GRAND RAPIDS, MI – When physician assistant Ashley Wharton reported for her first day of work at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital on Monday Dec. 17, the staff literally rolled out the red carpet.
The management council met her at the door, and cake was served. The reason for the celebration: Wharton was the 1,000th employee hired by the hospital.
Her hiring is seen as a symbol of the turnaround the rehabilitation hospital has undergone in the past year and a half, since deciding to remain independent rather than merge with another hospital.
“We’re excited,†said Kent Riddle, Mary Free Bed’s chief executive officer. “Everyone here is working so hard, we haven’t focused on the growth that much. Then this milestone came up.â€
In June 2011, when Mary Free Bed officials launched a regional network that would expand its reach, the 80-bed hospital had 733 employees. Another 267 have been hired since then.
“The average census was approximately 50 percent,†Riddle said. “Now at times we are totally full.
Hospital officials compared the caseload for the 17 months before July 2011 with the 17-month period following. Inpatient admissions were up 39 percent to 1,654. Total hospital admissions – including outpatient and professional services care – rose 19 percent, to 15,041.
Wharton was little taken aback by all the fuss, but pleased by the celebration. A 2011 graduate of Grand Valley State University’s physician assistant program, she is eager to join Mary Free Bed’s staff. Her previous job was in family practice and urgent care.
“I worked in rehab as a tech before grad school,†she said. “I really like rehab medicine.â€
She will work in admissions, evaluating new patients for treatment, working with inpatients and helping with discharge planning.
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