special section/progress-c

2012BELL HOSPITAL — SECTION C

MONdAy, MARCH 26

PROGRESSA sPECIAl sECTION OF THE MINING JOURNAl

By JOHANNA BOYLEJournal Ishpeming Bureau

ISHPEMING — With spring months, if notspring weather, quickly approaching, areagardeners might be itching to get out intotheir flower and vegetable beds.

This growing season, aspiring gardenersin the western end of Marquette County whomay not have their own yard to put in a gar-den plot have another option when it comesto sowing seeds — the new Bell Hospitalcommunity garden.

As part of the hospital’s green initiative,Bell will be hosting a community garden onthe hospital’s campus, giving both employ-ees and community members another placeto get connected to their food.

“We’re always looking for ways to get thecommunity involved,” said Katie Brady, mar-keting associate with Bell Hospital.

First announced at a special farmers mar-

ket at the hospital in September of 2011, thegarden is intended for use by both hospitalemployees and community members.

“Employees said we want a place to dothings like this,” Brady said of the garden. “Itfits with our mission to improve the lives ofeveryone we touch.”

The garden will be located at the west sideof the hospital’s property, adjacent to theemergency wing. When finished, the gardenwill include 30 raised 6-foot by 12- foot plots.In addition, there will also be a compostingarea and a tool shed.

In keeping with the idea of the green initia-tive, the garden will be watered with rainwa-ter collected from the roof of one of the hos-pital’s buildings. The soil, which is sandy onthe hospital grounds, is also being improvedusing what is called the lasagna method.Layers of newspaper, grass clippings, com-post and other organic matter are placed on

top of the soil and allowed to break down,creating more nutrient-rich soil.

Once it opens, the garden will be main-tained as organic and pesticide-free. Gar-deners will pay a seasonal fee of $30 with a$10 rebate at the end of the season if theyhave been good citizens of the communitygarden (following rules, etc.). Gardeners willalso be expected to help at several workdays throughout the season to help with theupkeep of the entire garden.

“It’s not just about recycling. It’s abouthelping the earth,” Brady said. “So manypeople are actually interested now.”

Beds will be available for rental starting inthe spring months, with beds needing to beplanted by June 15.

Johanna Boyle can be reached at 906-486-4401. Her e-mail address [email protected].

Bell communitygarden

Hospital goes green with vegetable beds

AlsOINSIDE

Vascular surgerynow available Treatment for blockedveins and arteries

PAGE 2C

Bell Foundationspin bike raceRaising funds for youth

PAGE 2C

High Tech, HighTouchThe philosophy of BellHospital

PAGE 3C

Bell expanding Orthopedic and rehaboptions

PAGE 4C

New mammogrammachineProvides clearer imagesand pinpoints masses

PAGE 5C

Volunteers playcrucial roleRaising funds

PAGE 5C

Kids Korner at BellMaking the hospital a funplace for children and adults

PAGE 6C

New machinesand doctorsProviding two new typesof eye surgery for patients

PAGE 8C

Progress 2012 SECTION C_Progress 2010 SECTION A 6/29/12 8:03 AM


ISHPEMING —Clogged or blockedveins and arteries are aserious problem thatcan lead to life-threaten-ing complications, but atBell Hospital, patientsare able to find treat-ment.

Dr. Joel Johnson ofUpper Great Lakes Vas-cular at Bell Hospital isable to treat patients ei-ther by the placement ofa stent, a spring-liketube that holds the bloodvessel open, and byatherectomy, a surgicalmethod that removesplaque from the inside ofa blood vessel, or byperforming both proce-dures at the same time,called a hybrid proce-dure.

“I have training to doboth procedures, so wejust do them at the sametime,” Johnson said.

Most peripheral vascu-lar surgeries are per-formed in the area of the

belly, groin, thigh andbelow the knee. Oftenpatients experienceblockages in two areas,which they would havepreviously needed twoseparate procedures toaddress.

