The lazy days of summer (if there is still such a thing) have passed and the hustle and bustle of autumn is settling in. The warm weather typically sticks with us through much of September; however, change is coming. School is back in session; the evening light is shrinking by the week — a new season is upon us.

Midwesterners are blessed with the opportunity to enjoy the full range of seasonal changes. Many aspects of life revolve around the seasons, such as our schedules, interests and of course, our health. No matter the time of year, Columbus Regional Health and our talented, dedicated staff and healthcare providers strive to meet our patients’ needs wherever they are in their healthcare journey. We are also diligently working to meet the needs of the communities we serve.

For example, we have been on the frontlines to tackle the opioid and substance abuse issue that plagues our area. We are committed to leading initiatives and developing programs to address the problem, work upstream to prevent it and offer support to those suffering and their loved ones. As a piece of this work, we recently opened the Columbus Regional Health Treatment and Support Center to serve patients with substance use disorder. This new outpatient center provides behavioral and medication-assisted treatment with programs catered to meet each individual’s needs and offer resources for friends and loved ones.

We’re also excited to announce the implementation of our systemwide electronic medical record platform. Epic unites all our inpatient and outpatient providers, departments and services and most important, extending access to MyChart for all your personal health information.

This summer proved to be a busy and exciting one for Columbus Regional Health, and as usual, at the center of everything — our reason “why” — is you, the patient and the communities we serve. As you head into fall, I hope you enjoy the change in season and know that we’re here when you need us!