Dr. Morris and Ms. Bieda will share insights into Pokagon Health Services’ primary care–centered approach to treating opioid use disorder, including strategies for building and sustaining this model through medication management, collaborative care, and community engagement. They will also discuss successes and challenges in overcoming barriers to care.

The breakfast is provided through Cass County and Pokagon Opioid Settlement Funds. Seating is limited and registration is required via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/southwest-michigan-opioid-summit-healthcare-providers-breakfast-tickets-1450637579049?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.

In addition to serving as Medical Director for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana, Dr. Morris also serves as faculty for the Indiana University School of Medicine –South Bend and recently transitioned to a PRN teaching role with the Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. He remains active on numerous boards and was recently appointed to the Michigan Chronic Disease Registry Advisory Board.

Ms. Bieda has served as Behavioral Health Manager for the Pokagon Band for over 14 years and has more than 25 years of experience in care coordination and evidence-based practice. Her work focuses on integrating medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), prevention, harm reduction, and improving access to treatment. She also serves as Chair of the Michigan Tribal Behavioral Health Network Committee and is a member of the Michigan Behavioral Health Advisory Council.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan and Indiana

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994.The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care, and cultural preservation for its more than 6,400 citizens. The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011, Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013 and Four Winds South Bend in 2018. The Pokagon Band operates a variety of non-gaming businesses through its investment enterprises, Mno-Bmadsen and the Pokagon Development Authority, including Rolling Embers. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.

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Mako SmartRobotics

“When we brought the robot into our hospital, we had a naming contest for all the Colleagues who worked in our health system to come up with a personalized name for the robot. Multiple names were submitted, and then Ollie was selected as the winner,” said Goshen Orthopedics Medical Director and Orthopedic Surgeon Christopher Owens, MD.

Joined by his Colleague, Orthopedic Surgeon Bryan Boyer, MD, Owens looks forward to introducing attendees to Ollie and educating them about knee and hip replacement at the Cinco de Mako event.

“We’ll have our Mako robot – which is the robot that assists with hip and knee replacement surgery – on site so that attendees can see it. My Colleague Dr. Boyer and I will have an educational session just to provide some information for attendees about what robotic-assisted hip and knee replacement surgery entails,” Owens said.

The Mako SmartRobotics system is a CT-based software program that completes a CT scan. It allows surgeons to build a 3D model of the hip or knee joint ahead of surgery to personalize an effective joint replacement plan.

“The Mako robot also assists the surgeon who controls the robot to help us perfectly execute that plan at the time of surgery,” Owens said. “It does two things at the time of surgery. There’s a robotic arm that attaches to our instruments and guides us in excising the arthritic bone and implanting the replacement components. The benefit of that is that when we excise the bone, it ensures that we’re removing just enough bone. One of the technically more challenging parts of a joint replacement is ensuring that you get the components of the new parts in just the right orientation so that they mesh well together, and the robot aids in that precision.”

With 350 surgeries completed hospital-wide over the last two years, Owens and his Colleagues have witnessed the benefits of working with the Mako SmartRobotics system. Beyond how it assists surgeons – via the CT scan, 3D joint model, and precision assistance during surgery – Owens has noticed multiple ways that the Mako SmartRobotics system has impacted patients. Owens has been pleased to see patients walk away from surgery with less pain, shorter hospital stays, and an increase in implant success, diminishing the need for revision surgery.

To RSVP for Cinco de Mako, click here. For more information about Goshen Health, visit goshenhealth.com.

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“The opioid epidemic and substance use disorder affect the entire nation and Valparaiso is no different. As a community, we’re striving to empower organizations equipped to help those who struggle with addiction by making these funds available,” Mayor Jon Costas said.

The available funds are part of the National Opioid Settlement in which the nation’s three largest
pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturer agreed to pay $26 billion to settle allegations that they
fueled the deadly opioid crisis. Valparaiso anticipates it will receive approximately $1.4 million over an
18-year period through the state of Indiana’s share of this settlement.

