The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Washington Court House Branch held its first meeting of the 2021-22 year on Oct. 14 with Adena Health Systems Directors.

President Beth Gerber welcomed the guests who were introduced by program vice president Fonda Fichthorn. They were Michael Diener, senior operations executive officer, Tiffany Cochanaur, director for Women and Children’s Service Line and Erica Moncrief, information technology director, Adena Health Systems. They all gave informative presentations on the status of Adena Fayette.

They began by stating that the Adena mission is to stay independent and maintain a rural focus. Plans for a new hospital with 25-bed critical care access in Fayette County will be completed by March 2022, and the public will be informed of those plans by June 2022. They expect to break ground in spring 2023.

Adena is working on consolidating their electronic systems to create an efficient Electronic Medical Record for all patients by Nov. 1, 2022. This requires a complete information technology transformation to ensure privacy of patient information. The end result will be a MyChart system via a link from The Ohio State University.

To serve the women in Fayette County, Dr Catherine Neal and Rebecca Saroyan, certified nurse midwife, will be present two days per week. They will provide obstetrics and gynecology wellness and prevention, but the new hospital does not plan to have a birthing center on-site. Adena Health System in Chillicothe and a mobile unit will have the mom and baby-centered health services.

The Adena Regional Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Perinatal Care, which designates the women and children’s program as a Center for Excellence in Perinatal Care. They join only three other entities in Ohio with that level of excellence.

Dr Kristin White is at the Greenfield Adena Health Center specializes in pediatrics. As of Jan. 1, 2021 Adena Health Sytem has partnered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.