Stroke is a leading cause of disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. With the new thrombectomy certification, OhioHealth strengthens its commitment to delivering time-critical stroke interventions closer to home, an essential step in optimizing treatment outcomes.

Thrombectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that removes blood clots from large blood vessels in the brain. This life-saving intervention can greatly reduce the risk of long-term disability and increase the likelihood of positive patient recovery.

“Pickerington Methodist Hospital is a world-class facility, designed to deliver advanced care in a community that is rapidly growing,” said Kevin Lutz, President, OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital. “From the expertise of our physicians to the state-of-the-art technology inside these walls, we now have everything in place to care for the most complex stroke patients right here, close to home.”

OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital is now prepared to handle every level of acute stroke care—both ischemic and hemorrhagic—including mechanical thrombectomy and craniectomy, with 24×7 neurosurgery, neurology and trauma coverage in-house.

“Stroke is a common and frequently severely disabling disease. Emergent treatment is critical to preventing death and disability,” added B.J. Hicks, MD, OhioHealth Vice President, Neurosciences. “I have great confidence in our neuroscience team, especially our acute stroke team and thrombectomy interventionalists. They’re the same elite team we have at Riverside Methodist Hospital, and frankly, I believe they are second to none in the country.”

Behind this capability is a dedicated interdisciplinary team from neuroscience specialists, interventional neuro-radiologists, neurologists, paramedics, and emergency responders. These teams have undergone intense training to ensure seamless, rapid response from 911 call to treatment. This commitment ensures excellent outcomes and enhances quality of life for stroke survivors in our community.

To learn more about stroke care at OhioHealth, click here.

This opportunity is made possible through a collaboration between Pickerington Local School District (PLSD) and OhioHealth, offering upperclassmen in PLSD’s biomedical science program a hands-on introduction to healthcare. What starts in eighth grade as an exploratory course can evolve into years of immersive learning, leading to a senior capstone shadowing opportunity with real doctors and real patients. 

Since the program’s launch in 2012, it has grown steadily, with enrollment doubling from fewer than 40 students in 2016 to more than 80 in 2025. 

“I always remind people, to get 80-some students rotating through is pretty much unheard of,” Andy Harris, STEM biomedical science coordinator at PLSD, told CityScene Magazine. “I engage with a lot of other schools and different types of programs around the state, and they’ll have, like, 12 kids. We have a success problem where it’s some 82 kids.” 

Before participating, students must complete prerequisite courses covering foundational medical knowledge and problem-solving skills. Students must be 16 to shadow and 18 to observe surgery. 

The opening of Pickerington Methodist Hospital in December 2023 has provided even more specialties for students to explore. Participants are exposed to more than 360 different career paths in healthcare, helping them determine what interests them, and just as importantly, what doesn’t. 

“Somebody might say they want to be a surgeon, but then we get the (cadaver) pigs out, and they can’t stay in the room,” Harris said. “Or they shadow an anesthesiologist and realize it’s a lot of waiting. If you want a chill job for 30 years, that’s great. If you want action, you might need to rethink things.” 

The program not only helps students shape their career but also gives them useful skills for school and life. 

“There’s a second-year class called human body systems, and for me personally, that kind of taught me how to study, and taught me I didn't have the best studying habits,” said PLSD senior Brayden Blake. “It was a difficult class for me, a lot of memorization. So, I think going to this class and then the next three years really helped me understand how to study properly and learn those habits.” 

Sasha Williams, athletic trainer and STEM program coordinator at Pickerington, said the benefits of this early exposure to healthcare careers are undeniable. 

“I wish I had something like this when I was in college,” she said. “A lot of healthcare workers say the exact same thing. These kids are at such an advantage to have this experience in high school. It’s so important.” 

Patient rooms are now equipped with a 65-inch smart TV and an interactive tablet that empowers patients with control over their hospital experience. 

“People are going to love this because it’s right here,” said Thelma McKittrick, Pickerington Methodist Hospital’s first-ever patient, about her bedside tablet. “It’s right here in front of our face, we can talk one-on-one. It’s great.” 

McKittrick, in her 60s, spent a few days using the new smart room technology while recuperating from surgery. With instructional videos and trained staff there to help, she found herself learning to navigate the equipment with ease.

“The first day and night it was ‘Okay, I’ve got to do this,’” said McKittrick. “But that was so easy. I can really pick and choose what I want.”

From ordering meals to watching educational videos and managing medication schedules, the intuitive technology aims to provide a more personalized hospital stay.

