In December 2021 the Foundation team spoke with Kyle Balzereit, a Physician Assistant about the critical supports Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) provided to our community during the pandemic
What role do you play at the Brant Community Healthcare System and why are you proud to be part of the BCHS Family?
As a Physician Assistant in the Emergency Department I work alongside the medical team as a physician extender. Our role is to assess, diagnose, and treat patients for a wide variety of emergency medical issues. I am proud to work for an organization that was an early-adopter of physician assistants, which allows me to work alongside such terrific Nurses, Physicians, Unit Clerks, and Allied Health staff.
How is your department providing excellent care?
During COVID, our department stepped up to the plate to take on our communities COVID challenges head on. As a Physician Assistant while treating COVID positive patients in the ER, we also complete follow up calls to patients with COVID to check in on how they are managing at home, and even give COVID vaccines to patients. Outside of the pandemic it’s business as usual, people come in with all kinds of ailments and we do our part to treat the acute heart attacks, strokes, traumas, etc., treating sick children and babies, while being a beacon for our marginalized and at-risk members of our community.
What are the benefits of having your service in the community?
Having Physician Assistants working in our Emergency Department allows for better and more prompt care, as well as fills in some of the gaps our healthcare system naturally has. While caring for patients in the ER, we also continue to follow-up on patients who have been discharged. Any test result that is pending when a patient is discharged from the ER we follow up on, and call the patient to ensure the treatment plan is appropriate and that things are going well.
How have donor dollars impacted your area?
Our community has outgrown the physical constraints of our current ER structure, so donor dollars are being put towards our ER expansion plan for creating our NEW Emergency Department. This new expansion plan will revolutionize our capabilities and capacities for patient care and would not be possible without the generosity of people who donate to our BCHS Foundation.
Please give an example of a patient story from your area that really made you feel you had provided impactful patient-centered care:
I had a pleasure of caring for a very nice patient who unfortunately broke her wrist. The ER team was able to successfully reset her wrist in the ER and prevent a surgery from having to take place. She felt that she wanted to “pay it forward” and placed a donation to the BCHS Foundation so we can continue to care for others in her community.
Tell us something you don’t think the community knows about Physician Assistants and the Emergency Department at the BCHS:
Physician Assistants are an integral part in ensuring the flow and medical care of the ER is as efficient and effective as possible. We continue to work in this fast-paced environment, working long hours through life-saving situations to provide our community with great care, and I’m honored to work alongside such terrific people at the BCHS.
