“The Charlevoix Area Hospital is proud to be one of Beaver Island’s mainland partners. We know that living a long distance from quality health care can make visits difficult and treatment a challenge. The Beaver Island Rural Health Center is available to meet many of the community’s health care needs, and when they need additional resources, we are happy to answer the call. We send over a physical therapist, physicians, and offer support in x-ray reading, tech support, lab testing, courier service, and emergency medical control. Our physicians have been travelling there for over 30 years, and as time has progressed, so has our relationship. Now we stand poised to provide even more.

Our hospital will become fully integrated into the Munson Healthcare system on Dec. 1, 2015. What does this mean for you? This integration will increase access to specialists and our ability to share best practices – all while retaining our warm, hometown feel and friendly, compassionate staff.

We are also in the process of expanding existing services in Charlevoix. This fall, we will be adding a third operating room to accommodate 550+ more surgeries a year. The expanded surgical suite and new laboratory will better facilitate the needs of outpatient procedures, which have grown to account for around 85% of our surgeries. In addition to the obvious benefits of improved access and scheduling for surgeries and lab testing, this is also a very important step in securing our sustainability as a location of care. For a small hospital, surgery is an important revenue driver, and this means that we are able to continue providing community health access, such as our monthly low-cost health screenings, our school nurse program, and providing resources in partnership with other local health care organizations such as the Beaver Island Rural Health Center.

Whether seasonal or full-time, these positive changes can impact the care you receive on and off the Island. We have shared the news with our partners at the BI Rural Health Center, and we are all excited about the future possibilities.