As Doctors’ Day approaches on March 30, I write with gratitude for the skilled and compassionate physicians, along with the nurses and other team members of Merit Health Wesley, who support the health and well-being of our patients.
It has been a particular pleasure to see the impact our team has been able to make in the lives of our patients in the last year. In 2022, patients received medical care at more than 309,000 interactions with our hospital and clinics.
Our team delivered quality care at more than 38,000 emergency department visits, more than 7,800 inpatient admissions and more than 5,800 surgeries. Over 257,000 patients received care across the Merit Health physician clinics and in outpatient departments. We also delivered joy to families as more than 900 babies were born.
Beyond clinical care, Merit Health Wesley is a cornerstone of the economic health of the Pine Belt as a major employer and tax-payer and through resources used to strengthen the medical services available close to home. These include capital projects totaling more than $5.8 million to add 8 critical care unit beds and 12 step down unit beds, which will allow us to meet the needs of more patients who require a higher level of care. We also added 11 providers this year and launched our cardiac electrophysiology (EP) program, increasing local access to care.
Last year, the Merit Health Wesley provided over $95.4 million in charity and uncompensated care for the community’s most vulnerable. And $5.9 million paid in property and sales taxes helps support civic resources and services.
Our payroll of more than $84.2 million ripples across the local economy as employees buy goods and services, making the economy healthier as well. Enhanced benefits help team members achieve their personal and professional goals, including assistance with student loan repayments, reimbursement of licensure and certification expenses, as well as tuition reimbursement. We appreciate our team and are creating pathways for their success.
Our Graduate Medical Education residency program graduated 27 resident physicians in 2022 and welcomed a new class of 26 first-year residents. The program now includes 23 emergency medicine, 31 internal medicine and 12 transitional year residents.
And to ensure a strong healthcare workforce in the future, we have partnered with The University of Southern Mississippi to add two of the hospital’s nurses to the University’s clinical teaching faculty, allowing both the clinical rotations and the education classes to be taught at the hospital. The goal of this partnership is to reduce the nursing shortage by increasing the University’s clinical faculty to expand their enrollment capacity. This growth in enrollment capacity will not only increase graduates but is also a recruitment opportunity for the hospital.
Each of these initiatives and investments helps make the Pine Belt healthier. We are honored to help and extremely proud of our hospital’s $201 million community impact in 2022.
-Todd Blanchard is the Chief Executive Officer of Merit Health Wesley
