After Hours Club Gets on a Health Kick

The St. Mary Valparaiso Health Center in Valpo was the meeting place for the Duneland Chamber of Commerce After Hours event on Wednesday evening. It was a night that was artsy and healthy.

"St. Mary's is a great member and we want to find every way to let our members network and meet other Chamber members to do business with,"Maura Durham, the Duneland Chamber's President said. "We've had a great time getting to know the St. Mary employees on a more comfortable level."

President and CEO of St. Mary Medical Center, Janice Ryba, welcomed everyone to the after hours event.

"Our Valparaiso Health Center has been open for just over a year and we're always excited to bring members of the community to the Center to acquaint them with the large array of services that we have to offer as well as what we stand for in quality and service," Ryba said. "From the time we started our planning phases for the facility, we had members of our medical staff as well as focus groups from the community indicating that they wanted a one-stop shop with as many services as we can provide. Since we've opened we really relied on input from our patients as well as our medical staff. For instance we've added yoga classes, pulmonary function testing, echocardiograms; we're always looking to compliment what is already here. The facility is as successful as we were expecting it to be!"

Senses were fed as guests gazed upon art demonstrations provided by the Chesterton Art Center, got in some great networking with fellow guests, enjoyed delicious hors d'oeuvres and wine samples courtesy of Strongbow Inn, and toured the St. Mary facility.

St. Mary's Valparaiso Health Center is their newest facility. It is an Immediate Care Center for illnesses or injuries that are not life-threatening. When the doctor's office is closed for the evening or the weekend, people can go there and get treatment from the health professionals there; it has diagnostic services such as: laboratory and ultrasound services, x-ray, EKG, CT, MRI, 3D mammography, and PET services; and it is part of the Community Care Network. The practitioners there are connected with Community Healthcare System hospitals. They help patients find the expertise and support they need to take on any challenges dealing with healthcare.

Click here to find out more information on the Valparaiso Health Center. 

Those who attended got a chance to see the center's diagnostic areas, laboratories, immediate care areas and physician offices. Art collections from the Chesterton Art Center were on display around the center and the partnership between St. Mary's and the Chesterton Art Center were discussed.

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