Memorial Medical Center of West Michigan Strengthens Collaboration with Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital

Network Includes 26 Hospitals Working Together for Pediatric Health Care

Ludington-based Memorial Medical Center of West Michigan has joined Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital’s Partners in Children’s Health. Partners in Children’s Health is a network of 26 hospitals working together to improve access to pediatric specialty services and continuing professional education.

Memorial Medical Center CEO Mark Vipperman said, “As an independent regional hospital, we’re delighted to have the opportunity to strengthen our longstanding partnership with one of the nation’s premier children’s hospitals. This agreement is in accord with our strategic goal of collaboration with other health care providers and will further enhance the health care options for children and families in our service area.”

“Working together we can provide the best possible expert care for children in all health situations,”Vipperman added. “Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has a well-deserved reputation for innovation, excellence and compassionate care that is fully in harmony with our own goals for pediatric care.”

As part of the affiliation agreement, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital offers assistance with quality initiatives, clinical outreach and pediatric specific continuing medical education programming for the hospitals’ pediatricians and other clinical staff. Obstetrics, emergency care and highly specialized treatments are other obvious areas of collaboration. The affiliation also provides an opportunity for periodic community education programs and advocacy for children’s health and safety in our region.

“The agreement provides a framework for our hospitals to work together to strengthen pediatric care in Ludington and the surrounding community,”said Bob Connors, MD, president, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “It connects Memorial Medical Center of West Michigan to a regional system of care for children, dedicated to providing care close to home, and links the hospital to a comprehensive children’s hospital.”

Memorial Medical Center is a 95-bed, regional acute care hospital serving residents in the four counties surrounding Ludington. Its medical staff includes two pediatricians (actively recruiting a third), and eight family practice physicians, plus obstetricians, gynecologists and a variety of other specialists. The medical center serves approximately 3,500 inpatients and 93,000 outpatients annually. Visit http://www.mmcwm.com/ for more information.

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is West Michigan’s largest children’s hospital, serving children and families throughout a 37-county region. A teaching hospital, it includes more than 150 pediatric specialty physicians uniquely skilled in providing medical and surgical care to children in 40 pediatric specialties. The hospital cares for more than 7,600 inpatients and 190,000 outpatients annually. Visit www.devoschildrens.org‘ for more information.