“I love that new feature where you can order your own breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said McKittrick. “And then I like the educational library because there may be one of my conditions on there and I can learn more about it.”

The patient-centered approach allows individuals to explore the smart room technology at their own pace without any pressure.

“You can still have that same experience if you want," said Tom Gutman, OhioHealth Senior Consultant of Learning Simulation. "You can just pick it up, start using it, and then when you're comfortable, start learning more of the other processes."

The hospital has provided training on the smart room technology to nurses, patient services assistants, and environmental staff.

"We've equipped everyone with knowledge on how the technology works so that anytime anyone's in the room, they can offer help," said Erika Braun, OhioHealth Advisor of User Experience Strategy.

The addition of a camera above the TV allows patients to speak virtually with nurses, specialists or family members and radiofrequency tags on staff badges seamlessly display caregiver information on the screen to help patients easily identify and communicate with their healthcare team.

“[Patients] really like the convenience of talking your doctors, knowing when your pain medication is going to be due,” said Madysson Lindsey-Smith, RN, a nurse on McKittrick's care team. “That’s a big thing for people. Let’s say they got out of surgery and have chronic pain—that helps them a lot.”

Gutman and Braun’s team have spent almost two years bringing this technology to life. Their goal was to make patients’ experiences more personalized, not just through the technology but the staff as well.

When using traditional whiteboards in hospital rooms, nurses can spend hours manually updating patient information. The smart room technology automatically fills in information from a patient’s electronic medical record. Pickerington Methodist is giving nurses that time back at the bedside. 

“I’m able to sit down and talk to my patients more, as opposed to, I wouldn’t have the time to do that because I was checking off a list,” said Lindsey-Smith. “Now I can sit and talk to my patients.”

And the positive impact is evident to both staff and patients alike.

"I'm just thrilled that it's here for the community, and I'll tell you what, you can't ask for a better staff," McKittrick said. "They treated me like they've known me forever. I'm just not a gray-haired old woman with a number. They're important to me. This hospital's important to me."

To learn more about OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital, click here.

Services in the new hospital will include:

• Cancer (Infusion)
• Women’s Health
• Trauma (Level III)
• Heart and Vascular (Diagnostic and Interventional Cath Labs)
• Acute Stroke Program
• General Medicine
• General Surgery
• Ancillary Expansion (Imaging, Lab and Pharmacy)

“OhioHealth is committed to expanding our already robust services in the Pickerington community,” said Kevin Lutz, DPM, OhioHealth accountable executive for the project. “Since we opened the OhioHealth Pickerington Medical Campus in 2015, we have continued to learn about the healthcare needs of those who live and work in and around Pickerington. We are excited to add more life-saving capabilities to our campus to better serve the community.”

Cancer Care

The expanded cancer space will be 15,000 square feet and feature 16 exam rooms and 20 infusion bays for both oncology and neuro infusion needs. It will also include a point-of-care lab and an infusion pharmacy that will be co-located with the hospital’s main pharmacy.

“Right now, our cancer patients in this area have to travel outside of the community for appointments with their medical oncologist and for their infusions,” said Praveen Dubey, MD, OhioHealth VP of Cancer Services. “Receiving a cancer diagnosis is daunting and knowing you can receive quality care close to home is one less thing for patients to worry about.”

Currently, the Pickerington Medical Campus serves breast and colon and rectal cancer patients with surgeon’s offices on-site.

Trauma Services

Level III trauma services will also be coming to Pickerington Methodist, the first trauma center in Pickerington.

“With a Level III trauma center, we’ll be able to promptly assess and stabilize patients and provide services like resuscitation, surgery and intensive care,” said Shay O’Mara, MD, OhioHealth VP of Surgery. “Having this kind of care so easily accessible to those in and around Pickerington will make a huge difference in their care, where minutes truly matter.”

Level III trauma centers provide 24-hour immediate coverage by emergency medicine physicians and also have general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons and anesthesiologists available.

Heart & Vascular

OhioHealth Pickerington Medical Campus currently has physicians specializing in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology on-site. Now, those services will be augmented with the addition of two diagnostic and interventional Cath Labs – one of which will include a biplane to allow for thrombectomies.

“Having diagnostic and interventional Cath Labs in Pickerington will enable us to quickly intervene during heart or vascular events which can drastically improve outcomes for patients,” said Peter George, MD, system vice president of Heart and Vascular services at OhioHealth. “When a patient experiences a heart event, time makes all the difference and having advanced treatment capabilities closer to where people live and work can help speed intervention and mitigate heart damage.”

