June 2021: Amy Traxler joins Oaklawn

During June 2021, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn ... 

~ Nurse practitioner Amy Traxler joins Oaklawn's After Hours Express – Marshall ~ 

MARSHALL, Michigan – The kindness a medical professional who also was a family friend had a profound effect on Amy Traxler as she grew up in her hometown of Camden.

As a result, today she credits her friend for having inspired her own work as a nurse and family nurse practitioner, a career she continues as a new member of the staff of the Oaklawn Medical Group's After Hours Express – Marshall.  

Traxler will be seeing patients at the service's office at 1174 W Michigan Ave. Appointments aren't necessary because of the nature of the service. Further information is available by calling (269) 789-4390. 

Traxler was a senior at Camden Frontier High School with a strong interest in becoming a teacher in the special-education field. That changed, however, because of her experience with a close friend of her family.

“I've known her my whole life, and she worked in one of the practices where I had been a patient as a teen-ager,” Traxler said. “She helped treat me. She was very kind and I loved her approach as a nurse.” 

Traxler said she was grateful that she made the switch from education to medicine. 

“It was the best course to take,” she said. “I'm so glad that I did.” 

Traxler received an associate nursing degree from Battle Creek-based Kellogg Community College in 1998, first serving with the Community Health Center of Branch County. She later worked as a staff nurse for medical organizations in Hillsdale and Sturgis. 

From 2007 until recently, Traxler has worked as a surgical-pediatric staff nurse, registered nurse case manager and family nurse practitioner, chiefly for medical organizations in the Coldwater area. 

In 2013, Traxler earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Goshen College in Indiana, and went on to obtain a master of science degree through the college's family nursing practitioner program in 2016. 

Traxler is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and holds additional credentials in basic and advanced cardiac life support and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Traxler, who has resided in Coldwater since 2020, has three adult children – a son, Wesley, 26, and two daughters, Hope, 22, and Cassie, 21. She also has two grandchildren.

Her hobbies include caring for her Great Dane puppy, Ellie, as well as flower and vegetable gardening, baking, walking, kayaking and travel.

“My goal is to go to all 50 states,” she said, adding that a favorite travel location is Alaska, where her brother lives.

“It's absolutely beautiful and peaceful there,” she said.

In considering her new assignment, Traxler said she has been drawn to Oaklawn's level of medical professionalism. 

“I like the community hospital setting in a small town,” she said. “I've been very impressed with everyone with whom I've come into contact. I'm greatly looking forward to this opportunity to transition to something new.” 

June 2021: Hiren Patel joins Oaklawn

During June 2021, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn ... 

Relatives' plight inspired 'Hiren' Patel to pursue career as rheumatologist

MARSHALL, Michigan – As Hirenkumar “Hiren” Patel was growing up and attending school in India, he had no idea that he would become the first in his family to become a physician.

A family medical challenge led the young man to consider and pursue a career as a rheumatologist – a practice he now has continued for nearly two decades, most recently as one of the newest members of the Oaklawn medical team.

As of early July, Patel will be based in Suite 1E in the Marshall Primary Care Office in the Wright Medical Building, 215 E. Mansion St. Appointments are to be made through referrals from primary-care or other physicians.

Like many others who find themselves propelled into medical careers, Patel's story began with his observation early in life of an affliction affecting the lives of others.

Patel was a student at D.N. High School in Anand – a town in the western state of Gujarat in India – during the time that two of his cousins were struck with severe rheumatic disease.

“I watched them suffer because they had severe joint pain in their hands and knees,” he said. “At the time, there was no rheumatologist in our area. There was nothing in the entire state that offered the kind of medical help they needed.”

Patel was about 15 years old at the time. The experience compelled him to learn more about the area of medicine that might have helped his cousins, he said.

“I wanted to learn why this condition happened and to go to medical school to learn all the new advances,” he said.

In so doing, he received unquestioning encouragement from his family.

“In India, doctors are highly respected,” Patel said. “In a lower- to middle-class family in India, a good education is the most important thing to help people move forward. Because my parents always emphasized education from the beginning, I always had a lot of support.”

While in India from 1999 to 2002, Patel served as a volunteer in a World Health Organization polio-immunization program, a government-operated school health program and in earthquake relief operations.

Meanwhile, Patel pursued medical studies at Gujarat University's B.J. Medical College in Ahmedabad, receiving a bachelor of medicine/bachelor of surgery degree in 2003.

After moving to the United States and becoming a U.S. citizen, Patel pursued his residency in internal medicine at Stony Brook University Hospital in the state of New York, completing the program in 2008.

