Hundreds Attend Opening of Chelsea Community Hospital E.R. Facility

The hospital expansion includes 54 private rooms and an intensive care unit.

Hundreds of visitors got a glimpse of the new state-of-the-art Chelsea Community Hospital expansion on Sunday. The hospital's newest building features 54 private patient rooms, an expanded emergency department, diagnostic imaging areas, outpatient rehabilitation/therapy, a café, gift shop, and meeting rooms. This is a monumental time in the history of our hospital,” said Nancy Graebner, the hopsital's president and CEO. “This facility is the largest project ever for our hospital and the entire city." Graebner said the $60-million project is being funded through the hospital’s 2009 merger with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. "The key purpose of this expansion was to provide our patients with more privacy and more comfort during their stay…

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Chelsea Community Hospital Patients Unaffected by Steroid Injections

Patients are not at risk of contracting fungal meningitis according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Editor's note: This press release was submitted by Chelsea Community Hospital. Patients who received spinal steroid injections at Chelsea Community Hospital, or any Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) hospital, are not at risk for contracting fungal meningitis, according to a press release issued by the hospital this week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration are coordinating a multi-state investigation of a rare form of fungal meningitis tied to a contaminated supply of epidural steroid injections, specifically methylprednisolone acetate, from New England Compounding Center based in Framingham, Mass. The hospital said none of the St. Joseph Mercy Health System facilities receive …

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Chelsea Community Hospital Adds Urology Services

Dr. Howard Usitalo joins the staff at the hospital and will treat prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer, among other ailments.

Chelsea Community Hospital has launched a new urology practice. Dr. Howard Usitalo, board-certified urologist, and David Lutchka, offer a full spectrum of urology services, with Usitalo performing surgeries at the hospital. The office is located in the Village Professional Center, at the north entrance to the hospital campus, 515 South Main Street. Usitalo and Lutchka have been providing urology services to the community for many years. Usitalo has specific interest in cancers of the urinary tract including prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer. He also has extensive experience in the treatment of female urinary incontinence. Lutchka has specific expertise in urinary tract infections and urinary incontinence.  New patients are welcome. For …

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Dexter Fundraiser Nets $20,000 for Chelsea Community Hospital

Gary Klapperich's "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" fundraiser celebrated its fourth year in August.

For the fourth consecutive year, a group of hard-working and dedicated citizens in the Village of Dexter have come together to raise $20,000 for the Chelsea Community Hospital Infusion Center. The annual “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” cancer benefit, which took place on Aug. 17-18, started as a grassroots fundraising effort following Dexter resident Gary Klapperich's successful cancer surgery at Chelsea Community Hospital in 2009. After his recovery, members of the Ann Arbor Fraternal Order of Eagles No. 2154 and the Dexter American Legion Post 557 made the decision to initiate an annual fundraising event to support the hospital and its cancer services. Klapperich serves as the honorary chairman of the event, which consisted of a rummage …

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Chelsea Community Hospital Closing Daycare in August

CEO Nancy Graebner cites program costs and a refocused mission for the hospital's decision to close the daycare center.

Chelsea Community Hospital has announced that it will close its daycare center by the end of August. The center, which cares for 48 toddlers in its preschool program, as well as 100 children in its school-age program, is citing program costs and a shift in the hospital's overall mission in its decision to close by Aug. 31. In a letter addressed to parents, hospital CEO Nancy Graebner said the hospital has entered into a management agreement with Gretchen's House, a childcare center in Ann Arbor. "This was a difficult decision for Chelsea Community Hospital to make, and was not taken lightly," Graebner wrote. "We sought many avenues to continue all of the child care in its current capacity, but in the end, a viable solution could not be …

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Chelsea Community Hospital Auction Nets $253,000 for Patient Services

Donors across Washtenaw Country attended the 27th annual spring auction at Chelsea Community Hospital on May 12.

CHELSEA — Chelsea Community Hospital’s 27th annual spring auction, “Rock Out Concert Tour,” was a rousing success, raising more than $253,000 for the hospital. The auction was held on May 12, at the UA 190/IBEW 252 Hall in Ann Arbor. The event included a silent auction, raffle, 52-card raffles, and a live auction, conducted by Steve Gross. With proceeds funding the purchase of a linear accelerator for radiation therapy, guests attended in a variety of costumes, including KISS band look-alikes, Elvis costumes, leather jackets, a variety of rock band T-shirts, and other musical acts. The atmosphere was exciting yet relaxed, as guests enjoyed a night of fun and friends, complete with décor that resembled a live concert and a strolling buffet…

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Last Chance: Heart and Sole 5K

The annual race takes place at Chelsea Community Hospital on May 5.

The annual Heart & Sole 5K takes place in Chelsea on Saturday. The bike race starts at 8:15 a.m. and the run/walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Participants can register online through May 3. The cost is $15 youth, $25 adults, or $45 for the bike and run 10K combo. Late registration (Friday night or day of race) is available, but is $5 more for bike/run combo events and $3 more for run or bike only events, and must be done in person. Race number pick-up is at Chelsea High School on Friday, from 4-7 p.m., and the day of the race beginning at 7 a.m. For more information, email heartandsole@cch.org, or call 734-475-4157.

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Chelsea Community Hospital Plans Free Alzheimer's Presentation

Here's a look at some upcoming wellness programs at the Chelsea Community Hospital.

Chelsea Community Hospital Behavioral Health Services will present two free lectures on Alzheimer’s disease, facilitated by an expert at the Alzheimer’s Association. Stephen Campbell will present two different sessions. The first session, titled, The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s, will be held on April 26. Campbell will educate attendees about the difference between normal memory loss, and Alzheimer's disease. Topics include risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, the diagnostic process, and changes in the brain. The second session, Legal and Financial Planning for the Future, will take place on May 24. Campbell will address important legal and financial information to consider as Alzheimer’s disease progresses in a loved …

Chelsea Community Hospital Offers 'Walking Wednesdays' Program in Dexter

The free program emphasizes fitness and camaraderie and will begin on March 3.

A fitness series geared toward promoting cardiovascular health in Washtenaw County is coming to Dexter beginning in March. The Healthy Communities Walking Program, sponsored by Chelsea Community Hospital, a series of free community walks titled “Walking Wednesdays.” Walks are scheduled to take place from March 7 to May 2, at 6 a.m., 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. in Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester and Stockbridge. “People want to know when we walk,” said Sheri Montoye, community representative for the Healthy Communities Walking Program. “I meet potential walkers who really do want to get healthy and connect with others. Weekly walks can help people do just that.”   A kick-off meeting will take placeat 11:30 a.m. March 3 at the Dexter District…

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