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For your well-being...
Reaching out...
Building Your Foundation...
Generosity, Charity or simply Compassion...
Chemotherapy Center Being Planned for Daniels Memorial The local Cancer Support Group, with the help from the Memorial Hospital Foundation, is planning special fund-raisers to furnish a room at Daniels Memorial Hospital as a chemotherapy center. The selling of memorial balloons, with appropriate names on them, to be released all at once at a later date, is the first step. Other ideas discussed included a bike-a-thon and a quilt raffle. These balloons, memorials to honor past or present cancer victims, will become available at a booth at the Daniels County Fair Aug. 6-7-8 and will continue to be sold until the release date. Tentative plans are for this to be the first Sunday in October at a pink lemonade party and balloon memorial. To date, Valarie Stepp, ACNP and RNs Janice Germaine and Naomi Reed of Memorial Hospital have been certified in chemotherapy administration. Cancer rate is high in this area and patients are regularly being forced to travel elsewhere to receive chemo treatment. Just among those known by the local Cancer support Group, 27 have received at lease one chemotherapy series and the total number of patients from this county area who have traveled for them in the past few years would be far greater. Each series averages about six treatments and many patients require more than one series. So we are talking about hundreds of trips of more than 100 miles (one way), made in all kinds of weather, which could be saved by the comparably modest cost of setting up a chemo center here. And these trips are made when the patient is not feeling at all well, especially during the return drive. An estimated $5,000 to $7,000 will be needed to comfortably furnish the room, hook up a “hood,” and get it up and running. This amount is after a donation of an expensive used hood by Deaconess in Billings, which was not currently in use. Although some facilities get by without a hood, this piece of equipment provides an A-Septic environment for mixing the drugs for patients whose immune system has been compromised due to cancer treatment and cannot stand any foreign substances. A homelike atmosphere is considered necessary for these treatments, which take sometime. This could include recliners, TV/VCR, having music available, house plants, etc.
Mission Matters St. Vincent’s “healing ministry” is touching even more lives thanks to an exciting new fund. The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System is allowing each affiliate to set aside a portion of our operating reserves, and to use the interest earned on that portion for Mission Fund awards within our community. This Mission Fund is to be used only for mission purposes with a focus on “care of the poor.” The sole purpose of the Mission Fund is to increase outreach to the vulnerable and poor in our community. Beneficiaries to date include:
Other awards are being considered. And, this is just the beginning, as we believe this Mission Fund work will continue from year to year as part of our healing ministry.
Non-Profit Spotlight: North Valley Hospital Growing to Care...Even Better Do you appreciate having a good hospital and excellent medical staff in the community in which you live? None of us know from one moment to the next when we or one of our loved ones may benefit from that care. North Valley Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital governed by a volunteer Board of Directors selected from the community. Although a public facility, NVH receives no tax support for its services. North Valley Hospital has an annual budget of $23 million and as Whitefish’s largest employer has a $6 million payroll for its 282 employees. The last ten years have brought a tremendous growth in services. NVH now treats over 7,000 people each year in the emergency room, performs over 1,600 surgeries, has over 200 births, performs over 77,000 laboratory tests and provides over 13,000 radiology services. Some of the community benefits provided by North Valley Hospital include more than $25,000 in kind lab and radiology for Shephard’s Hand Clinic, nearly $400,000 yearly in charity care, free transportation via Eagle Transit to medical appointments in Columbia Falls and Whitefish, free community health education lectures, and health education for school students. Built 30 years ago, the facility is in desperate need of renovation and expansion to keep up with the increasing number of patients as well as advances in the delivery of health care.
Community Meal As a way to say “Thank You!” to our customers, Holy Rosary Healthcare provides a free Community Meal each January that is cooked and served by staff, Board Members, Physicians and Volunteers. In January 2001, just over 400 community members enjoyed a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings and pie to top it all off.
