It was a beautiful sunny day as Lansing Rotarians and their guests met in the Michigan Room at Lansing Community College at noon for a lunch of pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, veggie burgers, asparagus potato salad, and Carolina coleslaw, with lemon bars and brownies for dessert – yum!
President Rebecca called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m., and together we recited the Four-Way Test which was originally created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 to help save his company, Club Aluminum, from bankruptcy. In 1942, it was proposed that Rotary International adopt the test, which was approved in 1943, and it became our core principle.
Deb Moerland offered a reflection on caregiving as an act of love, reminding us that compassion always matters. Then we all sang The Star Spangled Banner.
Tiffany Brown passed the blue cube of sound around for the following guests to be introduced:
- Jaccilynne Bodrie- A Davies Project intern this summer
- Patrick Brennan – Making his 3rd visit and eligible for membership
- Candice Goerger– From MSU President’s Office with a focus on health initiatives
- Kurt Kwiatkowski – VP of Dining Ventures
Health of the Club: No news is good news! Everyone is apparently healthy.
Terry Terry introduced Fred Dyer, professor of biology of MSU and pianist, and Abigal Grill, LMSW, clinical therapist and vocalist. Both are members of the Time2Play band which is known for donating proceeds of their performances to local non-profits. They performed three songs: Norah Jones’ Turn Me On, an original song by Fred titled You Got Away with It, and Carole King’s I Feel the Earth Move. It was an excellent performance that made President Rebecca forgot all about a nasty email she was going to compose!
President Rebecca invited Marcy Rzepka to receive her red badge, as a Corporate Member with the Rathbun Agency. Welcome to the Club, Marcy!
This week’s announcements:
- On Saturday, June 7, we have a service project opportunity at Potter Park Zoo for river clean up from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Contact Jason Brunette to volunteer: jason.brunette@martinpropertydevelopment.com.
- Lisa Smith needs microphone volunteers for the months of Aug/Sep/Oct. It’s a full month gig, and many Rotarians raised their hands to volunteer.
- Delta Waverly Rotary will be hosting a golf outing on August 7 at the Grand Ledge Country Club. See the Rotogram for contact information.
- The DEI Committee has two events coming up in June, and volunteers are needed. Please see the Rotogram for details or ask Bilky Joda-Miller at bilky@allbodykneads.com. The DEI Committee’s next meeting is scheduled immediately following this meeting.
Chair of the Month/Day, Susan Angel, introduced our speaker, Constance “Connie” O’Malley, Regional Chief Operating Officer for University of Michigan Health.In her COO position, she oversees major capital projects and facilities management for UMH Sparrow and UMH West. In addition, she provides oversight of UMH community hospitals (Eaton, Carson, Clinton and Ionia), Michigan Athletic Club, and post-acute services including hospice, palliative care, and home care teams.
Prior to her current role, Connie most recently served as associate chief operating officer for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. She has also served as president of outpatient services at Corewell Health; president of Corewell Hospital in Farmington Hills; vice president and chief operating officer of Corewell Hospital in Troy; vice president of surgical services, trauma, transplant, and ambulatory services at Corewell Hospital in Royal Oak; and various positions at Ascension Health, including at St. John Providence Health System and Detroit Medical Center. Throughout her career, she has overseen numerous complex initiatives such as the creation of outpatient ambulatory centers and several multimillion-dollar hospital expansions.
Connie shared a video that highlighted UMH’s vision for a statewide system of care. UMH is driven by excellence and focused on providing compassionate healthcare and serving our community. UMH is also conducting world-class breakthrough research, providing leading edge treatments and specialty care via their network of hospitals and labs, and educating future healthcare leaders.
We learned some impressive stats about UMH within our state as of 2023:
| 11 Hospitals | 5,700 Clinical Care Projects |
| 5,700 Providers | 665,000 Digital Care Interactions |
| 2,400 Physicians in Training | $7.8B Operating Revenue |
| 11,000 Deliveries | $225M Philanthropic Contributions |
| 1,100 Survival Flights | 10.7M Subsidized Care |
| 1.3M Outpatient Visits |
In addition, UMH offers healthcare services unavailable anywhere else in Michigan including pediatric heart transplants, complex fetal deliveries, a psychiatric emergency department, and treatments for rare lung diseases.
UMH takes great pride in the benefits they deliver to the community as a 501(c)(3) institution:
- Charity Care in which care is delivered even though the patient’s inability to pay is known
- Bad Debt in which UMH picks up the cost of care when it’s determined the patient is under- or uninsured following the delivery of care
- Medicaid & Medicare Subsidies
- Research & Discovery
- Health Professions Education
UMH’s key principles’ acronym is BASE:
- B - Belonging & Inclusion
- A - Access
- S - Safety & Quality
- E - Experience
In 2023, UMH contributed $46M within the Lansing community, sponsoring the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Virtual Student Impact Initiative and supporting programs at Fairview Elementary School, Cristo Rey, Ele’s Place, and more. UMH – Sparrow’s mobile health clinic conducted 13 events in 2023, too.
Looking toward the future, UMH has the following plans for the Lansing area:
- New Behavioral Health Hospital – The #1 need in Lansing – Planned for March 2028
a. $112M Standalone facility w/ 80 – 88 Beds
b. Partial hospital & potential outpatient programs
c. Ability to transfer patients from the Emergency Department to the BH hospital
- UMH Eaton Hematology/Oncology Clinic and Infusion Center
a. Ribbon cutting was May 1, 2025
b. Includes Radiation Oncology Clinical trials connected to Ann Arbor
- UMH Pharmacy, Urgent Care, & Occupational Health Facility will advance UMH’s BASE priorities in a renovated RiteAid building offering 11,678 sq ft of space. Renovations are underway
- Breast Center Expansion – Planned for Fall 2025
a. Adding 9,000 sq ft
b. Offering mammography, ultrasound, and biopsy
- Grand Ledge Health Center – Planned for December 2026
a. 43,000 sq ft, full service, ambulatory facility
b. 6-8 Primary Care Physicians
c. Radiology and Urgent Care
- Labor and Delivery renovations at UMH – Sparrow are happening now and will be followed by…
- New Tower for Labor & Delivery and New Emergency Department
UMH’s challenges include:
- COVID – A lot of providers were lost due to burnout, and the impact is still being felt.
- 433,300 individuals are uninsured representing ~4.4% of Michigan’s population.
- MI hospitals are 3rd lowest in the country for being reimbursed at commercial rates – Underpaid!
- UM Medicine is underpaid by 22%.
- 16% of initial claims are denied.
- Claims audits have increased 50 – 100% over the past few years.
UMH’s Advancing Together initiative seeks to work collaboratively with payers for the benefit of patients.
Some questions from the discussion period included…
- Why does UMH have a hard time obtaining payment from insurance if they own PHP, a prominent local healthcare insurance provider? PHP operates independently and works to avoid conflicts of interest. In addition, PHP is being phased out.
- What is UMH – Sparrow doing to address concerns regarding the demolition of Eastern HS? UMH – Sparrow has been listening to concerns and is actively pursuing ways to protect and incorporate elements of the old Eastern HS in the design of the new facility. The Eastern HS 1927 cornerstone has been preserved, and a Memorial Garden will include elements of the old building including the arch, bricks, and other mementos. Lights from the auditorium have been given for use in Lansing’s new City Hall and the Ovation Center
NEXT MEETING: Friday, May 16, in LCC’s Michigan Room at 12:00 p.m.
NEXT WEEK’S SPEAKER: Lansing Public Schools District Superintendent Ben Shuldiner
Email for Phyllis Riley: phyllisriley@msn.com