Thanks to Johnson’straining, however, pa-tients can have plaqueremoved from a vesseland a stent put in placein the same procedure.

Johnson said to thinkof the affected vessel in

terms of a river with sev-eral dams in it, prevent-ing its natural flow. Tak-ing out the smaller damsupstream, however, stillwon’t re-establish flow ifthe dam downstream isstill in place.

“Let’s say you puttents in the belly. You’renot getting good flow be-cause it’s still cloggeddown below,” he said. “Ifyou take out all thedams, you re-establishflow.”

Besides the hybridprocedure, Johnson al-so uses technology suchas stents that resist thegrowth of scar tissuethanks to a special coat-ing, filters that preventpieces of plaque frommoving down the vesselonce they are cut outand new cutting technol-ogy, all of which helpsprovide the best care topatients.

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401.Her email address [email protected].

Let’s say you put tentsin the belly. You’re notgetting good flow be-cause it’s still cloggeddown below. If you takeout all the dams, youreestablish flow.

“

- DR. JOEL JOHNSONUpper Great Lakes Vascu-

lar surgeon at Bell Hospital

”

2C -— The Mining Journal Monday, March 26 PROGRESS2012 Bell offers vascular surgeryto patients

Vascular surgeon Dr. Joel Johnson works with a patient. (Photo provided by BellHospital)

Bike race raisesfunds for youth programming


ISHPEMING — Bikesfilled the hallway of BellHospital, with riders ped-aling furiously. But evenwith the indoor setting,there weren’t any colli-sions, no injuries. In fact,the riders stayed prettymuch in one spot.

Around 50 racers par-ticipated in the Bell BikeRace in April 2011, afundraiser for the BellFoundation for two sum-mer youth programs, tak-ing turns on stationaryspinning bikes to seewhich team could rackup the highest number ofmiles.

“It’s a pretty uniqueevent — an indoor spinbike relay race,” saidrace director and ViceChair of the Bell Founda-tion board Jeff Nyquist.

Teams of up to sixmembers took turnsspinning for a half hour,attempting to “travel” thefarthest, according to theodometers attached tothe bikes.

Each team was askedto raise at least $500,which went to help sup-port two of the founda-tion’s youth programsthis summer — a speechtherapy program and astrength and condition-ing program for school-aged students. The foun-dation needs around$20,000 to fund both pro-grams.

With 10 teams and anumber of individual rac-

ers, the relay began at 9a.m. and continuedthroughout the morning.

Rosemary Fields, ofMarquette, was a teamof one, performing eachleg of the relay on herown.

“I’ve been on a spinbike maybe twice in mylife,” she said with alaugh before the start ofthe race.

As part of her own per-sonal efforts to get fit,Fields said she wantedto participate in morefundraising events, al-lowing her to be activeand give back to thecommunity at the sametime.

“I’ll just take it easy,”Fields said of her strate-gy for the relay, alreadyanticipating the result ofthe narrow spin bikeseat. “I’m afraid my butt’s

going to go numb.” Sponsored by Anytime

Fitness and the Mar-quette Baking Company,where she is a pastrychef, Fields called herteam The Biking Baker.

Nyquist estimated thatthe average participantin the race would spinaround 10 miles in theirhalf hour leg of the relay.

“I wouldn’t be surprisedto see people hit 15miles,” Nyquist, who par-ticipated as part of theU.P. Home Health andHospice team, said.

The idea for a spin bikerelay came from a similarevent held in NorthDakota, which drawslarge numbers of partici-pants and spectators. Al-though snow is typicallystill on the ground insome places in April,Nyquist said he hopedthe event would serve asa sort of kick off to thespring and summer bik-ing season, encouragingpeople to get active afterthe long winter.

“This is supposed to bemore than a race. It’ssupposed to be a com-munity event,” he said.

In addition to the spin-ning, vendors such asthe Marquette Food Co-op, Ringside Fitness andQuick Stop Bike Shop of-fered bike tune ups,healthy snacks and otherfitness advice.