Loan Closet The North Valley Hospital Auxiliary has a “loan closet.” You might ask: What’s that? Loaning what? Where is it? All good questions about a service available to community members, even if you are not a hospital patient. Three years ago, Bill Flint, co-chair with his wife Anita of the Auxiliary’s Trash’n Treasure annual sale, found medical equipment among donated items. “Hey, this stuff should go to people who need it. Surely there are those who could use it short term or need it for longer but can’t afford to buy it,” Flint thought. Soon he had set up the NVH Auxiliary Medical Equipment Loan Program. Crutches, commodes, wheelchairs, bathtub benches and walkers are stored in a closet in the basement of the hospital. The collection includes some specialized equipment such as cam walkers for use after foot surgery. Each piece is clean and in good working order. Each has a sheet hanging on it to be filled out when the equipment is borrowed. If your teenager crashes on the ski hill and needs crutches, they can be borrowed. If you have an elderly parent coming to visit and need a bathtub bench or chair, try the loan closet before renting or buying. “ There is no charge, use it as long as you need it, and return it clean, that’s all we ask,” said Flint. “And of course we need donations. We can’t loan out what we don’t have. We especially need commodes - the free standing type on legs. If you have to buy one because we don’t have it, please donate it to the Loan Program when you’re finished with it.” Some of the equipment is expensive, like a hospital bed or hand controls for a vehicle. The Loan Program aims to pass the items along so they double-use instead of lying idle in a garage.
FMDH employees give to Valley County Coalition Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital (FMDH) has an Employee Board that represents all employees and departments of the hospital. The Employee Board is a way for employees to make FMDH the best place to work. Employee representatives bring employee issues to the board for recommendations and action. FMDH employees enjoy dressing casually on Fridays for a minimal fee. The casual day fund is then given to a community cause. The Employee Board directed $500 to be given to the Valley County Coalition. The Valley County Coalition’s vision reads as follows: “In our community, we promote, educate and advocate for a sate environment where individuals and families are free to choose and pursue healthy behaviors with dignity and respect for each other.” The Coalition is active with youth center programs, abstinence as the best choice program, mentoring program, after-school programs, arts and culture programs, youth leadership training and drug and alcohol awareness programs. Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital is one of the largest employers in the county and brings many families with children to our community. FMDH partners with Valley County coalition in providing a safe environment to our families.
Help Flight HELP stands for Helicopter Emergency Lifesaving Program, an apt name, because that’s what it does - HELP Flight saves lives. It was certainly instrumental in saving Braden Ewalt’s life. The HELP Flight program, with both a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft, was established by St. Vincent Healthcare in 1979. HELP Flight is a critical component of advanced medical care in Montana, serving both Billings’ hospitals, emergency medical and law enforcement personnel, and residents of rural communities, farms and ranches. Each year, St. Vincent Healthcare donates about $400,000 to cover costs of the HELP Flight program. This figure is on the rise; since January 1, 2001, there has been an 80% increase in the number of reimbursement claims rejected by Medicare. “ This is truly a community service, especially vital in a rural state like ours,” says Linda Baugh, Special Projects Coordinator for the St. Vincent Foundation. “That’s why HELP Flight was chosen as the beneficiary of the 2001 SAINTS celebration. All proceeds will benefit HELP Flight, to ensure that when someone else needs the sort of assistance Braden needed, HELP will be there.”
Cash and In-Kind Donations Twice each year, the Shrine Clinic for Children is held at Holy Rosary through the local Shriners. During the Outreach and Screening Clinics, physicians from Spokane, WA examine the children referred to the Shrine Clinic and some children receive x-rays in the Radiology Services Department, that are provided free of charge to the patient and their family. A Radiology Services staff member also gives of her time to be available for these clinics. At the Shrine Clinics held in July 2000 and May 2001, 9 children received examinations in the Radiology Services Department - a community benefit recorded at $3,642.
Hospital puts “4 for 2” over the top With a check for $400, Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital has put Sen. Sam Kitzenberg’s “4 for 2” campaign over the initial goal of raising $10,000 by July 4. “The hospital supports economic development in the area and we see this four-lane highway as a way of doing that,” said FMDH CEO Randy Holom as he presented the check. “ Four hundred dollars for the four-lane by the Fourth of July has a nice ring to it,” Sen. Kitzenberg said. “It was a goal I didn’t think we could reach in only one month of campaigning.” The “4 for 2” campaign is to upgrade U.S. Highway 2 from a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway across the Hi-Line of Montana. The “4 for 2” committee will use the funds to educate the public on the economic impact the four- lane could make to northeast Montana.
