Pictures from the Heart
Donation provides hospital with new top-tier heart imaging technology
By KATE BASSETT, HARBOR LIGHT NEWSPAPER
August 3, 2011
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When it comes to matters of the heart, Northern Michigan Regional Hospital is the pulse of the community. In a state ranked eighth highest in the nation for cardiovascular deaths, the staff at NMRH has gone to great lengths to protect-- and save-- the lives of those in the 22 counties it serves. Which is why, when the Northern Michigan Regional Hospital Foundation looked at major needs in 2011, a new three dimensional echocardiogram machine was at the top of the list.
“It is a rare opportunity to give a gift that can touch so many lives,” said Moon Seagren, the foundation’s executive director. “We fundraise all year long and normally, at the end of the year, we go to our doctors and say ‘this is what we have’ and order equipment at that time. This was a unique situation, where we had one donor offer to purchase this equipment for the hospital, so long as we would get it up and running in 2011. It is now here, in the hospital, today.”
The donation-- totaling over $500,000-- came from Harbor Springs resident James Offield and the Offield Family Foundation. Sitting in the hospital board room recently with Offield, NMRH’s president and CEO Reezie DeVet, and new cardiologist David Corteville, the overarching theme of health care in this community was obvious; it is all about personal connection with physicians in a state of the art facility.
“I also have a home in Manhattan Beach, California, and if I have an issue with my heart, I would fly back here for care,” Offield told Corteville as they discussed the new echocardiogram machine.
“No matter where I am in the world, I prefer to be in northern Michigan for my health care needs. I truly think we have some of the best care available right here,” he said, gesturing to the hospital.
“We have over 170 physician specialists in our hospital, and the level of care each of them gives is truly remarkable,” DeVet agreed. “As we look at what the needs are in the community we serve, we see heart disease is causing a number of issues. We want to make sure our resources going forward match and provide the best value for our people, and we are focusing on heart disease as one of our number one areas of need.”
Enter Corteville, the new doctor with Michigan Heart and Vascular Specialists, who was brought on as a cardiovascular imaging specialist. Collaborating with interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons, Corteville will us the new 3-D capable “transesophageal echocardiogram” to provide views of the heart previously only available in surgery.
Corteville, who came to northern Michigan from the University of Michigan cardiology fellowship, said his mentor “was incredibly jealous” that he’d have access to such advanced technology.
“I have better equipment here than where I came from, and that’s saying something,” Corteville, who has already been trained in the new echo technology, said with a smile.
When Offield asked if the machine-- which can evaluate blood flow in live 3-D color and reduces exam time by up to 50-percent-- can also serve as a preventative measure against heart problems, Corteville nodded an enthusiastic yes.
“We can learn a lot about a person’s heart-- masses, clots, muscle details, what the valves look like, how well does it open-- this is like the gold standard for imaging. The views we can create can allow us to actually look at a valve from a surgeon’s eye view in the operating room. It’s that impressive,” he gushed, adding “you can tell I’m excited.”
Corteville added Northern Michigan Regional Hospital’s dedication to staying at the top of the technology curve in health care is part of the reason he chose to practice in this area.
“Even before I started, I was given the opportunity to help chose the best equipment. This was a very conscientious process. I was trained at the University of California San Fransisco and the University of Michigan, and I wanted to come to work at Northern Michigan Regional Hospital because this place draws great doctors. We have guys like Lou Cannon, who is super talented and doing major research, and Jason Ricci, an animal in the world of structural heart disease. Getting to work with people like that, well, its not something you find very often. We have amazing physicians, and we have a quality of life and community that can’t be beat.”
For Seagren, that fact is one she said she hopes is not lost on donors.
“Our patient satisfaction level is incredible, we have achieved magnet status, been awarded recognition for our growing and learning scholarships available to our nursing staff, the list goes on. We know what NMRH can offer, and we know the quality of care is second to none,” she said.
“It shouldn’t take a visit to the Emergency Department to get people thinking about the value of this hospital, though I know that often is the case,” Offield added. “For me, having a baseline on my health from here is priceless.”
“It is a place that offers donors a definite return on their investement,” Corteville agreed. “There really is nothing more important than investing in your health and the health of your loved ones.”
More than that, Offield said, he made the donation as a result of his lifelong connection to the area.
“Being a fifth generation summer person, my mom and dad were some of the first people to assist the hospital, so I was raised knowing its importance. This is just one small way to repay what this community gave me: an amazing childhood filled with clean water, fresh air, and bare feet. This is a place that gets in your blood, that’s the best way I can describe it, and when something is that much of a gift, it needs to be protected. Having great health care is part of that,” he said.
DeVet said it is important to underscore how empowering it is for health care professionals to have the tools they need to “do their best for people.”
“It is wonderful and inspiring,” she said.
“One of the unique things about this hospital is that doctors are so tied to their patients and to this community that donors actually get an opportunity to hear first hand how much a gift matters,” Offield said. “Their enthusiasm, their ability to explain how certain equipment saves lives, that’s a reward all of its own. It comes from the heart.”
For more information on the Northern Michigan Regional Hospital Foundation and the Hospital’s current needs list, call (231) 487-3500.