A participant in the 2011 spin bike racehosted by the Bell Foundation. (Journal pho-to by Johanna Boyle)

This is sup-posed to bemore than arace. It’s sup-posed to be acommuni tyevent.

“

- JEFF NYQUISTBell Foundation spin bike

race director

”



ISHPEMING — Themedical world increas-ingly includes differentforms of technology toprovide patients with thebest care. At Bell Hospi-tal, that focus on tech-nology doesn’t mean re-moving the human ele-ment from the equation.

Combining those twoimportant aspects ofcare is the hospital’s“High Tech, High Touch”philosophy, with tech-nology and human care-givers working togetherto provide the best carepossible.

“Some of what we’reexperiencing in healthcare is this move towardm i n i m a l l y - i n v a s i v ecare,” said Ruth Solins-ki, vice president of or-ganizational develop-ment for Bell.

Using new technologyand surgical proceduresin many of its depart-ments, Bell’s staff is

able to make a smallerimpact on the body byusing smaller incisions.

“The impact on thebody is reduced. The re-covery time is reduced,”Solinski said.

From cataract surgeryto biopsies, Bell’s focuson technology makes upthe “High Tech” portionof its philosophy.

In addition to newequipment, the hospitalis also focusing on elec-tronic medical records,which not only reduceerrors and improvecommunication withinthe hospital itself, butalso when records aretransferred to anotherfacility.

“It’s a better experi-ence for the patient,”Solinski said. “Whatwe’re finding is once welearn the system, itgives us more time tospend with the patient.It helps our physiciansshare information moreeasily.”

The ultimate goal of

electronic medicalrecords is that patientsand their physicians willone day be able to ac-cess their records fromany facility in the coun-try, eliminating the needto fax documents.

Equally as important isthe human contact pa-tients have with theirhealth care profession-als.

“We still feel you cou-ple that with really car-ing staff,” Solinski said.“Nurses aren’t justwatching monitors.There’s a lot of feed-back in touch.”

The “High Tech, HighTouch” philosophy isone that guides BellHospital and its staffwhile it incorporatesnew technologies andretains the human ele-ment of patient care.

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401. Her email addressis [email protected].

Above, an image of the exterior of Bell Hospital. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

The Mining Journal, Monday, March 26 — 3CPROGRESS2012

‘High Tech, HighTouch’ philosophyof Bell Hospital


ISHPEMING — BellHospital saw a leadershipchange in 2011 with thedeparture of former ChiefExecutive Officer RickAment.

Ament, who was hiredas CEO in March of 2007,left the hospital in Octoberto start his own healthcare consulting firm inWisconsin, said RuthSolinski, senior vice presi-dent of organizational de-velopment for the hospital.Solinski said the hospital’sboard is working on a suc-cession plan for findingAment’s permanent re-placement.

In the interim, adminis-trative duties are beingshared by Barbara Lar-son, vice president of op-erations and chief nursingofficer, and Gerald Mes-sana, chief financial offi-cer.

At the time of his depar-ture, Ament declined tocomment on his decisionto leave.

Ament joined the westend hospital while it wasstill housed at its old facili-ty on Division Street neardowntown Ishpeming.Shortly after Ament’s ar-rival, the hospital brokeground on its new facilitynorth of U.S. 41 in July of2007.

Construction on the new$40-million facility wascompleted in 2008, withpatients making the transi-tion from what was theoldest hospital in Michiganto the newest.

Early in 2010, Bell Hos-pital, along with MarquetteGeneral Hospital, an-nounced the creation ofSuperior Health Partners,an accountable care orga-

nization and partnershipthat is intended to helpcombat the out-migrationof patients to surroundingstates.

In 2011, however, Bellannounced it had suffereda $7 million loss in the fis-cal year ending June2010, attributed to baddebt write-offs, losses at-tributed to the Bell MedicalClinic and billed servicesnot being collected appro-priately.

