CRMC welcomes plastic surgeon Dr. Walter Bernacki

On Aug. 11 Coshocton Regional Medical Center hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the 311 Building to celebrate the new plastic surgery center with board-certified plastic surgeon Walter L. Bernacki, MD.

"When Dr. Bernacki reached out to us, we were thrilled to welcome the opportunity to have someone that provides these services here locally. Prior to him coming here, there wasn't any availability of this service. That's why we are always looking for services that are needed and how we can help meet those needs. Welcome. You are going to be a great asset to the hospital and to the community. We couldn't be more thrilled to have you here," said Melissa Snyder, regional director of physician services for Coshocton Regional Medical Center.

Coshocton County Commissioner Bob Bigrigg also welcomed him to the community and CRMC. “On behalf of the board of commissioners, we are certainly thrilled to have you here."

Mayor Mark Mills said, “It's good that local people aren't driving out of town. They are staying here, going to the doctor and going to the hospital locally. We are glad you're here and opening up new opportunities at our hospital."

Hannah Gallagher from the Coshocton Port Authority also welcomed Bernacki. "You will be an improvement to the quality of life here in Coshocton, and that's a big deal for us, so thank you."

Bernacki said, "I am a board-certified plastic surgeon. I'm excited to be here at Coshocton Hospital. Today is my first day in the clinic. We already have a full half day of patients scheduled. When we finish the festivities, I will see about 10 or 15 patients. I'm hoping to see pre-op patients.”

He specializes in all areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

“In the areas of cosmetic surgery, that is usually what people are familiar with when they hear the word plastic surgeon,” Bernacki said. “Many people think all we do is breast enlargements, face-lifts, tummy tucks and liposuction. Even though I have over 25 years of experience doing that, I also do the reconstructive side of plastic surgery, and those are often the procedures that are covered by insurance companies. One of the biggest operations I do is breast reduction surgery. Oftentimes, I will have patients that come to see me directly or in referral from their primary care doctor, OBGYN or family practice doctor. They will have complaints of neck pain, back pain or shoulder pain and tell me that they have had large breasts most of their life and they are looking for some relief.

"They usually don't realize that this is covered by most insurance companies, and often, they don't need a direct referral. They can come to the office. We will do a consultation, which takes about 20 minutes, and we can get it approved through the insurance company. The surgery takes about two hours, and recovery time is about two weeks. After surgery when I see patients at the follow-up in maybe a week or a month after their breast reduction, they tell me that they wished they had known it was this easy to have it done and they would have done it a lot sooner. They also can't believe how speedy the recovery time is, and the results are almost immediate.

"So breast reduction surgery is one of the things when coming into a community that doesn't have a plastic surgeon available and that this will immediately fill a void — also, skin cancer treatment, reconstruction and all the self-pay or cosmetic procedures that people normally think about when they think about plastic surgery.”

Bernacki specializes in trauma as well. "It's hard to care for trauma patients when you are not in the area full-time. Plastic surgeons also take care of dog bites, facial lacerations and a host of facial fractures from the jaw to the orbit to the nose. We will be able to provide all of these services, and hopefully, we can do them right here at Coshocton Hospital," he said.

Bernacki was informed about this opportunity from his brother Brad Bernacki, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who he has been seeing patients at Coshocton Regional Medical Center for the last five years.

"He's been telling me how wonderful this environment is," Walter Bernacki said. "I do a variety of cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries, specific to the community here, and I think I can provide new services in the areas of skin cancer and skin cancer reconstruction. Oftentimes, when people are diagnosed with skin cancer, it can be on their face, and it can involve a particularly sensitive and challenging area such as their nose, their lips, their eyes or their ears. Whenever they need that skin cancer removed, oftentimes, it needs a special type of reconstruction that only plastic surgeons are trained to do.

"We can do flaps, skin grafts and other techniques to do restorative reconstruction to areas and make them look as normal as possible. Another area of expertise involves experience in breast surgery, and that's one of the areas that I am specialized in. Right now we are seeing patients one day a month and hope to increase that to two days each month.”