Kettering Health

 Changing the Future for Greater Dayton Families

Story by Konni Lorenz

Krista drives home with two toddlers in the backseat of her Mercury Mystique and waits for her fiancé, Ron, to answer the phone.

“Ron,” Krista begins slowly when he picks up. “I can understand if you don’t still want to get married, but I could not let these 15-month-old twin boys go into the system.

So, I’m bringing them home.”

Earlier that day, Krista’s niece, a 20-year-old single mother, awaited a verdict on her case. Krista sat in the courtroom, supporting her.

Story by Kettering Health Staff

The Kettering Health family congratulates Jonathan Duffy, former executive director of Mission and Ministry, on his retirement at the end of 2023. Since joining Kettering Health in 2020, Duffy helped advance the system’s mission outreach and spiritual care functions by developing strong community relationships, leading our chaplains across the system, and advancing outreach to underserved communities.

Image by Anja from Pixabay

“Blessed”: That’s the word that exudes from Adalberto Agosto-Burgos as he describes the past three years of his life.

Adalberto was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where he served as a police officer for 13 years. In 2014, he found himself with a new co-worker: Ken Pitney from Lebanon, Ohio, who had been assigned to work on the island.

The two served together for three years before Ken had to return to his hometown for a family emergency in 2017. Having built a strong friendship, they vowed to stay in touch.

Kettering Health's Dr. Patel and his team

Story by Ben Riggs

 

Get Dr. Akil Patel talking about his kids, and you’ll hear his fatherly pride. He leans forward, grins ear to ear, and has countless pictures on his phone. Get him talking about the human brain, and you’ll hear his child-like wonder. He explains it using his hands, eyes widened behind his thin, black- rimmed glasses, and has stories galore on his mind.

The 37-year-old vascular neurosurgeon knows a thing or two about the three-pound organ between our ears. From residency at the University of Maryland to training at Johns Hopkins and Seattle’s Swedish Neuroscience Institute, he has committed all his brain to understanding ours.