Hospitals in Cincinnati bring cutting edge care to the East side

Local hospitals are championing health care on the East Side by expanding care capabilities and engaging experts who are leading the way.

Dr. Jonathan Schilling, a general and robotic surgeon at The Christ Hospital Health Network, takes pride in serving his hometown.

Originally from Owensville in Clermont County, Schilling graduated from high school from McNicholas High School in Mt. Washington. He went to college and received medical training locally, before moving out of state for a few years, where he gained experience at his first practice. He and his wife later moved back to Cincinnati to start a family and to be closer to family.

“I’m very much a local kid and did all of my training here in Southwest Ohio,” says Schilling.

Schilling joined The Christ Hospital Health Network as a general surgeon in 2015. He has adopted using robotics in general surgery, commonly for gallbladder removal, hernia repair, colon removal and anti-reflux surgery.

“It’s something I really embrace. I’m a lucky guy. I’m doing the job that I love in a community I love with what I think is a very appropriate mission, which is taking care of people the best way possible, trying to use the best technology possible,” he says.

When Schilling started with Christ, the hospital had two Da Vinci robots, which were used predominately by gynecologists and urologists for hysterectomies and prostatectomies. With the advancement of robotics, the hospital is now equipped with three Da Vinci Xi’s and a Da Vinci X machines, which give patients more options when it comes to the use of robotics in general surgery

This high-tech surgical option is minimally invasive. Patients experience less down time, less pain, and less chance of infection.

Local providers are also continuing to provide more virtual care and programming.

“We’re looking at our programming to figure out how do we pivot in this new world since COVID. Virtual care is a hot topic and a hot program that patients have come to really appreciate as well as receiving care with all or as many other specialists as possible in one place or one setting,” says Courtney Seitz, chief operating officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health Physicians.

With multi-specialty sites on the rise in the East, two locations are currently under renovation and development. One location is off Five Mile in the Anderson area. The space has been renovated inside and six primary care providers will move into the space. It is expected to open in March.

Milford is also another space that’s getting a makeover.

“Milford is a space that we’ve been in for a long time, but we’re currently re-doing the outside of the space, and we’ve redone the inside of that location. We have six primary care providers in that location, we’ll have four cardiologists in that space, stress testing and echo in that location as well as an obstetrics physician, outreach lab services and radiology services in that space,” Seitz says.

She adds, “We are really trying to think about what we’ve seen and heard from our patients, in trying to go to one place, and receive as many services as possible in that one setting.”

In addition, Anderson Hospital recently launched a renovation project for its emergency department, which began in late September. The project is expected to take about 10 months to complete. The $4.5 million project will allow patients to have easier access to the emergency department by creating better traffic flow for walk-in patients as well as EMS squads bringing patients to the hospital. Anderson Hospital’s emergency department currently cares for over 42,000 patients annually.