Boyles says farewell to hospital board

COLDWATER - At his final board of governors meeting, senior vice president and chief financial officer George Boyles thanked board members for their support over the years and commended the Mercer Health staff for striving to improve the health care of local patients.

Between the employees and providers as well as the board of trustees and board of governors, Boyles said Mercer Health has a great infrastructure and great team and that he has enjoyed his time there.

"We've done a great job to try to work together as a team and enhance patient care throughout the community," he said.

After a $460,000 payment to be made today, Boyles said Mercer Health would owe nothing to Weigand Construction for work on the West Wing expansion. The total cost for the project was $2.2 million.

A major upgrade to the EPIC system took place on Feb. 10, but CEO Lisa Klenke said the hospital hasn't seen any practice or operational changes as a result. The system handles the hospital's electronic medical files.

Klenke spoke with board members about how social determinants affect a population's health and what roles hospitals have taken to address issues or improve health care in their regions. She noted that physical environment, social determinants and behavioral factors drive about 80 percent of health outcomes.

While the local community was blessed and doesn't face some of the issues common in other areas, Klenke said Mercer County does have its own problems. The county is in the highest 25 percent in the state for several types of cancers, including brain and nervous-system cancers, colorectal and esophageal cancers and melanoma. While incidences of testicular cancer are rather rare, the county has the highest testicular cancer rate in Ohio.

Mercer County, however, also is in the best quartile for late-stage cancer diagnoses, meaning more cancer diagnoses tend to happen in the early stages of cancer. The earlier cancer is diagnosed, the more often patients have better outcomes.

Mercer Health frequently offers free and discounted health screenings, lab tests and educational opportunities for interested community members to improve access to health care and hopefully detect health issues before they become serious.