How to Apply for Funding

To qualify for funding through the Valparaiso’s Opioid Epidemic Settlement Program, organizations
must be registered as a 501(c)(3) organization working to combat substance use disorder, providing
services such as prevention programs, treatment for opioid use disorder or support for local agencies
dealing with substance use disorders. Further information, including the grant application, is available
on the City of Valparaiso’s website at tinyurl.com/OpioidHelp and questions may be addressed to City
Council Member Peter Anderson at PAnderson@Valpo.us. Applications for grant funding are due on
June 20, 2025.

The City of Valparaiso is also currently using funds from the opioid settlement to offer the services of a Community Recovery Coordinator who serves Valparaiso residents and families struggling with addiction. In her role, Kristi Chervenak can help people access help for all types of addiction and addictive behaviors, including drugs, alcohol, gambling and addiction to other substances and activities. may be reached at (219) 546-9940 or by visiting RecoveryConnectionPC.org.

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Franciscan staff members worked with families to create the photos of the tiny newborns – including two sets of twins – wearing “Freshley Hatched #NICU” onesies, bunny ears and tutus and posed with baby chicks, carrots, Easter baskets, Easter eggs and more.

Franciscan Health understands the importance of marking milestones in the lives of the families under their care. The Family Birth Center and NICU staff members take extra care in planning photos with special outfits and props to bring a sense of normalcy and joy to families during what can be a stressful time.

Franciscan Health Crown Point and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in the fall of 2022 launched a partnership that brought one of the nation’s top neonatology programs to Northwest Indiana. Lurie Children’s neonatologists now staff the 20-bed Level III NICU at Franciscan Health Crown Point, caring for the most vulnerable babies and their families close to home.

More information about the Franciscan Health Family Birth Center Crown Point and the NICU is available online or by phone at (219) 757-6330. More information about the Franciscan Health Family Birth Center Dyer and the NICU is available online or by phone at (219) 515-3993.

Note: These photos do not reflect American Academy of Pediatrics’ Safe Sleep recommendations and are for artistic purposes only.

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Join Powers Health Bariatric Services for this free presentation and learn the truth about weight-loss medications, including new GLP-1s. This free presentation is offered multiple dates from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, 9950 Calumet Ave., Munster. Call 219-836-3477 to register for one of these Tuesday sessions – Nov. 12, Dec. 10, Jan. 14 or Feb. 11.

This program aims to empower you with the knowledge to make informed decisions that align with your personal health and well-being aspirations.

Powers Health Bariatric Services provide accredited surgical and medical weight-loss treatment designed to help patients stay healthy, lose weight and keep it off. Our staff of certified bariatric surgeons and weight-loss physicians works as a collaborative team to create a specialized plan for each patient.

For more information about Bariatric Services at Powers Health, visit PowersHealth.org/bariatrics.

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“This new Emergency Department is an expansion of the depth of services already offered and is an investment in the well-being of our community,” said Janice Ryba, CEO of St. Mary Medical Center. “We are committed to providing high-quality care for emergent needs where and when it is most needed.”

The 7,000-square-foot freestanding St. Mary Medical Center Emergency Department is scheduled to open late 2024. The new building addition of 3,600 square feet offers imaging and laboratory services for timely diagnoses and treatments.

This full-service ED will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. The ED will include two triage rooms, six treatment rooms and three negative pressure rooms for patients with infectious diseases. 

Patients requiring hospital admission may be transported to St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart for inpatient care, as appropriate.

Immediate care services remain available at the South Valparaiso location, 1451 W. Morthland Drive, Suite A.

For more information about emergency care at the hospitals of Powers Health, visit PowersHealth.org. 

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Patients at the Franciscan Health Wound Healing and Prevention Institutes in Dyer and Munster now have a little something extra to look forward to at the end of their treatment.

Patients completing their course of treatment receive a graduation-themed gift and leave to the cheers of staff while “Pomp and Circumstance” plays. Elizabeth Wanicki, RN, said she got the idea for the graduation ceremonies from her days working in the neonatal intensive care unit, where they celebrated premature babies’ discharges with caps, gowns and playing “Pomp and Circumstance.”

