Dedicated to the emergency department for McLaren Thumb Region

Having worked in emergency medicine in the Upper Thumb area for 13 years, Dr. Michael Remley D.O. is serving patients through McLaren Thumb Region’s emergency department.

“I am the head of the emergency department at Mclaren Thumb Region and recently became the head of the McLaren Caro Region, so I will be the site director for both departments,” said Remley. “This (month) marks the start of my 13th year in McLaren Thumb. The group I work for has contracted there since 2002.” department.

The group he is referring to is the American Physician Partners, which started out contracting through what was Huron Medical Center before it became McLaren Thumb Region.

“I was on the board of directors and was a former chief of staff,” said Remley. “The hospital defiantly is something that I am dedicated to and I want to make sure that we are providing excellent emergency care out of the emergency department. By taking over the role of director (in both McLaren Thumb and Caro) It is a lot easier to make sure we are providing the quality of care that I want to provide to the community and my group wants to provide to the community.” seeking emergency care at that time. It is that excitement that makes the job interesting.”

It is that change and being in a rural area that enticed Remley to live and work here. To him, that combination is the best way to get to know the community and the patients.

“Being in a rural area you have the challenges of being the only physician or only having a couple of recourses that you would have (more of ) in a major city,” said Remley. “You’ve got to think differently, you’ve got to act differently, and treat the patients a little differently. Not in the medical care you give them but in how you are monitoring and watching them because you have to transfer them an hour to an hour and a half away, especially during the COVID crisis.” about the Thumb is that I learned that everyone (here) is related. Any patient I take care of, through some form of relation, whether it is to the fifth degree or 10th degree, is related to my coworkers and the people that I work with, so I know I am taking care of family members. In emergency medicine, you don’t have that follow-through that you have in other specialties where you see the patient come back to you.”

For Dr. Remley, McLaren Thumb and McLaren Caro are the locations to work and live for a lifetime. For him, it is about serving the community and loving where you work and live.

Before he and his wife lived and worked in the Thumb, Remley, who was born and raised in Pennsylvania, completed his education at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. After his time training in Pontiac, he settled in Vassar and has worked for McLaren Thumb Region (though at the time it was still Huron Medical Center) ever since. He said he has

Remley talked about that dedication and how he handles working in a hectic environment. The emergency department has 24-hour shifts that are run and the change of pace keeps him and the rest of the department on their toes. It is this change of pace style of work which Remley enjoys.