Jenica Campbell has been managing her Crohn’s disease for 20 years. The disease requires routine provider appointments, medications, surgeries and constant vigilance for new or worsening symptoms. Thankfully, she receives the care and support she needs at Hillsdale Surgical Group and Hillsdale Hospital’s outpatient infusion clinic.
For patients with an inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s, infusion therapy can be more effective at managing symptoms than oral medication. Jenica’s provider prescribed an intravenous (IV) medication that required frequent visits for several hours at a time. Rather than driving out of town and adding hours to her busy schedule, Hillsdale Hospital’s Center for Infusion Care offered Jenica high-quality infusion services close to home.
During her infusion appointments, Jenica appreciated how the staff made her experience as comfortable as possible.
“I enjoyed myself,” Jenica said. “[The nurse] was really good at getting the IV in.”
The infusion staff were also accommodating whenever Jenica needed to make changes to her schedule.
“My experience was great with them,” Jenica said. “They worked with me if I couldn’t make an appointment. They said, ‘Just call us, we’ll work with you, or if you need to come in at a later time.”
What made the most impact was how Jenica’s care team treated her like a person instead of a number.
“[The nurse] would always ask how I was doing,” Jenica recalled. “It made me feel like she cared.”
Jenica Campbell (Left) with Kaitlyn Blankenberger, PA-C (Right)
Although Jenica’s IV medication adequately managed her symptoms for a while, eventually, the treatment was less effective. Thankfully, whenever Jenica needs to make changes to her chronic care plan, she can rely on Kaitlyn Blankenberger, PA-C at Hillsdale Surgical Group. Blankenberger’s expertise in chronic inflammatory bowel disease means that she can guide patients like Jenica through all the ups and downs of their illness.
“[Jenica] has moderate to severe Crohn’s disease,” Blankenberger said. “She came to me already on biologic therapy and was undergoing infusions at the hospital, but not at optimal treatment.”
Blankenberger and Jenica continue to work as a team, adapting Jenica’s care plan to better manage her Crohn’s disease.
“Using shared decision making, we decided to escalate therapy to a better biologic medication,” Blankenberger explained.
With an experienced provider and quality infusion services close by, Jenica can take the next steps in her care plan confidently.
Learn about infusion services at Hillsdale Hospital: https://www.hillsdalehospital.com/services/infusion-iv-therapy/
