First Millcreek mayor prioritizes quality healthcare for community
Mayor Jeff Silvestrini and his wife, Leslie, were having a glorious day riding their bikes on the Jordan River Trail, when at the 3900 South bridge, Leslie brushed against the chain-link fence trying to avoid an oncoming rider. She avoided the rider, but her wedding ring caught in the fence, breaking her ring finger.
Jeff rode ahead to fetch their car and took her straight away to St. Marks Emergency room. After a very short wait, x-rays were taken and appointments made to get the finger examined by an orthopedic surgeon. The surgery to successfully pin Leslie's finger was also done at St. Marks and Leslie's finger is now good as new.
No. 1 Promise: Quality healthcare
For the past four years, Jeff has served on the hospital’s Board of Trustees, connecting St. Mark’s, the city’s largest employer, with opportunities to provide quality healthcare and education within the community.
“We have a promise that everyone in Millcreek should have access to quality healthcare,” Jeff said. “St. Mark’s helps make that promise possible in many ways. I’m especially mindful of the dedication and support shown to the Maliheh Free Clinic.”
The Maliheh Free Clinic provides free, same-day access to high quality urgent medical care for those who can’t otherwise afford it. St. Mark’s Hospital physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals donate time and talent to maintain the clinic’s community presence.
“Through my time on St. Mark’s Board, I’ve found the hospital to be a terrific community partner! They provide many valuable services to our community,” Jeff said. “It’s an awesome thing to witness and to play a small role in.”
Together, St. Mark’s Hospital and the City of Millcreek have sought united ways to boost the community’s health and wellbeing. They frequently team up to provide emergency preparedness events free to the public; and St. Mark’s Hospital’s experts consistently host CPR classes and training courses for other local emergency response teams.
Partnering for healthy futures
“It’s heartening to see how engaged everyone is within St. Mark’s Hospital — physicians, staff and administration alike. They display a sincere desire to make St. Mark’s and our community an even better, healthier place,” Jeff said.
Likewise, Millcreek city leaders go above and beyond to support the future of St. Mark’s Hospital. For example, the city engaged in supporting a new 5-story tower for the hospital. The tower will house several procedure rooms, 68 patient rooms and an Admitting department.
“Our city wants to make sure the hospital continues to thrive,” Jeff said “It’s in our interest to help them remain cutting-edge to provide the best possible care for our community. That same initiative will improve the nearby Mill Creek Elementary School, a Title 1 school with kids who need extra help — and that’s exactly what our partnership aims to do (give extra help to people in need) … I’m very much in admiration of the staff and administration at the hospital. I appreciate how they try to do good and do it well.”