“Our patients come to so many appointments and work so hard to get their wounds healed,” Wanicki said. “Some of them come for a few weeks, but some of them have complicated wounds that take months or even years to heal. We wanted some way to celebrate their achievement when they finally reached that point.”

Doctors at the clinics include general surgeons, podiatrists and infectious disease physicians who all bring their expertise to caring for patients with a variety of wounds. The clinics treat chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, nonhealing surgical wounds, burns, trauma and some skin disorders.

Denice Chobanov Barsich, 68, of Crown Point, has been a patient at the Dyer clinic for several months. Barsich was a 35-year-old wife and mother of three young children in 1991 when she stopped to help a motorist who drove off the road and got stuck in the snow in Schererville. Barsich lost her right leg below the knee after being hit by a car as she tried to get the vehicle out of the snow.

She was recently fitted for a new prosthetic and thought it was uncomfortable after her fitting. When she got home and took it off, she discovered a deep wound on the side of her knee.

She saw several different doctors for months without success and was finally referred to the Franciscan Health Wound Healing & Prevention Institute Dyer, where staff said they could see her the same day.

“I walked in the door and I knew I was home,” Barsich said. “I look forward to seeing everyone here. Everyone is so gentle and kind.”

Barsich was given a wound pump to help the wound on her leg heal and allow her to wear a new prosthetic. She is using crutches in the interim.

“She is very enthusiastic and has a very positive attitude,” Dr. Albert Milford, DO, said. “She follows directions and is determined. It makes a world of difference in healing.”

Wanicki said she looks forward to being able to celebrate Barsich’s graduation from wound care soon, but will miss her.

“The best thing about this clinic is we see our patients often, so we get to know them, know a lot about their family, their interests,” Wanicki said. “They come back to visit a lot because they say they miss us.”

Patients may seek assistance with wound healing and prevention with the same staff at the two local Franciscan locations. The Franciscan Health Wound Healing & Prevention Institute Dyer is located at 24 Joliet St., Suite 401 and Franciscan Health Wound Care Munster is located at 701 Superior Ave.

More information about Franciscan wound care services is available online or by calling (219) 864-2654 for the Dyer location or (219) 933-2666 for the Munster location.

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“It’s rewarding to honor the team members from Northwest Health – La Porte who exemplify all the qualities of exceptional professionals. Healthcare is a strenuous, stressful calling, but these team members see it as a privilege. That quality shines through in the work they do and the care they provide. I’m proud of these award winners and am grateful for the care they provide to their patients and support they show their colleagues” said Simon Ratliff, CEO, Northwest Health – La Porte.

The awards were given at a surprise ceremony on May 29. Honored were:

Team Member of the Year 

Paula Wilkey, RN

Intensive Care Unit

Paula has been a nurse with Northwest Health for 16 years. She was selected for her outstanding nursing skills and her willingness to go above and beyond to serve her patients. All through the year the hospital receives accolades from her patients and their families describing how Paula ensures their needs are met and they are getting the best care possible. 

Paula is also an informal leader in the ICU. She works to find solutions to problems that arise and is willing to assist her teammates whenever possible. 

Clinical Leader of the Year 

Katie Kawacin, MSN, RN, CNL, PCCN

Director, Critical Care

Katie oversees the hospital’s intensive care unit, intermediate care unit and emergency room.  She was chosen for her professionalism, caring and compassion towards all staff, physicians, patients and family members. She is an advocate for her teams, making sure they have the resources to do their jobs. She comes to work with a positive attitude, ready to engage, encourage and assist her staff however needed. 

Non-clinical Leader of the Year

Cheryl Gross

Director, Patient Access 

Cheryl, who has served at Northwest Health for 44 years, is responsible for the Patient Access services at Northwest Health – La Porte and Northwest Health – Starke.  She is dedicated not only to the organization, but to the patients the hospitals serve.  On a daily basis, Cheryl works to ensure community members are scheduled and registered for their care in a timely manner.  The passion for her patients and staff that she displays every day is admirable. 

For information about a career at Northwest Health visit NWHealthIN.com and click on careers.

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