Ament announced sev-eral cost-savings mea-sures, such as a changein insurance vendors,salary reductions andsome staff cuts, amongothers, to address thatloss and in August said

the hospital was back ontrack financially.

In what Ament said wasa parallel issue, Bell’s fi-nancial institution, CharterOne, had not given its ap-proval for the formation ofSuperior Health Partners,meaning Bell could notbecome a full member ofthe partnership.

SHP has since an-nounced affiliations with anumber of other UpperPeninsula hospitals, al-though Bell Hospital rep-resentatives still retainseats on the SHP board ofdirectors.

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401.Her email address is

Bell gets newleadership afterresignation

AmENt



ISHPEMING — In aneffort to provide a higherlevel of care to patientsin the west end of thecounty, Bell Hospital hasgreatly expanded its or-thopedic surgery and re-habilitation options overthe past year.

Since 2008, the Ad-vanced Center for Or-thopedics, formerly Or-thopedic Surgery Asso-ciates, has provided or-thopedic surgeons towork at Bell to providesurgery services to pa-tients.

“It started out with twodoctors serving theretwo days a week,” saidDale Moilanen, chief op-erating officer for ACO.“It’s quite an expansion.”

In August 2011, ACOadded three surgeons toits staff working at Bell,joining Dr. Matthew Cul-ligan, who specializes intotal joint replacement.

The three new sur-geons are Dr. NathanTaylor, who specializesin hand surgery andplastic surgery, Dr. Ja-son Doppelt, specializ-ing in shoulder and el-bow surgery, and Dr.Zachary Leonard, spe-cializing in the foot andankle.

The ACO surgeons arejoined at Bell by Dr.Bryan Dixon, specializ-ing in family practiceand sports medicine,who is employed direct-ly through MarquetteGeneral Hospital.

Between them, the fivesurgeons are at Bell ap-proximately four days aweek, Moilanen said.

“With the new sur-geons, it brings a newlevel of sub-specializa-tion,” he said.

Besides having accessto the different sur-geons, patients can alsofind improved care bybeing able to have pre-and post-surgery care atBell’s facilities.

“It gives the patients abetter continuity ofcare,” Moilanen said.

Bell’s RehabilitationServices departmenthas also undergone atransformation in thepast year. Located atBell’s Teal Lake Clinic,the department under-went a renovation of itsoffice space, including aspecialized room for fit-ting ankle and kneebraces, improved pa-tient flow, and reducednoise levels.

In addition to the officerenovation, the depart-ment has also addednew physical therapists

to its staff, said Manag-er Kristin Wodzinski.

New to the departmentare physical therapistsKristen DePrey, AngelaLiautaud, RichMatthews and MichelleMoraska. DePrey is ageneralist in orthopedicswhile Liautaud special-izes in helping patientswith stroke, head orspinal cord injuries.Matthews specializes inworking with patientswho have undergonehand injury or surgery.Moraska specializes inwomen’s health, particu-larly pre- and post-preg-nancy.

The staff now includes11 physical therapists,four occupational thera-pists, three speech ther-apists and two assis-tants.

Patients work with the

department to improvestrength and range ofmotion, as well as condi-tioning, Wodzinski said.Occupational therapistswork with patients tomodify or change theirwork conditions to ac-commodate an injury,such as learning differ-ent ways to lift heavyobjects.

“We treat everythingthe orthopedic surgeonswork on,” Wodzinskisaid, “We have a verygood relationship withthe surgeons here.

“It’s so we can bestserve our patients hereand consistently providethe highest level ofcare.”


4C — The Mining Journal, Monday, March 26 PROGRESS2012

Orthopedic andrehab optionsexpanding

A patient works with a Bell Hospital physical therapist. Bell’s therapists work withpatients to improve strength and range of motion, often before or after a surgical pro-cedure. (Photo provided by Bell Hospital photo)

Strength FromWithin programencourages youth


ISHPEMING —Backfor its second year is BellHospital’s Strength FromWithin program, whichencourages middleschool-aged students todevelop healthier eatingand exercise habits.