Patel went on to become chief resident in primary care at Northport (Virginia) Medical Center, then undertook a fellowship in rheumatology at the Stony Brook hospital and worked as a rheumatology physician at a Florida-based arthritis and osteoporosis treatment center.

Patel comes to Oaklawn after having served as a rheumatology physician for the Parkview Physicians Group in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he now resides.

Patel has been certified in rheumatology by the American Board of Internal Medicine since 2008. He is a member of the American College of Rheumatology and is licensed to practice medicine in Michigan, Indiana, Florida and New York. In addition to English, he speaks Gujarati – the dialect of his native state – as well as Hindi.

In his spare time, Patel enjoys listening to music – especially of the “Bollywood” variety – and cooking spicy food. In sports, he prefers watching American football as well as cricket.

He and Nikita Patel, his wife of 18 years, have two daughters – 14-year-old Niya and 9-year-old Risha. He said that, once their children have completed their school year, the family will consider moving to the Marshall area.

“I have passed through Marshall and stopped there many times while traveling to visit family members in Michigan,” he said. “It's convenient, and Marshall has the sort of rural setting that I enjoy.”

In fact, Oaklawn's broad service area – ranging from Calhoun County into neighboring countries – helped Patel in his decision to join its medical team.

“It's a large-draw area that serves a lot of patients, as I've done in Fort Wayne,” he said. “That's what I like.”

May 2021: Old theaters remembered

What a joy it was on the evening of May 24, 2021, to join a group of friends in Battle Creek, Michigan, for a nostalgic tour -- remotely -- of the city's myriad theatrical offerings over the past 120 years. All in less than 90 minutes! 

In addition to being the onetime Cereal Capital of the World, the historical record shows that Battle Creek also was a notable place for cinematic entertainment. There were good reasons for that, generally because of the affluence generated by the cereal industry, as well as the presence of a huge military base and a U.S. Army hospital. 

We touched on many high points and even some low ones. Our own brief visit to the local porn theater -- for rather magical reasons -- produces some chuckles here.

Many thanks to our knowledgeable fellow panelists -- especially our esteemed friend and former journalism boss Michael McCullough -- for a great conversation!

To watch the show, click on the phrase "View the program" ... Or cut and paste this URL into your browser: https://fb.watch/5I4ttM5FjA/

May 2021: Oaklawn's high rank

During May 2021, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn ... 

~ Oaklawn among 21 Michigan hospitals to receive highest federal ranking ~

MARSHALL, Michigan – Oaklawn is one of 21 hospitals and health systems in Michigan and 455 such institutions nationwide to earn five stars – the highest possible – in the latest ranking from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

This is the second year in a row that Oaklawn has received the distinction, which was first awarded to Oaklawn in 2016 when the federal agency initiated the star-rating system.

Under the current ranking system, the single composite grade reflects a broad range of measures of quality in five categories – patient experience, readmission rates, safety of care, mortality and timely and effective care, said Irene Johnston, Oaklawn's director of quality, safety and risk.

The new ranking is the first star-ratings update since January 2020, showing results for 3,355 hospitals and health systems nationwide, she said.

Of those, 455 received a five-star rating, 988 received a four-star rating, 1,018 received a three-star rating, 690 received a two-star rating and 204 received a one-star rating. More than 4,500 U.S. hospitals were examined in all, and many did not receive star ratings.

Hospitals report data to the agency through the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program, Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, Hospital-Acquired Condition (Reduction Program and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, Johnston said.

The public may view overall hospital ratings at Medicare's Hospital Compare website, found at www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare.

“Receiving this ranking is a validation of our work over a long period of time,” said Oaklawn President and CEO Gregg Beeg. “It's very gratifying that those efforts are noticed in this way, because every day we do whatever is necessary to make things even better.”

“Oaklawn employees have pride and every one of them does what he or she can to help our mission come to fruition – that is, striving for perfect care every time,” Johnston said.

“Throughout the past year, we have had challenges as many others also experienced,” she added, “but our community helped hold us up and keep us strong to keep fighting the pandemic and challenges head-on.

“As a result, we can continue to be here and exceed our mission to provide personal, accessible and high-quality care to improve the health and well being of the communities we serve,” Johnston said.

May 2021: Oaklawn's new CMO

                                    

During May 2021, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Oaklawn ... 

~ Dr. J. Summer Liston-Crandall named Oaklawn's chief medical officer ~ 

MARSHALL, Michigan – J. Summer Liston-Crandall, M.D., has been appointed Oaklawn's new chief medical officer, effectively immediately.

