TROY — In 2023, Kettering Health continued the work of providing a “path of care” to keep our communities healthier, building a path to connect you with providers who want to care for you throughout your life, a progress report provided Mike Brendel, president of Kettering Health Troy. We are deeply grateful for our dedicated and talented teams at Kettering Health Troy and Kettering Health Piqua for their commitment to providing the best care.

Focus on community and team members yields progress

We optimized our services and capacity to meet the shifting healthcare needs of our communities and balanced the use of our resources to best meet changes and challenges in the future. Community members seeking care at our facility in Piqua are increasingly needing primary care services rather than true emergency care. We expect to expand our primary care presence there consistent with national trends and in the best interest of our communities.

Notably, we saw growth at Kettering Health Troy in three areas to meet our local healthcare needs: surgeries, in-patient care, and imaging. “As our communities learn more about Kettering Health, we are hearing and seeing opportunities to grow and serve our communities,” explained Brendel.

His report continues:

Awards highlight safety and clinical care

Our focus on clinical care and safety brought us recognition through national awards across the year. Kettering Health Troy maintained our “A” grade for safety in both the spring and fall Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Grade. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally.

We were recognized by the 2024 Women’s Choice Awards, ranking in the top 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience and Outpatient Experience. This recognition helps women, who are often making healthcare decisions on behalf of their families, identify the best places to seek care.

Investing in our team members

Investing in our team members always yields great returns for their professional satisfaction and growth, and our organization’s mission. We are focused on the well-being of our team because our people are the foundation of exceptional patient care. As an example, our Kettering Health Medical Group has created a comprehensive well-being program for its providers, supporting a culture of wellness, enhancing practice efficiencies, and improving personal resilience.

Addressing a shortage of medical assistants in our region, the Medical Group has also launched an in-house, 12-week Medical Assistant Training Program designed to support team members who have held clerical or administrative roles within the Medical Group and are interested in transitioning to a clinical role. The innovative program supports full-time work while learning, combining in-practice, on-the-job training with classroom and skills training and independent study. Our first two years of this program have shown great success with all graduates passing their National Healthcareer Association Medical Assistant certification exam.

Looking forward

Kettering Health will continue to be an active partner in the economic and workforce development in the Miami, Shelby and Darke County communities through educational partners and civic organizations. These partnerships have allowed us to employ locally trained, highly skilled professionals and directly invest in local employment.

We have increasing opportunities to tailor our care for our communities, looking not only at traditional primary care and connecting you to special services throughout Kettering Health, with a digital telehealth platform, app-based care interactions and coaching; after-hours access; and an expanding self-health model of care. We’re mindful that the type of care you need and how you want to receive your care will continue to evolve, and we want to be there for you throughout your health journey.