December 2, 2009
Gerber Memorial Health Services Sets Sights on Improved Patient Safety and Quality for Obstetrics and ER Care
Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) is now participating in recently expanded statewide patient safety collaboratives focused on protecting mothers, newborns and emergency patients. The patient safety collaboratives, coordinated by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center for Patient Safety & Quality, are known as MHA Keystone: Emergency Room (ER) and MHA Keystone: Obstetrics (OB).
[Read full story here]

November 17, 2009
New Cataract Removal System Acquired at Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS)
Gerber Memorial Hospital recently announced the purchase of the INFINITI Vision System for cataract removal. 

The device, called a phacoemulsifier, uses ultrasonic energy to safely break up and remove the cataract through a tiny incision that rarely requires a stitch. The new system was provides greater safety and is easier to use, according to Marianne Patten, RN, MSN, Director of Surgical Services for GMHS.
[Read full story here]

September 17, 2009
Gerber Memorial Hosts Special “Girls’ Night Out”
GMHS is hosting its 4th annual, educational and entertaining evening for woman of all ages on Thursday, October 8, from 6 – 8:30 PM, at the Dogwood Center for the Performing Arts in Fremont, Michigan.
[Read full story here]
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August 5, 2009
Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) Cancer Care Center and the American Cancer Society to Host Cancer Survivors’ Garden Party
Capping a week of celebrating 30 years of caring for, and treating, cancer patients in and around Newaygo County, the GMHS Cancer Care Center is hosting a Cancer Survivors’ Garden Brunch for all cancer survivors in the area. The Brunch will take place Saturday, August 22, from 9 AM – 11 AM on the patio at GMHS’ Tamarac, The Center for Health and Well-Being, 1401 W. Main St. in Fremont.

“Thanks to the progress made in the fight against cancer, more than 11 million people who have heard the words ‘You have cancer,’ are survivors today,” stated Kim Wernstrom, Community Program Manager for the Lakeshore area of the American Cancer Society.  “In honor of all those who have battled this disease, we are pleased to co-host the second annual Cancer Survivors’ Garden Brunch with Gerber Memorial.
[Read full story here]
[View invitation]

July 20, 2009
Gerber Memorial Health Services Among Those Chosen in National Project to Reduce “Rehospitalizations”
Gerber Memorial Health Services has been selected to participate in a three-state project that will seek to reduce the number of people who must be readmitted to the hospital for clinical reasons related to the initial hospitalization.

The project targets unplanned, related “rehospitalizations,” which are the admission of people who – after a hospitalization - return to the hospital for a related reason within 30 days. The pilot project, named STate Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations (STAAR), seeks to reduce - by 30 percent - the number of patients being hospitalized again while increasing patient and family satisfaction with transitions and coordination of care.
[Read full story here]

June 23, 2009
Gerber Memorial Health Services and Spectrum Health To Explore Affiliation
Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) and Spectrum Health have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent to explore a potential affiliation. The process to evaluate the relationship will begin immediately and continue over the next year.

“This change would formalize an established relationship that has existed between our organizations since 1987,” said Richard C. Breon, Spectrum Health president & CEO.
[Read full story here]

March 11, 2009
Gerber Memorial Health Services Elected To Participate In National Quality Improvement Collaborative
Aligning Forces for Quality in West Michigan announced today that Gerber Memorial Health Services has been selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to participate in a new effort to improve the quality of care in hospitals. The program, called Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB), will help nurses and other frontline staff identify, test and implement changes that will improve the quality and safety of patient care in their medical and surgical units.
[Read full story here]

March 6, 2009
Gerber Memorial Health Services Awarded Opens New Wound Care Clinic
Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) announced today that it has opened a new Wound Clinic devoted to the assessment and treatment of chronic, non-healing wounds. The Clinic, named the Gerber Memorial Wound Clinic at Grant Medical Center will be open every Tuesday morning from 8 AM until Noon. The Clinic is now taking patient appointments.
[Read full story here]

February 19, 2009
Gerber Memorial Health Services Awarded Certification From The Joint Commision
Gerber Memorial Hospital and the GMHS Continu-Care Home Health Agency have earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality and safety, and have been granted accreditation status by the Joint Commission, a national agency that surveys health care organizations.
[Read full story here]

January 7, 2009    
Gerber Memorial Health Services Receives 3 Major Awards From National Rating Organization
Gerber Memorial Health Services (GMHS) has been notified by HealthGrades, a national ratings organization, that it has been recognized as one of only 11 hospitals in Michigan to receive the Outstanding Patient Experience Award for 2009.
[Read full story here]