The announcement was made by Oaklawn President and CEO Gregg Beeg.

Liston-Crandall, a family-medicine physician, is a Kalamazoo-area native who joined Oaklawn’s active medical staff in July 2007.

In recent years, Liston-Crandall has served as Oaklawn's interim medical director, as a member of its Physician Leadership Committee and physician lead for its COVID-19 Response Team. She also has served on Oaklawn's Medical Executive Committee and as chief of staff.

“Her skills and experience as a family medicine with obstetrics provider as well as physician leader will be a tremendous asset for us from both a clinical and operational perspective,” Beeg said in a statement to Oaklawn employees.

“Dr. Liston-Crandall will serve 50 percent of her time in the chief medical officer role and the other 50 percent of her time caring for her patients that she has served for the past several years,” he added.

Liston-Crandall works out of two offices of the Oaklawn Medical Group – Marshall Primary Care in Suite 1E of the Wright Medical Building at 215 E Mansion St., Marshall, and the Tekonsha office at 2218 Old U.S. 27 North.

In January 2014, Liston-Crandall became the third recipient of Oaklawn’s Physician of the Year Award. The award was established to recognize a physician who has demonstrated their commitment to Oaklawn Hospital’s culture and values and to the community.

Liston-Crandall earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard and Radcliffe colleges and medical degree from the University of Michigan. She completed a family-medicine residency at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon.

October 2020: Gillette Castle's motorcyclists

~ Castle-builder William Gillette loved motorcycling, and bikers love his home ~ 

Joanna Garcia Navedo and her friend Xiomara Montalbo recently escorted a group of other motorcycling pals to explore the scenic, winding lanes leading to one of their favorite places in Connecticut.

“We come every year,” Navedo told us. 

She had a quick answer when asked why their annual destination is Gillette Castle State Park and William Gillette's imposing mansion.

“We love Sherlock Holmes,” the Groton resident replied with a grin.

Gillette was the first actor to become internationally famous for his performances as the masterful sleuth. The Hartford native died in 1937 and the state eventually took over ownership of his home and surrounding estate. 

Navedo, Montalbo and their friends – all natives of Puerto Rico and longtime Connecticut residents – have taken to New England's roads for 20 years, sometimes riding together twice a week. 

On this particular sunny August Sunday, Navedo had brought along her son, Luis Soto, an Army veteran now living with his wife in Colorado. 

It was Soto's first visit to the Castle, now a museum perched spectacularly on the “Seventh Sister” hill near the towns of East Haddam and Lyme along the Connecticut River. 

“It's so beautiful on the outside,” Soto said. “It's impressive and very rich.”

“It's so peaceful,” his mother agreed. “It's like a dream – enchanting.”

Other bikers arriving at the Castle that day may have had similar notions. After all, they share their riding passion with William Gillette, who loved to hit the local roads on his own motorcycles. 

When good riding weather bursts out each spring, a hundred or more motorcyclists visit the park on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season – a number that can more than double at times, according to Jack Hine, the park's supervisor. 

“They come from all over,” Hine said, and riders range widely in age and style. 

“I imagine it has to do with the country roads leading up to the Castle,” Hine said. “It's a nice location to take a break, get off the bike, stretch your legs and look at the wonderful view of the river.” 

A decade ago, the Castle's designated motorcycle parking area spilled over and the automobile slots were overwhelmed with dozens of motorcycles owned by guests and participants in a biker wedding. 

That memory is vivid for Harold “Tyke” and Theodora “Teddie” Niver, who portray William and Helen Gillette to greet and entertain visitors during the summer months. Information about their presentations there and various groups is found at sherlockholmesct.com . 

“They all wanted pictures with 'The Gillettes,'” said Teddie Niver. “So, we were sitting on motorcycles and with the bride and groom. It was wonderful.” 

It's fitting that so many motorcyclists visit the park and Gillette's medieval-style mansion. The mechanically inclined actor enjoyed the outdoors – attributes that contributed to his multiple hobbies, including bicycling, house-boating and motorcycling. 

At times, Gillette's love of speed and motorized gadgets got him into trouble.                

In 1918, when Gillette was 65, he and his Triumph motorcycle accidentally plunged off the ferry dock into the Connecticut River, and both required fishing out. In 1925, when Gillette was 72, he accidentally propelled his Ner-A-Car bike into an automobile, was thrown off and knocked out. 

Gillette sprang back from both events without lasting effects. 

The state park displays one of Gillette's original rides – the small locomotive engine he commanded while giving tours to guests along a railroad line he'd constructed through his 122-acre estate. 

