OhioHealth's Grant Medical Center Earns 2009 Champion of Public Health Award

    COLUMBUS, OH, October 28, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Grant Medical Center earned recognition from The Ohio State University's College of Public Health with the 2009 Champion of Public Health Award for its Project to Reduce Infant Mortality (PRIM).

Robert D. Fitch, MD, has worked with the program since its orgination. "In 1992, Grant Medical Center saw significant needs in its surrounding community and responded by creating the Project to Reduce Infant Mortality (PRIM)," Fitch said.

"In fact, Grant Family Medicine physicians were eager to address this issue and volunteered their valuable time to the success of PRIM. To date, the prenatal program has served more than 3,500 patients with 18,500 visits and 2,000 births. For the past 17 years, Grant Family Medicine physicians have staffed not only the prenatal clinics, but many programs on the Wellness on Wheels mobile unit, which was developed as a part of PRIM. They have also staffed the Columbus Free Clinic for the past 15 years."

Wellness on Wheels (WOW), created in 1993, was designed to help young pregnant women who were unable to obtain necessary prenatal care; because of their lack of medical care, infant mortality rates in those areas had reached record numbers. WOW successfully improved access to prenatal care and reduced infant mortality rates in central Ohio with its mobile service. In 1997, WOW became a tool for Grant Medical Center's second program, Urgent Care on Wheels, at two inner-city high school sites. In 2000, the third program, Urgent Care Elementary, was introduced at three Columbus City School sites. From 1998 to 2006, the Grant Family Medicine physicians staffed all five sites. More than 6,000 free urgent care visits were completed, including free prescriptions.

With WOW, the Columbus City Schools benefited from more than 7,500 free sports physicals, allowing students without access to a physician the ability to participate in sports programs. Physicals are provided three months out of the year with 16 clinics per year. Through these clinics, 422 children/teens were identified with undiagnosed medical problems, several of which were life-threatening.

"The physicians and staff at Grant Medical Center have devoted themselves to these causes and patients," Dr. Fitch said. "The recognition from Ohio State's College of Public Health is a huge honor for us; earning this award reinforces our commitment and passion for serving our community."

About OhioHealth
Named by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2007, 2008 and 2009. OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare organization serving and supported by the community. Based in Columbus, Ohio, it is a family of 18 hospitals, 23 health and surgery centers, home-health providers, medical equipment and health service suppliers throughout a 40-county area. OhioHealth hospitals in central Ohio are Riverside Methodist Hospital, Grant Medical Center, Doctors Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital and Dublin Methodist Hospital. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.ohiohealth.com.

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