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Hillcrest Hospital Claremore is proud to serve Claremore and the surrounding communities. When you place your health in our hands, we take that responsibility to heart. We are continuously working to improve the care we provide for our patients, including our efforts to eliminate or reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). When a patient enters the hospital, there is some risk of acquiring an infection. The infection could come from a variety of sources, from surgical wounds and urinary catheters to IV lines.

During Patient Experience Week (April 23-29), we’re spotlighting patient experience coordinator Madi Rodriguez! Rodriguez has been with Hillcrest Claremore for more than eight years. Before joining Hillcrest, she worked with the Head Start Program in New Jersey. Rodriguez moved to Oklahoma in 2014.

In her role as PX coordinator, Rodriguez visits all the facility’s patients to make sure they’re satisfied with their hospital stay. If there are any issues, she brings them to the attention of upper management so they can be addressed. 

Hillcrest Hospital Claremore’s auxiliary volunteers recently purchased a patient transport chair for the hospital’s radiology department. The group bought transport chairs for out-patient surgery, the emergency room and med-surg departments in the past.

The volunteers routinely supply items like those chairs through fundraising efforts. Most of the funds come from gift shop sales, but the ambitious volunteers also host silent auctions and Bunco parties and sell nuts and treats. 

If you go to Hillcrest Hospital Claremore, you'll likely see volunteers in pink uniforms. One of those volunteers is 90-year-old Betty Oldham (pictured in the center). After starting her nursing career in the 1950s, Oldham is still walking the halls of the hospital. She volunteers with the group of "pink ladies" who help in the gift shop, refresh waiting room magazines and staff the information desk.

For Sammie Wikel, a 29-year-old first-grade teacher at Osage Elementary School in Pryor, life was good.

She lived on the family farm with her husband Derek and his 6-year-old daughter, surrounded by four generations. As they raised horses, cows, goats and even a couple of tortoises on the farm, Wikel also wanted to raise a child of her own.

Even though her first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, they kept trying and were happy to be pregnant again.

Reegan Smith and her husband, both newcomers to Oklahoma, originally had their sights set on an at-home delivery for the birth of their first child. But when circumstances changed, the family was thankful Melinda Steelmon, D.O., and Hillcrest Hospital Claremore were there to provide a calming experience during a chaotic time.

“I felt so cared for by the Hillcrest nurses,” Smith said. “Every single person I interacted with was an absolute angel. I could have had a more traumatic mental experience if I didn’t have the Hillcrest staff with me. They made a world of difference.”

Following a quadruple bypass procedure, Robert Copeland was skeptical when it came to the next steps in his recovery. Thanks to the Hillcrest Hospital Claremore cardiac rehabilitation program, he feels more confident in his future.

“It was really good,” Copeland said. “I hated to see it end.”

We’re proud to share the Hillcrest Hospital Claremore 2021 Community Benefit Report. Along with hospital statistics, this report reflects Hillcrest Claremore’s impact on the community through unfunded care, discounts to uninsured patients and support to local vendors. It’s an honor to provide unsurpassed care and support to our community every day. Click here for the full report.