For several seasons from 2012 to 2016, however, visitors got to see the type of motorcycle Gillette enjoyed, thanks to the generosity of former Connecticut resident David Perillo, who loaned his 1922 Ner-A-Car to the park for periodic display in the Castle's visitor's center. 

“In the early 1900s, there were loads of motorcycle companies that came and went, the two major ones in the United States being Harley-Davidson and Indian,” said Bud Wilkinson, who writes for the website Ride-CT & Ride-New England at ride-ct.com. 

“My guess is that, with Gillette having played Sherlock Holmes, he sought a prominent British brand for reasons of image,” Wilkinson offered during a recent email exchange with a member of the Friends of Gillette Castle. A Ner-A-Car may have met those criteria, Wilkinson speculated. 

“It’s an unusual-looking motorcycle and I think it’s safe to say Gillette had eccentric tastes,” Wilkinson said. “Or it simply might be a case of dealers being nearby or other availability.” You can read Wilkinson's article about Perillo's Ner-A-Car at ride-ct.com/neracar-shown-at-gillette-castle. 

Perillo, a member of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America, rebuilt the Ner-A-Car and believed the Castle was the right place to display it. 

“Overall, it was a great experience,” Perillo told us. “The reactions from my friends and other people were great. It added so much to their visit.” The display ended when Perillo moved to another state. 

“I was born and raised in New Haven and had been to the Castle a million times. It was always beautiful if you just wanted to hike around,” Perillo said. “The more you visit and look around – well, it's mind-boggling, and such a beautiful thing.” 

Also online is a video (found at youtu.be/5wKNy7MCZ5Y) on the subject of motorcycles, by Paul Schiller, the park's seasonal park supervisor of public education and vice president of The Friends of Gillette Castle State Park. The Friends' website is gillettecastlefriends.org. 

IN THE PHOTO: On a recent August weekend, this group of friends rode their motorcycles to biker-friendly Gillette Castle and used the parking area designated for such vehicles. The group included Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts Joanna Garcia Navedo of Groton (in red shirt at center) and Xiomara Montalbo of New London (in green shirt at right). (Photo by John C. Sherwood.)

July 2020: Capital for Change steps in to help

During July 2020, MysteryVisits Communications provided this press release on behalf of Capital for Change Inc. ... 

~ Nonprofit's assistance salvages Middletown family's property and prospects ~ 

MIDDLETOWN, Connecticut – In rapid succession, a series of calamities seemed to push David and Susan Santacroce and their family to the brink of a deep financial chasm.

The problems centered on a 90-year-old Grand Street house that Santacroce and his wife, Susan, inherited from her family.

Santacroce, 69, is a 35-year certified general appraiser who manages Santacroce Associates LLC. He and his wife owned the house as a legacy from Susan's Sicilian-immigrant grandparents. They and their children also lived there at times, renting out parts of the house to others.

David, Susan and their daughter eventually moved out and the 3,100-square-foot structure demanded considerably more attention to become an income-producing rental property. The Santacroces subsequently put several thousand dollars and their own labor into the effort.

“In the course of the renovation, we were burgled three times over a period of a few days,” Santacroce said. “The house was vandalized on the interior, the copper was ripped out, along with the plumbing in the basement and the third floor.” The damage amounted to about $40,000.

This was a calamity for the Santacroces, who have two grown children – David and Christine – as well as three grandchildren, all of whom were born in the Grand Street house. The couple have a vested interest in the neighborhood, as their own home is two blocks from the rental property and their daughter lives across the street from them.

Developing the rental property for the family's future income had been an ongoing family project, with labor also being contributed by their son-in-law and nephew.

“I want them to have the same connection,” Santacroce said. “Where you live is the most important thing. That’s where everything starts. It’s you that gets out of bed and starts the day. That’s where it all begins.”

However, the shocking property damage and looming cost of re-doing their earlier renovations did make getting out of bed each day awfully tough.

“We were compelled to go to a hard-money lender, and we acquired a one-year construction mortgage,” Santacroce said. “That would have compelled us to pay off totally at the end, or sell the house. So, we were facing having to put the house on the market.”

That prospect of selling his wife's family property was emotionally devastating, he said.

“We did not feel that it was ours to lose,” Santacroce said. “My wife’s grandmother bought this house when it was under construction prior to the Depression. … After six or seven generations we could not walk away from this.”

There was an even more personal connection because of the loving relationship between David and Susan.

“I met her in Boston in and she invited me down to meet her mother,” David said. “I stopped here in the north end of Middletown – and I never left.”

