University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center is a large, modern facility serving multiple counties, but it has been a community hospital since Dr. Walter Corey hung out his shingle at his home in 1925.
University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center is a large, modern facility serving multiple counties, but it has been a community hospital since Dr. Walter Corey hung out his shingle at his home in 1925.
Dr. Marlea Miano, UHGMC chief medical officer, and Bill Rice, development officer, traced the history of the center during the Oct. 6 Geauga Economic Leadership breakfast at Kent State University – Geauga.
In the 1950s, the Corey hospital closed and Geauga Community Hospital, supported by community leaders and residents, opened with 56 beds in a former cornfield, Rice said.
“As it grew from a small hospital to a huge complex, it has been sustained by the community,” he said, adding that support continues, most recently in the form of a new addition.
“More than $7 million was raised to build the Seidman Cancer Center,” Rice said.
Having spent 20 years as a teacher, Rice chose healthcare as the next chapter in his life.
“What makes a community great? Education and healthcare are two pillars we really stand on in Geauga County. They help propel us forward,” he said, adding superior healthcare system and educational facilities encourage more business and development.
UHGMC also serves residents of Portage, Trumbull, Ashtabula and Cuyahoga, Miano said.
“We’re attractive to people beyond Geauga County,” Rice said. “It takes a lot of partners to make it happen.”
Miano pointed to the picture of lead cardiologist Dr. Gregory Stefano, medical director of the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute at UHGMC, with a patient, emphasizing the staff’s dedication to saving lives.
One example of that dedication is Franklin Briggs, of Hiram.
In 2019, Briggs, in the throes of a full-blown heart attack, was brought by ambulance to UHGMC, according to the article in The Science of Health. Medical teams in the Hiram ambulance and at the medical center performed 30 defibrillations.
Stefano found the blockage in the heart artery and inserted a stent and balloon pump to save Briggs’ life, according to the article, which can be found on the UH website.
Miano mentioned some of the specialists at the medical center.
“All our physicians collaborate,” she said. “We have an amazing level of care for our patients.”
Minutes are vital for patents suffering from strokes and heart attacks, Rice said, adding the hospital has the best times.
When a patient has a myocardial infarction, doctors insert a balloon to gently open vessels for better blood flow with the end goal of inserting a catheter, Miano said.
The national average time from “door to balloon” is an hour.
“We’ve been as low as 15 minutes,” she said.
Time is vital in these cases and the medical team wants to make sure the muscles in the heart get oxygen as soon as possible to improve the patient’s chances of a good recovery, Miano said.
UHGMC has about 1,000 staff positions and about 100 of those need to be filled, Rice said, adding the hospital collaborates with Kent State University to train nurses at the KSU-Geauga campus.
“This is an awesome nursing program. Funding should never be a problem,” he said, adding there are scholarships available.
“We need to get our kids into nursing and healthcare fields,” he said.
Both speakers emphasized the hometown attitude common among staff. It’s no surprise when a nurse knows a patient’s relatives and neighbors. Compared to urban settings, Geauga County is a tight community, they said.
About 70 patients a day visit the UHGMC emergency room and 70% of patients in the hospital come in through the emergency room, Miano said.
“We consider that the front door of the hospital,” she said.
