Saint Mary's in Grand Rapids

Hello,

I'm having a DS on August 4th at Saint Mary's with Dr. Kemmeter. Wondering if anyone can tell me about their experience there?
Any info would be great!
Thanks!
Lisa

Hi Lisa,

You may not get much input, as GHP just starting performing WLS out of Saint Mary's.  Prior to this, all surgeries were done at Blodgett Hospital (Spectrum East in EGR).

Many rave about their experience at Blodgett.  I was there for 7 days, and really thought there was a lot of room for improvement.  All of my experiences with Saint Mary's have been outstanding.  The hospital is old, but the level of care has always been better than I have ever experienced at Blodgett or Butterworth (where, I believe, the quest for best bottom line possible is very evident).  The nursing staff at Saint Marys just seem to enjoy their jobs more, and that translates to better patient care.

If you aren't local, you may not know that Saint Mary's is the Catholic hospital in town.  Personally, I think they still take their original mission very seriously.  Many people work their because of their religious affiliation and commitment to their values, and accept lower pay.  Saint Mary's offers a much nicer work environment and more flexible schedule, so they still attract high caliber medical care providers.

The other hospital in town, Metro, has a surgeon on staff that does the occasional lapband, but that is the only WLS done there currently.

Thanks for the info!
I am local... just 10 min north of GR.
They want me to use Saint's since I am an Advantage Health patient.

Have a great day!
Lisa

I don't know anything about their work with the WLS surgeries but I did have my ovary removed there and then my final hysterectomy.  For the ovary removal I just stayed in an outpatient area...they were as nice as an outpatient area can be....they each had an individual t.v. for whomever was with you.  For the hysterectomy I stayed over night.   They put us in the new wing, it was beautiful, big rooms and such.  I have a girlfriend that's a nurse there I think I'll ask her to see where they are putting the WLS patients, hopefully the same wing.

They just added a new emergency room, I haven't been but my sister said they were comparable to Metro's ER rooms. 

But if I find anything more out I'll let you know.

I had my WLS done at Blodgett.  On Tuesday I had my abdominalplasty done at St. Mary's.  The staff there was great.  My room was in the Lacks Cancer Center.  It was very big and roomy - and private.  There was two nice comfortable chairs for my mom and boyfriend.  One of them pulls out into a sleeper.  Plus there was a table.  Reminds me of a hotel room.  The nursing staff was great.  The couple of times I had to call them, (which was only when my IV ran out), they were right there.  I cannot complain. 

I also had a very nice experience during my wls at Blodgett.  However, my Boyfried had neck surgery 2 months after my WLS - was on the same floor and had terrible nurses.

Thank you for the information!
Hope you are feeling good!

I had the RNY with Dr. Kemmeter last summer.  It was at Blodgett rather than St. Mary's - but I just wanted to let you know that I think Dr. Kemmeter is an excellent surgeon.  I had no complications at all from my RNY in July and my gallbladder removal this past April. 

You are in good hands!

Julie

I have had my bariatric surgeries in two different hospitals with two different surgeons. My first surgery was with Dr. Schram in Spectrum Health Blodgett hospital. That experience was great. I really was thankful that Dr. Schram did such a nice job on my sleeve. I had a lot of stomach spasims in the hospital and they really helped me take care of that.... Dr. Schram does not do the Duodenal Switch... he recommended Dr. Kemmeter to me. 

Unfortunately or fortunately I had to have my gallbladder removed, and I couldn't wait until my DS. So I ended up having that removed 7/19/13. So I had to wait 12 weeks from that day before I could have my DS. On top of that i  needed to increase my vitamin D. So... everything happens for a reason. Got my D up, and I was able to get my date.

I had my surgery on 10/8/13... Tuesday of this week. Every nurse that I have been in contact with have been super nice and helpful. Even when they appeared to be overwhelmed they still were able to help. I wanted to give a shout of to Sherry, Cherie, Elizabeth, and I cannot remember my other nurse that worked with Sherry. These ladies have made me feel like I am at home.

Hi Lisa (and OH readers) -

I am the Bariatric Coordinator at Saint Mary's and I just wanted to say hello and let you know a little about us.  Yes, we just recently started doing bariatric surgery at Saint Mary's, but Dr. Kemmeter has done over 1400 surgeries and I am a Certified Bariatric Nurse with over 5 years of experience caring for post-op bariatric patients.  So we are in a new location, but we are not new to bariatric surgery!!  You will go to 4 Lacks post-operatively - that is the beautiful floor that others have posted about.  You will have a private room with a flat-screen TV, free wi-fi access and a pull out couch for an over-night guest.  The 5th level of Lacks has a roof-top garden and an indoor solarium with views of the city which you can access anytime - it is so quiet and peaceful up there, and there is a walkway around the entire floor.  Saint Mary's has a Mind, Body, Spirit program which offers patients free massage if desired.  We aim to deliver on our motto which is "Expect Something More".  I'm sure we will meet soon, but please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Kind Regards,
Cathy
616.685.5235