After marriage, Santacroce plunged in willingly to help her family maintain the house for more than four decades until it became their own inheritance. He knows every inch and surface intimately. Through proper maintenance, the house could support the Santacroces' descendants well into the future – and that knowledge fueled their quest for a solution.

“We don’t know how to give up,” Santacroce said. “Nobody before me ever has. I tell my grandson that all of our forebears got up every day for many days and said, 'I just can’t take this' — but they did. And we’re here because they did. So I can’t quit. It’s just not in our makeup.”

As bills mounted for taxes and utilities, foreclosure loomed and unexpected medical expenses cropped up, Santacroce hoped an Internet search engine might yield an undiscovered option. Fortune smiled with a link to Wallingford-based Capital for Change Inc. (C4C), Connecticut's largest full-service community development financial institution.

The nonprofit organization draws investments from individuals, federal and state sources, banks, investment firms and faith-based and civic groups because it offers an effective way to help neighbors and communities in need – and Santacroce was certainly in need.

Santacroce met with Matthew Liebel, an underwriter with Capital for Change's commercial lending division, and Geoffrey Person, a C4C loan officer. After their conversation, the situation didn't seem quite so dire.

Liebel had immediately recognized that the Santacroces had a deep attachment to the property and a strong desire to keep it family-owned.

“Originally, we approached it as an affordable-housing situation,” Liebel said. “We looked at the property and were encouraged by the condition. We saw an opportunity to provide low-cost capital to do additional work, such as painting and a new roof.

“As the process went along, we learned this wasn't going to be a traditional transaction,” Liebel said. “We began to evaluate David's character and the obvious hard work he had done himself to retain this property. So, we approached the situation as though we were trying to give these people their lives back.”

A new 20-year permanent loan was arranged and the Santacroces' financial security today has been restored. The family retains clear ownership of its properties and no longer is at risk of foreclosure, Liebel said.

Renovation work on the Grand Street property has gone forward, including a reframed front elevation, 40 new windows, upgraded wiring and circuit breakers, interior and exterior doors, heating, plumbing, ceilings and floors. The house is expected to be ready to rent out by autumn, Santacroce said.

“This is the kind of result that gives tremendous value to the work we do and it's experiences like this that make me want to stay in this industry,” Liebel said. “We are doing good work, and each time I speak with David, it's a great experience to see how special this process has been in being able to protect his family and their lives.”

“I’m absolutely stunned,” said a relieved Santacroce, whose own praise for the staff of Capital for Change is unrestrained.

“Their actions are more like old-style banking, when the banker literally would come to your house and look at it, and say, 'Well, I knew your dad,'” he said. “In the old days, that aspect of credit-worthiness was a valid measure.”

Santacroce especially values that aspect of trust because he's a firm believer in individual responsibility and taking an active role in maintaining – and improving – a community’s quality of life at the neighborhood level.

“Middletown is full of people who need this kind of help,” Santacroce said. “The people at C4C are making a commitment to their beliefs in community development and community development and preservation.”

“This is just one example of the type of positive, family-supporting outcome for which Capital for Change was created,” said Calvin B. Vinal, president and CEO of the organization.

“Our mission is to find ways to create economic opportunities and strengthen low-wealth communities, often on a person-by-person basis,” Vinal said. “It's very satisfying to be able to help people such as the Santacroces restore their chances for better lives.”

Those interested in learning more about Capital for Change's loan opportunities may contact Liebel at (860) 303-3221 or mliebel@capitalforchange.org.

In the past four years, Capital for Change loans have permitted more than 1,000 housing units to be created or maintained, and sustained more than 10,000 units of affordable home ownership, while helping to create more than 750 jobs and providing homebuyer training and foreclosure counseling to 1,000 families.

Additional information is available online at CapitalForChange.org and the organization's Facebook page, “Capital for Change, Inc.”

Capital for Change's mission is to provide flexible, creative and responsive financial products and services to benefit low- and moderate-income persons, and minority and otherwise underserved individuals, businesses and communities. Its programs and products broaden access to affordable housing, energy efficiency and job opportunities.

Capital for Change Inc. was created in 2016 through the mergers of the Community Capital Fund, Connecticut Housing Investment Fund and the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund, shaping an organization with a statewide history of service stretching back to 1968. Serving Connecticut for more than 50 years, C4C has invested more than $425 million in mission-driven capital statewide.

IN THE PHOTO: Recently rescued from the brink of a huge financial and sentimental loss, David Santacroce of Middletown stands amid improvements made recently to the Grand Street house he and his family have owned and maintained for more than four decades – and which they'll continue to own because of assistance from Wallingford-based nonprofit Capital for Change Inc.