Duneland Chamber Hosts Porter Regional Hospital at Fast Track Luncheon

The Chesterton Duneland Chamber of Commerce hosted Porter Regional Hospital at its annual Fast Track Luncheon with La Porte Savings Bank sponsoring the event.

Heather Ennis, the Executive Director of the Chamber, welcomed a full house at the Chesterton Hilton Garden Inn with El Cantarito catering the luncheon.

“It has always been exciting to have Porter Regional Hospital in our community and we are grateful to have the economic development that Porter has given to this community,” Ennis said.

La Porte Savings Bank was represented by VP of Commercial Lending Brock Lloyd.

“Porter Regional Hospital is one of the biggest economic developments in this area and it is very exciting to have that economic development in our area,” Lloyd said. “It is great for our community and I am looking forward to getting an update on their growth in this area.”

Porter Regional Hospital CEO Jonathan Nalli provided the keynote presentation, speaking on the subject of how Porter Regional Hospital is improving the quality of life for Duneland residents.

Nalli said one of the smartest things people can do to help lower the cost of healthcare is to see a primary care physician on a regular basis, because that physician will build a relationship with that patient and know everything there is to know about that patient and, therefore, improve the quality of life for that patient.

Healthcare is becoming regional.

“This is our region in Northwest Indiana and that allows for investment,” Nalli said. “Porter is expanding; we are expanding the fifth floor to allow for more patients to be treated. We have doubled in new-hires. Since we have moved to HYW 6 and HYW 49, our patient care has increased and we don’t just serve Northwest Indiana, but we have patients from Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.”

Nalli talked about his vision for continued growth and excellence in patient care.

“Porter Regional Hospital is all about commitment, commitment to medical excellence, personalized patient centered care and the commitment to making your life better,” Nalli said.

One of the features of personalized centered care by the Porter staff including doctors, nurses and anyone involved in patient care is welcoming and introducing themselves and involving the patient in his or her own care. Doing that reduces anxiety and provides an opportunity to learn about the concerns and questions the patients may have.

Porter Regional Hospital has not just increased in patients, but it has grown in patient services, including hourly rounding in, which allows nurses to anticipate a patient’s needs, increases patient’s comfort and allows employees to spend more time on patient care.

Another important implementation is that of discharge phone calls for patients that have been in the Emergency Department. This practice increases patient care by encouraging patients to fill any prescriptions recommended by the ER physician and encourages that if a follow-up visit is recommended by their primary care physician, that they make that appointment and see their physician. These discharge phone calls are just one more way Porter Regional Hospital can be sure that the patient is doing well.

There is a lot that is new with Porter Regional Hospital, such as the Emergency Department being an Accredited Chest Pain Center and an Accredited Primary Stroke Center. Porter is proud to have Robotic Surgery reducing blood loss with faster recovery time and less scarring and to perform Minimally Invasive Anterior Approach Hip Replacement with a shorter stay in the hospital, less pain and a faster return to a full quality of life.

There is tremendous growth and advancement with Porter Regional Hospital, but one that it is most proud of is its new affiliation with Loyola University Health Systems, most noted for its oncology programs. Patients and physicians will be able to consult with physicians at Loyola, while remaining right here at Porter.  Click here for more on Loyola!

Porter Regional Hospital’s continued growth and advancement is an asset to not only Duneland residents, but to all in this community. Porter Regional Hospital is improving the quality of life for patients with patient centered care being at the forefront.