News

McLaren Health Care, the three-state, fully integrated health care system, has announced a partnership with Saginaw Valley State University that will provide all qualified full- and part-time employees wishing to further their education with a 30 percent discount on tuition and all associated fees for in-person and online courses through the university, located less than 10 miles from McLaren Bay Region hospital in Bay City. All McLaren Health Care employees throughout the state — regardless of job clas...

Gynecologic cancers are often referred to as silent diseases because many of the early symptoms are familiar to females and can be easily missed. According to the American Cancer Society, more females will be diagnosed with gynecologic cancer in 2023 than colon cancer. Among the five most common gynecologic cancers, almost 115,000 females will receive a new diagnosis this year. So, what are your chances of developing gynecologic cancer? These cancers only occur in the female reproductive system, so all ...

Mustafa Alnounou, MD, gastroenterology, is McLaren Flint's third-quarter Physician Recognition Award recipient. Robin Galazka, CRNA, anesthesia department, has recieved the quarterly Allied Health Recognition Award. They were honored in front of their peers at separate ceremonies. One nominator said, "Dr. Alnounou consistently demonstrates qualities of a good consultant, physician, teacher, and colleague. He treats all of us, residents and faculty, with respect, no matter our level of training...

Hannah Burnor was vacationing with her family when she discovered a lump in her right breast. “I wasn’t worried about it,” Hannah said. “I thought it might be a clogged milk duct.” The 27-year-old mother of two girls had been struggling to breastfeed her newborn daughter because she could not pump milk from her right breast. It had also become swollen and uncomfortable.  Concerned about the newly discovered lump, Hannah’s doctor ordered an ultrasound.  She ended up having two of the imaging te...

  McLaren Flint, part of McLaren Health Care and the 378-bed hospital serving all of Genesee County, was named one of 'Flint & Genesee’s Top 10 Employers’ on September 14, 2023. This new recognition program from the Flint & Genesee Group is being highlighted in the September/October edition of AND, the Group’s bimonthly business magazine. "We are deeply honored to receive this recognition,” said Chris Candela, McLaren Flint President and CEO. "This achievement reflects our unwavering commit...

In the winter of 2022-23, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases were on the rise and coupled with COVID-19 and the flu created what many physicians and public health experts referred to as a ‘tripledemic’ – a trifecta of viral infections causing illnesses, raising the risk of simultaneous infections and additional complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows COVID-19 was associated with approx. 244,000 deaths in the U.S. last year, with the flu season responsible for ...

If you’re looking for someone who can quickly help you with your healthcare needs, a nurse practitioner could be the perfect fit.  A nurse practitioner is a nurse with advanced education and training. Nurse practitioners start by becoming registered nurses, then earn  graduate degrees and pass national board certification exams to be licensed by the state. “A nurse practitioner has to complete at least a master's level degree with an average of 600 clinical training hours,” said Heather Werlin...

McLaren Flint is pleased to announce August’s Outstanding Employee of the Month, Pharmacy Buyer Michael Williams. Michael has been on the McLaren Flint pharmacy team for 12 years. The licensed pharmacy technician moved to the buyer role in 2019. Leadership honored Michael during a late August ceremony. Simply put, colleagues say they can count on Michael in an emergency. Twice this year, he has helped co-workers in medical distress. Pharmacy Director Suzy Wilson said she also witnessed Michael assisting...

A prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test is one of the best ways to detect prostate cancer , along with a digital rectal exam (DRE). Both tests look for signs of prostate issues. Through a simple blood test, physicians measure the amount of PSA in the bloodstream. PSA is produced by the prostate gland. Elevated PSA levels could mean issues within the prostate. Though high PSA levels may not always mean prostate cancer, patients diagnosed with prostate cancer usually have elevated levels. To confirm ...

Prostate cancer screenings are never the highlight of Dave Gehring’s year, but he makes sure he never misses them. “I highly recommend men have physicals every year, with blood tests and a prostate check. It doesn’t take long, and it may extend your life,” Dave said. When his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) started to climb, Dave had to have testing more often.   “My urologist was keeping an eye on my PSA. It was going up and down and then it stayed up for over a year and a half,” Dave said.  ...