“We feel that havingthis program work withmiddle school kidsteaches them importantlessons about diet andexercise at an agewhere they are develop-ing many of their lifelonghabits,” said Dave Aro,vice president of clinicoperations for Bell andone of the organizers ofthe program.

Strength From Within

runs throughout the aca-demic year, this yearwith 30 participants. Thestudents are paired withlife coaches from Bell’swellness staff. They takeon the responsibility ofdaily food and exerciselogs, as well as attend-ing regular educationalsessions with areahealth professionals ona variety of topics, aSaturday exercise ses-sion at the hospital oncea month, as well ascommitting to 18 hoursof volunteer service.

In exchange for meet-ing those requirements,the students have thechance to write an es-say and complete an in-terview process for thechance to win a year of

free tuition at NorthernMichigan University.

With one scholarshipgiven out last year, thehospital pledged to pro-vide one scholarship forevery 30 participants,meaning one will be giv-en out this year as well.

During the year, theparticipants also get thechance to take part inspecial activities, suchas skating with Olympicathletes from the U.S.Olympic Education Cen-ter at Northern MichiganUniversity, as well aslugeing and snowshoe-ing.


tAYLOrDOppELt

Rich Matthews, a recent addition to Bell Hospital’steam of physical therapists, works with a patient.(Photo provided by Bell Hospital photo)

Above, students stretch in a circle. Below, Strength From Within participant Maris-sa Maino, right, works out with encouragement from Emilie Stack, a employee at BellHospital. (Photos provided by Bell Hospital marketing)



ISHPEMING — BellHospital might be relative-ly small, when comparedwith Marquette GeneralHospital or hospitals inGreen Bay, but that does-n’t mean the quality ofcare is small, particularlywhen it comes to women’shealth.

Women who receivecare at Bell have accessnot only to the hospitaland clinic physicians, butalso two new pieces ofmachinery that help thehospital provide top-quali-ty care.

“Just because we’re asmall hospital doesn’tmean we’re short-chang-ing them in any way,” saidradiologist Dr. Todd Bost-wick.

With its move to its newlocation in 2008, Belladded to its women’s carea GE Senographe DigitalMammography Unit,which provides clearer im-ages that physicians canuse to pinpoint areas inthe breast that might needto be further examined,such as calcifications ormasses, a critical step incombatting breast cancer.

That same machine,however, is also ready tobe upgraded to perform aprocess called tomosyn-thesis, which is expectedto be approved by theFood and Drug Adminis-tration later this year. To-mosynthesis, which usessome amount of radiation,would be a tool for physi-cians to use in caring forcertain patients.

“It allows you to do a mi-ni CAT scan through thebreast,” Bostwick said.“It’ll be a good problem-solving tool.”

Once approved by theFDA, Bell’s unit will need asimple upgrade to be ableto perform the procedure.

In addition to the digitalmammography unit, Bost-wick said Bell is also nowusing new biopsy equip-ment that allows the pa-tient to lay on her side orremain seated during theprocedure instead of hav-ing to lay face-down on abiopsy table.

“Most people find thismuch more comfortable,”Bostwick said.

After a woman has hadher mammogram, Bost-wick said he reviews theimages before the patientleaves the building, sothat if other images or abiopsy need to be taken,she doesn’t have to makea return trip to the hospi-tal. Biopsies performed atBell are minimally-inva-sive, with patients also re-ceiving breast-conservingtherapies if cancer treat-ment is needed.

“People get really quickturnaround and that re-lieves a lot of anxiety,”

said surgeon Dr. WendyFrye.

In addition, although thehospital is accreditedthrough the American Col-lege of Radiology, Bost-wick said the facility is cur-rently working toward ap-plying for a more rigorousaccreditation through theNational AccreditationProgram for Breast Cen-ters from the AmericanCollege of Surgeons,which requires the collec-tion of a large amount ofdata on pre- and post-

procedure patient care.“It’s a serious accredita-

tion program,” he said.That all goes back to

providing the best careavailable for patients, sothat women don’t leavethe area for care. It can bedone right in Ishpeming.