New Flag Pole Old Glory will once again fly with pride at the Montana State Hospital thanks to efforts from the Anaconda American Legion, ARCO, Anaconda Job Corps and the employees of the Montana State Hospital. The Anaconda American Legion is donating a flag to the hospital and plans to dress in full colors for a flag raising ceremony. ARCO has donated the flagpole and the Anaconda Job Corps is assembling the pole with a pulley device. The Montana Power Company is donating the lighting for the flagpole. Raffle tickets are being sold to raise funds to supplement the efforts of these community organizations. A base will need to be constructed and an eagle will be constructed and located at the top of the flagpole. A beautiful hand made king size quilt made by Diane Barres, valued at $1,500 will be the grand prize of the raffle and an oak coat rack made by the Vocational Carpentry Program at Montana State Hospital will be offered as second prize. The quilt will be on display at the Montana State Hospital booth, located at Beyond Necessity Gifts during the Christmas Stroll on Friday night and on Sunday, December 2 during Good Neighbors Day. Along with the raffle tickets, goodies and hot drinks will be sale at the booth. A Montana State Hospital employee appreciation night is also scheduled for December 12th. Anaconda business will stay open later that night and offer discounts to Montana State Hospital employees. A portion of the sales will be donated to the flag pole efforts.
Mission Matters St. Vincent Healthcare Mission Funds awards made possible by interest earned on a portion of our operating reserves are having a significant impact in our community. Here are some examples of services that have been providing as a result.
These are just a few recent examples of how St. Vincent Healthcare is responding to community needs as part of our Healing Ministry.
Mountainview Medical Center The Education Department has recently received funding for several education projects at Mountainview Medical Center. The Montana Health Research and Education Foundation in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services awarded MMC better than $14,000 for education that would benefit Critical Access Hospitals and the community. Projects that were funded include: Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum and Pediatric Advanced Life Support Training for nursing staff. Both of these intensive trainings will benefit the community by providing professionally trained nursing staff in an emergency situation. This has also been a long-term goal of the organization and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to advance our nursing education goals. Another project that was funded in the grant is the development of a Core Competency Certification program also for nursing staff. One of the challenges in a Critical Access Hospital setting is the breadth of nursing skills that are required. Unlike large hospitals, our nurses are not specialty nurses; they are a “nurse of all trades.” A Core Competency program will insure our nurses are ready to meet the challenge of rural nursing care. Ben Younkin will be working with Mary Clare McGuire, a nursing instructor in Havre to develop this program. The MHA...An Association of Montana Health Care Providers is also looking at it as a pilot program. The balance of the grant was awarded to the Education Department to develop a “virtual classroom” for the facility. The program is called “Connect the Dots” and will provide all staff member’s access to training and education twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Classes are scheduled to go live early next year and include courses on Patient Privacy, Medicare Compliance, Staff Leadership and various Quality Improvement projects. Staff members will be able to log-in to the classroom, complete their course work, submit an assessment to the Education office, receive a certificate of completion and their participation will be documented. The virtual classroom will enable the Education Department to provide quality training in a cost and time effective manner.
Barrett Hospital & HealthCare In today’s diverse society, there is no single form of care that fits every person. In response to the diversity of concerns and requests from patients in Beaverhead County, we have developed programs to respond to those needs. The Home Health program provides skilled nursing to people in their homes. For people who have needs, but do not meet Medicare or insurance skilled nursing criteria, we offer Residential Care, a fee for service program. In a third, very similar program, we provide home care to clients in the Medical Waiver program. The Hospice program provides interdisciplinary team care and support to patients with terminal conditions. Through this program we offer the dying person and family a choice of the manner in which they wish to spend the final days of life. We support this choice with assistance to promote a caring relationship to enhance the quality of life. Our staff of registered and licensed practical nurses serve the above programs. County residents can quickly discern this traveling team of nurses by their brightly colored jackets. Additionally, you may spot these nurses at the Public School District, The Next Best Place, and the Montana Youth Challenge program. Another avenue of help for county residents is the Community Caring program. This program seeks to provide improved health care to low-income needy county residents by partnering with the hospital and local health care providers. Areas of care include physical care, hospital care, pharmacy, dental and vision services. Care is provided at a discounted fee and program participants make reduced payments consistent with their ability to pay. One final program to assist hospital and community patients is the Barrett Memorial Hospital Charity Committee. During the current fiscal year, the hospital donated $103,211 in charitable write-offs. The Community Caring program works closely with the Charity Committee to determine need and patient eligibility. As part of our on-going efforts to improve and enhance our services to our patients, we asked in our surveys how we were doing meeting your spiritual needs. Many of you indicated that we could be doing better. As a result, we contracted the Dillon Ministerial Association and asked for help in establishing a program. The new Barrett Memorial Hospital Volunteer Chaplain Program currently has seven official participants. The Chaplains are pastors and lay ministers from local churches. Their desire is to be a source of spiritual help to patients and their families during their hospital stays. Our Volunteer Chaplains are committed to respecting and providing for individual religious beliefs, ethnic values, and experiences, regardless of religious affiliation. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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