Morrow County nurses embrace growth and collaboration as full OhioHealth associates

OhioHealth Morrow County Hospital nurses are embracing new opportunities for growth, collaboration and enhanced patient care as they fully integrate into the OhioHealth system. Jessica Schwartz, BSN, RN, director of nursing, Morrow County Hospital, often reflects on the transition, highlighting improvements in morale, communication, and professional development.

Schwartz, who has been with the hospital for 13 years, emphasized the excitement surrounding the expanded resources and support nurses will now have through OhioHealth.

“I’m most excited about the different opportunities,” she said, “Nurses are happier to come to work.”

A stronger sense of belonging

One of the most immediate changes has been a boost in nurse morale, even with just the switch to color-coded scrubs.

"Before joining OhioHealth, we were not doing that, and now the staff feels like they look very professional,” Schwartz noted. “They’ve made comments about how they feel like they’re now part of ‘something bigger.’”

Patients have also noticed changes, particularly with clearer identification of caregivers.

“They have noticed the name tags that say RN or PSA”, Schwartz said, “There have been positive comments about patients knowing the nurse who is taking care of them.”

Access to expanded resources

Schwartz is optimistic about the access Morrow County Hospital nurses now have to OhioHealth’s specialized departments for compliance, safety and quality. “Because we’re a small organization, managers have multiple things they’re covering,” she said, “With OhioHealth, we have individualized associates who can really hone in and dig deep into those specific areas.”

Nurses have also benefited from OhioHealth’s communication channels. Schwartz noted how system-wide newsletters like the Nurse Leader Update and additional tools on OhioHealth’s internal platform, eSource have really enhanced their collaboration with the system.

Enhancing patient care and services

While Morrow County Hospital has always prioritized quality patient care, Schwartz anticipates further improvements through a more advanced infrastructure.

“We have an old building here, so we’re trying to modernize a lot of those things, making it look nicer and bringing it up to look like the OhioHealth standards,” she said.

A major upcoming change for nurses will be the transition to the Epic electronic medical record system, scheduled for February 2026.

“We'll have MyChart and nurses and clinicians will be able to see what if a patient was in Marion yesterday and they’re coming here,” Schwartz said. “Just that connectivity within the organization within the medical record… we feel like the care will be there.”

Opportunities for growth and stability

This transition has opened doors for Morrow County Hospital nurses’ career development. “Before, we didn’t have that opportunity for growth,” Schwartz explained. “Typically, nurses had to wait for somebody to retire or somebody to transition before they ever got an opportunity to move into a different role. I think that with OhioHealth and the large care system that nurses now have access to those opportunities.”

OhioHealth’s tuition reimbursement program is another major benefit for nurses. “We had tuition reimbursement before, but not to the robustness of OhioHealth,” Schwartz said. “This gives staff more opportunities to grow within their organization or within their careers."

Perhaps most importantly, the integration has brought a sense of stability without any uncertainty. Before integration, Schwartz noted questions like, “Will we have a hospital? Will we be OhioHealth?” would come up.

Now, Morrow County nurses know this organization is here to stay, and their patients can continue receiving care in their community.

“That’s a big morale boost,” she said.

Looking ahead

As Morrow County Hospital nurses continue forward as full OhioHealth associates, Schwartz is optimistic about the future. “There are always hiccups with a transition like this, but I’m excited for our staff and the different opportunities we’ll have,” she said.

Ultimately, Schwartz believes the transition ensures that Morrow County Hospital nurses will continue to serve patients and their families.

“It might look differently later on, but we feel like there'll be something here for our community members to always come and get their care.”