“What we have here isthe standard for care,”Frye said.


Radiologist Dr. Todd Bostwick stands beside Bell’s new digital mammogram ma-chine, which provides clearer images that physicians use to pinpoint even the small-est areas of concerns. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

New mammogrammachine providesclearer images

The Mining Journal, Monday, March 26 — 5CPROGRESS2012


ISHPEMING — WhileBell Hospital’s doctors,nurses, administrativestaff and other employ-ees make up a big partof what makes the hos-pital run effectively, thehospital’s corps of vol-unteers also play an im-portant role.

With around 170 regu-lar volunteers, the BellHospital Auxiliary andVolunteer Services hasa hand in everythingfrom fundraising to pur-chase important newhospital equipment toproviding staffing for thefacility’s gift shop.

“They’re really theheart of the place,” saidJulie Solka, volunteerservices coordinator.“They’re dedicated towhat we do and theygive 100 percent of theirtime and talent for free.”

Members of the BellHospital Auxiliary workthrough various activi-ties to help raise fundsfor equipment neededby the hospital, such asa new ambulance pur-chased several yearsago.

One of the auxiliary’s

regular activities is theLights of Love cam-paign. Throughout theyear patients, their fami-lies and communitymembers can purchasean ornament or light thatis placed on a Christmastree during the month ofDecember in honor of orin memory of a lovedone.

Volunteers also staffthe hospital’s gift shop,coffee carts at the hospi-tal and the Teal LakeClinic, the Kids Kornerchild play room and pro-vide staffing for variousexpos hosted at the hos-pital throughout theyear, such as the Wom-en’s Health Expo, whichtook place earlier thismonth.

Hospital volunteers al-so participate in in-stalling Lifeline emer-gency alert service forpatients who might beliving on their own butwant a quick link toemergency services.

“It helps them live athome longer,” Solkasaid. “It gives the familya sense of reassur-ance.”

With all the activitiesvolunteers regularly par-ticipate in, Solka saidthe hospital is alwaysseeking additional helpfrom those who are will-ing to give their time.

To become a Bell Hos-pital volunteer, contactSolka at 906-485-2750.


They’re reallythe heart of theplace. They’rededicated towhat we doand they give100 percent oftheir time andtalent for free.”

“

- JULIE SOLKA Volunteer services

coordinator

”

Volunteersplay a crucialrole at Bell



ISHPEMING — Some-times it can be hard to re-member — or understand— what your doctor is say-ing to you during an ap-pointment. It can be evenharder with a toddler oryoung child in tow.

And for kids, a hospitalcan be a frightening place.

Bell Hospital’s solutionis the Kids Korner, adedicated play roomwithin the hospital,staffed with volunteer su-pervisors, where parentscan either play with theirchildren or drop theirkids off while they go toappointments or visitswithin the hospital.

“Mom can hear what thedoctor says,” said JudyMeyer, a Kids Korner vol-unteer and organizer. “It’sa safe place for her toleave the children. It’s wel-coming.”

Open Monday throughFriday from 8:30 a.m. to4:30 p.m., the Kids Korneris entirely staffed and or-ganized by volunteerswho watch the kids, aswell as playing and doingactivities with them.

“We want to feel every-one is welcome here, notjust adults,” said Julie Sol-ka, the hospital’s volunteerservices coordinator.

Parents and caregiversregister their children withthe Kids Korner staff whenthe kids are dropped off,so that the volunteersknow where the parents

can be found within thehospital in case they areneeded. Kids can thenstay and play in a super-vised environment whileparents and caregivers goabout their business.

Making children feel wel-

come is an important as-pect to making the kidsfeel at home at Bell asthey grow older.

“They see it as a fun en-vironment instead ofscary,” Solka said.