Women’s Health

OB/GYN private practices currently provide care inside Pickerington Medical Campus. Now, Pickerington Methodist will allow women to deliver their babies right in Pickerington. The hospital will include a state-of-the-art labor and delivery unit complete with all private birthing suites and post-partum rooms, a level II nursery and two operating rooms for C-sections.

“Anytime you can deliver your baby in the community where you live is beneficial,” said Jason Melillo, MD, OhioHealth VP of Women’s Health. “Our patients will now have a convenient option, with private rooms, to deliver their babies close to home.”

Key Facts and Figures

• Over 500 associates will work in the hospital
• Over $140 million investment in the community
• 220,000 total square feet made up of 205,000 square feet for the hospital; 15,000 square feet for cancer/infusion
• Construction is planned to start in Fall 2021, with a projected opening date of late 2023.
• 60 total beds (includes dedicated ICU, medical surgical beds and post-partum beds)
• 6 operating rooms
• 2 C-section operating rooms
• Shell space for future growth based on community need
• The building was designed by Cannon Design and the builder is Messer Construction

OhioHealth plans to keep all current services on the campus in operation for the duration of the construction, including the Pickerington Emergency Care Center, which has become one of the busiest freestanding emergency departments in the OhioHealth system.

About OhioHealth

Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church. 

Serving its communities since 1891, it is a family of 35,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 12 hospitals, 200+ ambulatory sites, hospice, home-health, medical equipment and other health services spanning a 47-county area.

OhioHealth hospitals include OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, OhioHealth Shelby Hospital, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Berger Hospital. For more information, please visit our website at www.ohiohealth.com. 

“From the moment we broke ground, we knew the Pickerington Medical Campus was only the beginning of our commitment to Pickerington and nearby communities,” said Kevin Lutz, DPM, president, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital and accountable executive for the Westerville and Pickerington Medical Campuses and Freestanding Emergency Department Network. “Since our opening in 2015, we have expanded to open a Short Stay Unit, purchased the adjacent medical office building, created strong partnerships with local schools, actively participate in the Chamber and sponsor local events.”

“As we continue to learn more about the healthcare needs of the community, we recognize there are additional services we could provide and now is the time to strengthen and deepen our commitment,” said Dr. Lutz.

OhioHealth is looking forward to again working with the City of Pickerington to ensure the evolving needs of the community are met in this expansion. Early programming and design is currently underway and details such as services, bed count, square footage and cost will be available at the conclusion of that process. Construction is planned to start this year, with a projected opening date of 2023.

OhioHealth plans to keep all current services on the campus in operation for the duration of the construction, including the Pickerington Emergency Care Center, which has become one of the busiest freestanding emergency departments in the OhioHealth system.

About OhioHealth

Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church. 

Serving its communities since 1891, it is a family of 35,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 12 hospitals, 200+ ambulatory sites, hospice, home-health, medical equipment and other health services spanning a 47-county area. 

OhioHealth hospitals include OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, OhioHealth Shelby Hospital, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital and OhioHealth Berger Hospital. For more information, please visit our website at www.ohiohealth.com. 

This partnership has given the students an outstanding STEM program that includes classroom space, over 30 hours of shadowing OhioHealth medical professionals, guest lectures from staff and assistance with funding of space and supplies. The space in the Pickerington Medical Campus is rented out to the district for just one dollar per year. Recently, AEP gifted $35,000 to the OhioHealth Foundation to support this program as part of their philanthropic priority to boost STEM education.

Rob Davies, OhioHealth senior advisor, south core market, told ThisWeek News that “the modernized classroom is 2,000 square feet and includes classroom space, a conference room, a storage room and technology like microscopes, stress testing equipment, smart TVs and 3D printers.” All of the students in the program have an interest in the medical field and he believes that it is important for students to get a real understanding of what working in healthcare is like.

“We don’t just talk about what emergency rooms are like – they get to see it and really understand,” said Davies. “They get to work on real life research angles – looking at real cancer cells, researching with real DNA.”

Andy Harris, the Biomedical Science Coordinator for Pickerington schools told ThisWeek News that “more than 200 students have completed the program,” and they wanted to provide this opportunity for more of the best and brightest students. So now four Canal Winchester High School seniors will be joining the program this school year!

