Franciscan St. Margaret Health: Dyer has been a stable force in the community for the better part of its history and its commitment to the area will only grow stronger.
“We are the largest employer in Dyer and have been present in the community since 1942,” said Tom Gryzbek, hospital president. “We have a very integrative healthcare unit and we are in the process of a major capital renovation, as we expand to meet the needs of our growing community.”
John Mentgen, chief operating officer, said a community needs analysis recently indicated the need for an expansion of “the footprint of our emergency department.”
“We are also expanding our surgical rooms there so we will be able to do additional cases that require a lot of equipment,” Mentgen said. “When this is complete, we will be able to schedule even more complex cases than our current configuration allows.”
Construction of the improved units should be completed by December, Mentgen said.
Nursing programs at the hospital serve 75 to 80 medical-surgical patients daily. In addition, the hospital offers floors dedicated to inpatient rehab, obstetrics and behavioral medicine. The behavioral health program in Dyer is one of the largest of its kind in Indiana, according to Marla Hoyer-LaReau, chief nursing officer at the hospital.
“We work and strive to meet the needs of the community with our full-service operating rooms, open heart and ICU, NICU and OB programs,” she said.
The hospital boasts the best bariatric program in the Midwest; it has been certified as a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement program and performs 150 surgical cases annually.
“Our surgeon, Dr. Gerald Cahill, has an outstanding record and is well known,” said Burt Piper, vice president of ancillary services, adding, “We also have interventional radiology and full cardiac cath lab services. We are doing a variety of procedures.”
The spiritual care the facility offers is another aspect that cannot be overstated.
“Every patient, whether they are inpatient or outpatient, has the opportunity to talk to a spiritual care person. We believe we are called to look at the whole person, and continue to try the holistic approach with our patients,” said Sister Cheryl Dazey, OSF, patient representative and mission services coordinator. “Our main concern is that mission to meet the needs of all the patients we are privileged to treat. We don’t turn anyone away at the door. The poor get the same treatment as those with the best insurance.”
Gryzbek also stressed the mission, stating that “everyone gets the same care and respect.”
“We have a strong spiritual base,” he said, adding, “We see Jesus present within everyone we meet.”
The Dyer campus is one of several Northwest Indiana hospitals under the umbrella of the Franciscan Alliance. Patients from eastern Lake County, southeast Cook County and as far as Jasper and Newton counties in Indiana are treated there.