Putting our patients and community first

What a year it has been.It's hard to believe that we are already over halfway through 2018. I guess the old saying is true, time flies when you are having fun. At Firelands Regional Health System, there has been a lot of activity going on with creating new ways we can better our community and provide needed services to those who live, work, and play in our region.One of the most exciting and important endeavors happening now is the search for Firelands Regional Health System's new president & CEO. The position has been vacant since Jan. 1 and we know everyone – from our own employees to members of the community – is eagerly waiting to see who is going to be at the helm. Our board executive/CEO search committee has narrowed the candidate pool down to three individuals who they believe best fits in with the mission and culture of Firelands.On-site interviews at Firelands Regional Medical Center will be taking place over the next few weeks with the selected candidates. We thank the community for their continued support of the health system during this time of transition. We look forward to keeping you updated as to future progress in the CEO search.Whether it's by making upgrades to equipment, renovating areas of our facility, or providing new specialties and services, our patients and their loved ones are at the cornerstone of what we do. Firelands' new QuickCare is just one example of this.Located on U.S. 250 in front of the Walmart/Park Place Plaza, QuickCare has extended hours and treats minor injuries and illnesses with no appointment needed. In addition to the convenient location, the cost of visiting QuickCare is like that of a doctor's office visit based on someone's insurance coverage.In addition, in our quest to support the local communities that we serve and help them develop healthy, active lifestyles, we are excited to be a part of bringing a world-class, state-of-the-art indoor sports facility to the area. The Lee C. Jewett Sports Medicine Center will house our knowledgeable sports medicine physician, Dr. Matt Widmer, highly-skilled athletic trainers, and experienced occupational, physical, and speech therapists.Mr. Jewett, a Firelands Regional Medical Center board of directors member emeritus, provided a generous donation that is helping this dream become a reality and will benefit sports teams, student athletes, and local residents for decades to come.We are also constantly looking at ways we can improve technology here at Firelands. How can we make things better and more convenient for our patients? We know that people lead busy lives and need information on the go. That's why we now offer the Meditech MHealth app that can be downloaded to your smartphone through the Apple Store and Google Play. This is the mobile version of our patient portal, My Health eChart, and makes it easy to connect to your hospital patient portal on the go, whenever you need it. It allows you to download your information with a click of a button to easily take your personal health record with you to your appointments or email to your provider. It's your healthcare information, right at your fingertips.We look forward to seeing what the rest of the year holds for us here at Firelands Regional Medical Center. One thing we know for sure is that we will continue to work tirelessly on creating ways to keep you local for your healthcare. As a locally-owned and governed hospital, being able to keep you close to home and near your loved ones for your medical care is of the utmost importance to us.From left: Moncher, Moore, SchrickelMoncherMooreSchrickel