“All of these students are treated like this is an internship,” said Harris “At the end of the day, our main goal is to get these kids jobs in the job market. OhioHealth, they have a big stake in this because they want to hire kids, and it’s one of those situations where everybody wins and more minds create better outcomes.”

This program has been mutual beneficial over the past four years. “The associates really enjoy spending time with the students as well learning from the students. We are constantly reminded of how bright the students are,” said Davies.

“OhioHealth values being a part of the Pickerington community. We want to actively participate in fostering the community to achieve its goals and needs. We look at our unique partnership as a way to help foster and mentor the future of healthcare,” said Davies

This program has helped enhanced the education of these students and given them unbelievable experience and opportunity. OhioHealth hopes to continue this program through the years and maybe one day expand throughout all of OhioHealth.

To learn more about the Pickerington STEM program and Canal Winchester students now being involved, click on the ThisWeek News logo.

She continues to double down on this sentiment as a growing chorus of voices and change-makers across OhioHealth join the fight against the opioid epidemic. What is emerging are new and thoughtful ways to better address pain management, and ultimately, avoid the unintended consequences of opioid addiction.

The Naloxone Pilot, Addiction Fellowship and Project ECHO

Dr. Deppen is using her experience to drive change — both in perception and programming — to combat opioid addiction.

"The Naloxone pilot we established in the Grant emergency department is working, but we still need data for clinical validation," said Dr. Deppen. "It's saving the lives of people who have accidentally overdosed."

The pilot, which also is established at OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth Pickerington Medical Campus and OhioHealth Westerville Medical Campus, provides lifesaving Naloxone to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It has also opened a pathway for real change, particularly the Addiction Fellowship at Grant. The fellowship is not about opiates, it's about treating addiction as a whole. Every year, two fellows will receive an additional year of training that's specific to substance use disorder.

"There is momentum in the hospital setting that we can no longer view addiction and mental health as someone else's problem, that it will get solved in a different silo of care," said Dr. Deppen. "We need to address it as we would any other chronic disease. With the right treatment, people get better."

Another initiative, Project ECHO, virtually connects patients with primary care doctors in areas where there aren't enough resources or expertise. Dr. Deppen said OhioHealth is leveraging the Project ECHO approach to bring primary care doctors together with pharmacists, pain management specialists and addiction experts to create a virtual team that can collaborate and learn from one another with regard to opioids, pain management and addiction.

"We are at a tipping point and there have been disconnects when it comes to addiction, medicine and treatment," said Dr. Deppen. "Communities are watching to see how we're handling this."

Grant Substance Use Disorder Education Program

Fueled by the epidemic, her involvement in the Franklin County Opioid Action Plan, and the Naloxone ED pilot, Paula Kobelt, DNP, RN-BC, clinical outcomes manager in Quality and Patient Safety at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, was tasked as part of a process improvement initiative to lead her team to develop substance use disorder (SUD) education for the hospital.

"We learned a lot of healthcare professionals don't fully understand substance use disorder because it isn't part of their training or education," said Kobelt. "We want to improve knowledge and reduce stigma around this medical condition."

Kobelt and her team surveyed hospital staff in late 2017 to identify knowledge and attitude gaps and what people wanted to know. They learned there was an appetite for greater understanding and a need for clinical resources on substance use disorder and treatment.

They developed a three-pronged approach to address these gaps including:

•  
•  
• An online learning series "Understanding Addiction" produced by Harvard Medical School Global Academy, which provides eight, free CME credits.
• Monthly "Lunch and CME" sessions featuring presentations and group discussion on a topic covered in the online series.
• A dedicated Addiction/Substance Use Disorder for associates with educational resources, like training videos and more.

"We received feedback that the series helped our healthcare team view addiction as a medical condition that is treatable, with recovery as an outcome," said Kobelt.

"The language we use matters," said Kobelt. "Replacing the terms drug addict or drug abuse that labels people and is demeaning with a person with a substance use disorder is an example of person-first language. People with heart disease or diabetes don't feel shame or judgment about their medical condition and individuals with substance use disorder shouldn't either. More importantly, stigma prevents people with SUD from seeking treatment. We want them to seek treatment just as anyone else would."

It Takes a Village: The Dreamland Effect

In and around Athens, Ohio, the opioid epidemic has taken its toll.

"We were seeing a lot of work happening, but really didn't know how to bring people together as a community in a way that shared best practices and didn't duplicate efforts," said Brittany Jarvis, MHA, BSN, RN, nurse manager, cardiac catheterization lab, pain management program and cancer services at OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital.

