DOWAGIAC, MI-Sandy Burden has retired from Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital after 29 years of dedicated service.

“It has been an honor to know and work with Sandy,” said Joy Strand, administrator and chief operating officer, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital. “Her skill, professionalism and kindness will be greatly missed. We wish her a happy and fulfilling retirement.”

Burden spent most of her career at Borgess-Lee as a charge nurse in the operating room. During her tenure, she also worked on 2 North as a charge nurse, as well as in the special care unit (SCU). “I will always keep in my heart working with Drs. Patel, Wierman, Zaman and Chang, and my wonderful coworkers. We were a very professional team.”

In her retirement, Burden and her husband, Dan, will make a special pilgrimage to visit Paula Deen’s famous restaurant in Georgia. She has plans to spend more time with her grandchildren, attending many of their sporting events and activities. For some fun and recreation, she and her husband will also participate in aqua aerobics classes at the Niles YMCA.

Jonathan Nykamp, RN, MSN, family nurse practitioner (FNP), has joined the staff of Borgess Lee Bone & Joint.

“We welcome Jonathan to Borgess Lee Bone & Joint,” said Joy Strand, administrator and chief operating officer, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital. “His experience as a family nurse practitioner in orthopedics greatly enhances the practice, enabling us to continue offering our patients high-quality bone and joint care without having to travel far from home.”

Certified as an FNP by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Nykamp previously worked at Spectrum Health Orthopedic and Total Joint Center. He is currently on staff at Orthopedic Associates of Kalamazoo. Nykamp received his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Calvin College and master’s degree in nursing from Grand Valley State University. He is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing.

Nykamp joins Robert Schaefer, MD, and Tracy Smith, certified physician assistant (PA-C). To make an appointment or learn more about Borgess Lee Bone & Joint, call (269) 783.3053.

On August 9, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital held a celebration honoring Boonchoo Chang, MD, internal medicine specialist, Jashu N. Patel, MD, general surgery, Mohammad S. Zaman, MD, general surgery, and James L. Wierman, DO, internal medicine specialist. The physician recognition event was held from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Fred L. Mathews Library and Conference Center, Southwestern Michigan College. “We are grateful to have benefited from the expertise, compassion and dedication of all of these outstanding caregivers,” said Joy Strand, administrator and chief operating officer, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital. “They have committed their entire careers to our community, and their collective contribution to the health and wellbeing of families and people who live here is, indeed, a wonderful gift.”

The physician recognition event included hors d’oeuvres, wine and refreshments, as well as special presentation featuring the following speakers: Chuck Burling, board chair, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, Karen Judd, board chair, Lee Memorial Foundation, and Paul Spaude, president and chief executive officer, Borgess Health. Joy Strand also presented each of the four doctors with framed portraits.

About The Doctors

Dr. Chang practiced at 417 West High Street in Dowagiac since 1977. Board certified in internal and geriatric medicine, he officially joined Borgess Lee Medical Group in 2008. Prior to 2008, Dr. Chang was in private practice. During that time, he provided internal and geriatric medicine to thousands of area residents. Dr. Chang graduated with his medical degree from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, and received residency training in internal medicine at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in Allen Park and Grace Hospital in Detroit.

Dr. Patel’s practice at 515 Main Street became part of Borgess Lee Medical Group in 2009. Before 2009, Dr. Patel delivered comprehensive general surgery services and primary care medicine to Dowagiac and Cass County through his private practice at the same location. Board certified by the American Board of Surgery, he received his medical degree from The Baroda Medical College in India and his residency training in general surgery from The Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York.

Dr. Zaman, general surgeon, served patients at his South Lowe Street practice for over 40 years. He was an accomplished physician who gave great amounts of time and energy to both his patients, as well as the hospital that helped serve them. Reflecting the incredible service he has provided, in March 2011, the Cass County Board of Commissioners adopted an official resolution that recognized the “faithfulness and devotion to those he has helped and served.”

Dr. Wierman, board certified in internal medicine, was central in founding the Cass County Free Health Clinic in 2003. Through the clinic, Dr. Wierman cared for about 25 uninsured adults per week. In addition to his role as the free clinic’s primary physician, he served patients at his 400 West Division Street practice for more than three decades. Dr. Wierman has performed mission work on many occasions, particularly in Haiti. Currently, he is on the board of the Episcopal University of Haiti, a four-year baccalaureate School of Nursing.

The collective contributions these four physicians provided to Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital reflect a remarkable legacy of commitment and caring leadership. In addition to their individual practices, each physician has served as the hospital’s chief of staff, chief of service, chair of the credentials and by-laws committees, and as members of the board of trustees. They have also served on many of the hospital’s key operations committees, including surgery, infection control, pharmacy, therapeutics and long-range planning.