The Kids Korner began

when the hospital movedto its current location in2008. The room isequipped to handle infantsup to 10-year-olds.

The room is staffed andrun entirely by volunteers,who sign up to work two orfour hour shifts.

“We’re always lookingfor volunteers,” Solka said,adding that there are cur-rently 30 volunteers whotake shifts specifically atthe Kids Korner.

Those who want to vol-unteer are usually askedto take one or two shiftseach month for a three-month span. Those inter-ested in volunteering cancontact Solka at 485-2750.


Kids Korner makes hospitala fun place for children


We want to feel everyone iswelcome here, not just adults.

“- JULIE SOLKA

Bell Hospital’s volunteer services coordinator

”

Bell’s Kids Korner is a place for kids 10 and under to play and relax while their parents or caregivers attend ap-pointments, receive treatment or visit another patient in the hospital. Here Derek Meyer 2 crawls through a playtunnel. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)


PROGRESS2012 The Mining Journal, Monday, March 26 — 7C



ISHPEMING — Patientsin the western end of thecounty have new optionsfor two types of eyesurgery, thanks to somenew technology and thedoctors who use it.

Those seeking to im-prove their visionthrough cataract surgerywill find surgery less in-vasive thanks to the newAlcon Infiniti phacoemul-sification machine thathas been in use at thehospital since spring2011.

“We can make a small-er incision so it’s mini-mally invasive,” said Dr.Neil Winkler of Eye As-

sociates of Marquette,one of several eye spe-cialists who maintains aregular schedule at Bell.“The eye heals quickerand it’s safer.”

The Alcon machine isused to break up a pa-tient’s cataract — theclouding of the eye’slens — and vacuum itout. The new machineuses less energy, allow-ing Winkler and the oth-er physicians to performthe surgeries morequickly and safely.

“It brings a new previ-ously unavailable tech-nology to cataractsurgery,” Winkler said.

A typical cataractsurgery takes about 15minutes, Winkler said,

with the patient only hav-ing one eye worked on ata time for safety reasons.

In addition, the eyespecialists, includingdoctors from both EyeAssociates and U.P. EyeSpecialists, also can per-form laser surgery to

treat glaucoma, againusing less energy andsmaller incisions.

“The smaller the cutthe better,” Winkler said.

Another option forthose seeking eye careis LASIK eye surgery, acorrective vision surgery

that is used to treatastigmatism, nearsight-edness or farsighted-ness.

“I’m the only one in thecentral U.P. providing theservice,” said Dr. MarkUlrickson of U.P. EyeSpecialists, who alsokeeps regular hours atBell.

The surgery machineused by Bell Hospital is aportable unit that travelsto various locationsaround the U.P., makingthe surgery available tomore patients.

“I think it’s desirablebecause otherwise we’retalking about them get-ting the surgery donethree to four hoursaway,” Ulrickson said. “It

allows them to be closerto the doctor that didtheir surgery.”

Both Winkler and Ul-rickson said Bell Hospitalis able to provide care sothat patients don’t needto leave the area for theprocedures.

“We can provide asgood or better eye careas anywhere,” Winklersaid. “There’s no reasonto go to Appleton orGreen Bay. There’s noreason for patients totravel to have this briefprocedure done.”

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401. Her e-mail ad-dress is [email protected].


Left, Dr. Douglas Shearer of U.P. Eye Specialists works on a patient at Bell Hospital. Shearer provides Lasik eye surgery at various locations around the U.P. Right, Dr. NeilWinkler of Eye Associates in Marquette, who provides eye surgery services at Bell’s Surgical Suites, operates on a patient using the hospital’s Alcon Infiniti machine for acataract surgery. (Photos provided by Bell Hospital)

We can make a smallerincision so it’s minimallyinvasive. The eye healsquicker and it’s safer.

“

- DR. NEIL WINKLEREye specialist

”

New machines and doctorsprovide two new methods of eye surgery for patients


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