Jarvis met with her co-founding member of Athens HOPE, Rebecca Robison-Miller, who serves as senior director of community relations for Ohio University's College of Health Science and Professions, and learned of college dean's desire to do something about the opioid epidemic. Jarvis and Robison-Miller decided to reach out to Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic, inviting him to speak on how the community could work together.

When the author agreed, a three-day series of talks was scheduled, including community events with opioid awareness and discussion for medical staff and forums in Nelsonville and Athens for frontline professionals. The events, co-sponsored by OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital, Ohio University's College of Health Science and Professions, and the OhioHealth Foundation, reached more than 1,500 individuals and was recently named the Prism System Award Winner for Stewardship in the team category.

"We were dreaming big, but this was bigger than we imagined," said Jarvis. "These events brought medical professionals, educators, police, firefighters, family members affected by opioids, social workers and counselors together. It's been really positive."

"This was a spark for our physician group to take deliberate action," said Brett Kim, vice president of OhioHealth Physician Group's south region. "There is a greater understanding now and our providers think deliberately about pain, addiction and patients who could be prescribed opioids."

Kim said physicians in his region helped initiate four key actions:

• Identifying and sharing best practices for weaning patients from opioids across all practices.
• Securing support for PastRx, a prescription drug monitoring program to help providers understand a patient's history with controlled substances.
• Stocking Naloxone in all clinical offices in the southeast Ohio region and providing training on how to use it.
• Securing grant funding for the first-ever substance and addiction patient navigator.

"For people wanting to know more or who are in a crisis, the navigator will work with providers and help patients get on the right path," said Jarvis. "They also will do important follow-up and step in earlier to help prevent substance issues before they begin."

A New Era for Postsurgical Recovery

For decades, the protocol for patients before and after surgery has been clear — no eating in advance of surgery, ask for pain medication as needed and stay in bed during recovery. But recent research and concern about opioid addiction has paved the way for an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program.

"Dreamland was an eye-opening read and it motivated me to think about how we use narcotics in our pre-operation, in-hospital and post-operation phases," says Anand Satyapriya, MD, quality medical director of anesthesia at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital. "I believed we could cherry-pick the best of what was out there in practice and customize it for OhioHealth. I also believed it would reduce the length of stay, provide cost-savings and dramatically reduce narcotic use."

This became Dr. Satyapriya's process improvement project, although it took significant time to present evidence and educate a team on how to employ an ERAS program. He admits it was challenging.

"It goes against what everyone has been taught and trained to do," said Dr. Satyapriya. "The ERAS approach advocates that a carbohydrate-loaded drink before surgery helps with wound healing and insulin resistance after surgery, and that getting up and walking speeds up recovery."

Dr. Satyapriya also said that specific anesthesia techniques are affecting postsurgical need for narcotics.

"Asking, 'What is your pain level?' meant that pain was viewed as a vital sign and treated with narcotics," said Dr. Satyapriya. "Previously, doctors wouldn't want to see you again for six weeks and would prescribe medication to last as long. We need to ask how they feel and exhaust all alternatives to opioids first."

Preparing for ERAS took six to nine months. A group of 30 to 40 colorectal surgery patients without chronic pain were selected during the program's first three months in 2017.

The results were convincing and worth the effort.

"We saw length of stay drop from 3.3 days to 2.9 days with a financial analysis suggesting a quarter million dollar savings across 150 patients," said Dr. Satyapriya. "And among our first 40 patients, only two took an IV of narcotics."

ERAS has already been used with more than 250 colorectal, orthopedic and gynecology patients, and Dr. Satyapriya looks to share the approach across the OhioHealth system.

"We are trying to innovate and use everything in our toolbox to avoid narcotics," said Dr. Satyapriya. "The risk is real. ERAS is making a difference."

This story was originally published in an internal OhioHealth associate publication.

On January 30, OhioHealth opened SSU’s at two locations: OhioHealth Westerville Medical Campus and OhioHealth Pickerington Medical Campus. Each of these sites now includes 12 patient rooms above the emergency department on both campuses. The SSUs provide two main types of care:

• Observation care, which has historically been provided only at hospitals
• Higher acuity outpatient services currently, which before were only available in a hospital or emergency department (including IV medications, IV antibiotics, IV fluids, CT scan, stress testing and close physician monitoring)

“They provide observation care and outpatient care,” said Dr. Miles Hawley, OhioHealth system medical director of hospital medicine. “The outpatient care is a little more advanced than normal outpatient care with things like IV fluids or IV antibiotics. These units can also allow patients to receive care in some cases through multiple visits over a several day period.”

