Retirement community celebrates anniversary of onsite Health Offices

Covenant Village of the Great Lakes, a senior living community in Grand Rapids, celebrated the one-year anniversary of its onsite Health Offices with an open house and tour for residents and staff.

The Health Offices are located within the community’s Village Center, where independent living residents can access by appointment board-certified physicians specializing in internal medicine and geriatric care. A podiatrist, certified physician’s assistant, hearing instrument specialist, and licensed massage therapist see residents by appointment and a phlebotomist travels to residents’ apartment homes for lab draws.

The Health Offices include two professionally equipped exam rooms, a massage therapy room, and an office for the onsite registered nurse, Connie Wysocki, RN, who manages the Health Office. She provides blood pressure screenings, advises residents, and helps them navigate medical options and services.

“It’s all about giving our residents choices,” explained Wysocki, who added residents can continue to see their primary care physicians if they choose.

Piyush Bhatnagar, MD, and certified physician’s assistant Jennifer Norbert, both from Age Management West Michigan, provide onsite health services. David Hyde, MD, the visiting podiatrist and a licensed massage therapist, is onsite twice a week. Payment for office visits or additional testing is handled by the resident, respective health insurance programs, and the physicians’ practices.

Resident Sandra Brinkman moved to Covenant Village from the other side of the state, leaving behind her primary care physician. She chose Dr. Bhatnagar as her primary care physician.

“Having these doctors come here is convenient and comforting,” said Brinkman, who tries to visit weekly for a blood pressure check by Nurse Connie. “She’s a gem and has come to my aid several times.”

“Access to on-site health services makes it easy for residents to manage their health care more proactively,” said Jana Broughton, executive director at Covenant Village of the Great Lakes. “Those who participate in preventive care and have access to quality health care can experience a better quality of life and may live longer.”

The Health Offices are open to Covenant Village residents only, although, throughout the year, the community welcomes the public to participate in health screenings and education programming and services. In addition to partnering with the American Red Cross for annual blood drives and offering immunizations and health screenings, Wysocki coordinates monthly Healthy U lectures to educate residents and area seniors. Topics include aging gracefully, nutrition, dental and eye health, physical therapy, caregiving, dementia, and navigating end-of-life issues.

The Healthy U lectures are scheduled for the first Monday of the month at 10:00 a.m. The program is free, and reservations are not required. For more information, visit www.CovenantGreatLakes.org or call (877) 812-8745.

About Covenant Village of the Great Lakes

Covenant Village of the Great Lakes, a faith-based, non-profit, continuing care retirement community, is located at 2510 Lake Michigan Drive N.W., Grand Rapids, Mich. It is administered by Covenant Retirement Communities (CRC), one of the nation’s largest non-profit senior services providers. CRC serves 5,000 residents at 15 retirement communities nationwide and is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. For more information on Covenant Village of the Great Lakes, call 877-812-8745 or visit www.CovenantGreatLakes.org.