On Thursday, Hobart celebrated and welcomed the new Franciscan ExpressCare and Franciscan WorkingWell in their community with a blessing, an open house, and a ribbon cutting. This marks Franciscan Health’s first presence in the Hobart region, which is a huge step forward for the community. The Franciscan team have been working hard and rapidly to get the Urgent Care and Occupational Health facility up and running. They have evaluated that the opening of this facility is spot on with the market and just in time to provide for the ever changing needs of the area.
Michelle Arvia, Operations Director for Franciscan WorkingWell, spoke about the new establishment.
“We are opening an ExpressCare and a WorkingWell, which is occupational medicine. We are going to be providing both services here and are hoping to open in mid-October,” Arvia said.
She spoke about the services the facility will provide the city of Hobart.
“We will provide healthcare for people in the community. This is the first urgent care in Hobart, and the first presence of Franciscan in the town of Hobart, so this is very exciting for us,” Arvia said.
The blessing ceremony featured a Blessing of Water, a reading from the gospel, and a prayer to bless the facility, its patients, and its employees.
Bob Brody, Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Services Franciscan Alliance, shared a few words in anticipation of the new facility.
“This is exciting for all of us. The challenge was to meet the community’s needs and help lower the cost of healthcare for the patients that we serve,” Brody said. “The world is changing, consumerism is overtaking the traditional marketplace and we have to be able to respond to our patients’ needs, where they need care, and how they can afford to pay for it.”
The open house provided food for its guests, tours of the new facility, and live piano music to accentuate the positive atmosphere.
Chris DiGiusto, Vice President of Ambulatory Services for Franciscan Alliance, expressed his passion for his job and shared his enthusiasm for the opening of the facility.
“I am blessed to work for Franciscan, and having my Catholic faith be a part of my home and work life. I get to create new things as a part of my job,” DiGiusto said. “We were challenged with creating this space and this service, it was unique. As you start those processes and bring people together, it starts to take on a life.”
Franciscan ExpressCare and Franciscan WorkingWell in Hobart has most definitely been brought to life by preparing to make its presence known in the area. The anticipation for the new facility is at a high and will forever impact the lives of people in the Hobart community regarding health and express care. If you are interested in Franciscan Health, visit www.franciscanhealth.org.