Patients in the SSUs will typically spend between two and 24 hours receiving care and could require repeat visits. Delivering care for low-risk acute illness in these units will decrease transfers to acute care hospitals, which can be difficult on patients and have extended delays. This also opens up acute care hospital capacity for severely ill patients that require these beds.

Currently, low risk acute care is managed in an emergency department and/or an acute care hospital. This care is costly and exposes the patient to the associated risk of hospitalization.

“These units help us make care more simple, accessible and affordable,” said Dr. Hawley.

The SSUs are staffed by OhioHealth Physician Group hospital medicine physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses.

Patients will be referred to the SSUs by an emergency or primary care physician.

The 146,000-square-foot project brought in 100 employees. According to business officials, the medical campus still brings in additional economic development today. Rob Davies, director of the Pickerington Medical Campus, told ThisWeek reporter, Michael Hayes, that it was an easy decision to build the facility in the east-side suburb.

“We’re growing leaps and bounds,” Davies told ThisWeek. “The first week of opening, we cared for 1,300 patients. We are currently caring for 3,000 patients a week and are continuing to add specialty care services and staff to meet demand.”

Davies also mentioned that because of such growth, there comes a need for high-quality health care. One of those needs was a 24/7 freestanding emergency department, which the city did not have before. In addition to the emergency department, the campus offers services like breast surgery, imaging, outpatient surgery, laboratory services, sports medicine and physical rehabilitation, heart and vascular, OBGYN, neurology, and orthopedics.

The campus utilizes advanced technology that helps to fulfill OhioHealth’s community-based focus on access and quality of care. It was one of the first in central Ohio to use tomosynthesis technology for its breast health program. This technology uses X-rays to show 3-D pictures of breasts. To save patients time and money, the medical office uses video and e-visits as well when it’s appropriate to take the place of a standard office visit.

Another way the medical campus has connected with the community is forming a relationship with the Pickerington Local School District’s STEM program granting the program $140,000 to construct and furnish a classroom.

“We provide each student shadowing experiences throughout the school year so students can get real-life experience into a variety of medical-related professions. This is a very unique partnership that others around the country are trying to emulate,” Davies told ThisWeek.

Further, OhioHealth is pushing to enhance the success of Pickerington student athletes. The campus offers physicals, sports cardiology screening, concussion baseline testing and multiple opportunities for speakers, including those in sports psychology and sports nutrition fields.

Not only does the Pickerington Medical Campus help the surrounding community, but it brings in out-of-state patients too. This is due to convenience and excellent customer service. Davies believes the journey has been nothing but successful, and he is excited about a bright future.

“It’s been a wonderful two years and we couldn’t be happier to partner with the community,” said Davies to ThisWeek.

The students took classes at the medical campus, which gave them the opportunity to observe professional medical settings and interact with physicians. Additionally, as part of Pickerington High School Central and Pickerington High School North’s STEM program, the group devised models and concepts for enhancing emergency rooms and emergency medical services responses to accidents and threatening incidents.

Last month, this group had the opportunity to present their project to members of the U.S. Congress and discuss how STEM education in public schools has benefitted them.  The group recently spoke to ThisWeek News reporter Nate Ellis about their project and experience in Washington D.C. 

They received the invitation for designing a circular emergency room, which they said would improve efficiencies – reducing congestion in hallways and ensuring patients were moved forward in an orderly fashion to each new level of emergency treatment. In addition, the students proposed drones, equipped with an automated external defibrillator, first aid kit and two-way communication element, as emergency first responders.

Federal lawmakers considering education funding heard about these ideas and invited the students to come to Capitol Hill and share their project. It was part of a conference for educators and government leaders to hold conversations about best practices for preparing students for tomorrow’s workforce and global challenges.

Each of the Pickerington students said STEM has enhanced their education and has helped steer them toward pursuing a career in the medical field.

To learn more about the Pickerington student’s project and presentation, click on the ThisWeek News logo.

For part of each school day, seniors in the program spend time in the 2,000-square-foot classroom at the OhioHealth Pickerington Medical Campus, learning about the medical field.  As part of the program, they are also shadowing OhioHealth medical professionals.  

Recently, CityScene magazine talked with students taking part in the unique opportunity.

Click here to read CityScene's article about the program.