Archives for 2015

Great American Smokeout

Every November the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout is recognized on the third Thursday of the month with the hope of encouraging smokers to quit for the last time.  OAHS wants to help you succeed in your fight against smoking. If you are interested in quitting please call 320-839-6157 to set up your free smoking cessation consultation with Dr. Bob Ross.

Our staff will help you quit like a champion.

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Northside Medical Clinic Receives 2015 Quality Award

Clinic Quality Award 2015The Minnesota Health Action Group, The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence Champions of Change and the State of Minnesota Quality Incentive Payment System public purchasers, recently recognized Northside Medical Clinic – Ortonville Area Health Services for meeting the improvement goal for the Optimal Vascular Care Quality measure in 2015.

 

The Minnesota Health Action Group is the only Minnesota organization whose sole purpose is to represent the collective voice of those who pay the bill for health care — employers, public purchasers, and individuals. It organizational goals are to drive innovation, collaboration and engagement in ways that improve health care and ensure the economic vitality of all Minnesota communities.

 

The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence (MNBTE) program advances both care delivery and outcomes by rewarding clinics for meeting or exceeding a strict set of care standards for patients with diabetes, depression, and vascular disease. These conditions are known to be primary drivers of health care costs.

Six Weeks to Better Health with Community Acupuncture.

What is Community Acupuncture?

Community style acupuncture is performed in a group setting where patients are treated in a relaxed environment. During these times patients are able to rest peacefully in a reclining chair and receive acupuncture for a reduced fee. In this setting, there is no need to undress as treatments are completed using acupuncture points only on the arms, legs, and head. Having multiple chairs available allows you to stay as long or as short as you would like while receiving acupuncture; as little as 15 minutes up to an hour or more. The average time is 20-25 minutes. You’ll learn when you feel “Done” as your body will become more alert and awake, then the needles can be removed at that time. You can also bring friends or family members to experience acupuncture with you.

Acupuncture community 2

 

 

 

Fairway View Senior Communities: Ground Breaking Ceremony Pictures.


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Richard Ash, CEO of Ortonville Area Health Services, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony.

Richard Ash, CEO of Ortonville Area Health Services, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony.

Ronald Thomas, Chair of Ortonville Area Health Services Health Care Board, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony.

Ronald Thomas, Chair of Ortonville Area Health Services Health Care Board, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony.

Becky Parker, President  Ortonville Economic Development, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony.

Becky Parker, President
Ortonville Economic Development, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony.

Pastor Phillip Ostlund praying at the ground breaking ceremony.

Pastor Phillip Ostlund praying at the ground breaking ceremony.

Richard Ash, CEO of Ortonville Area Health Services, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony

Richard Ash, CEO of Ortonville Area Health Services, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony

 Pictured Left to Right:  Brent Hasslen, President  Hasslen Construction   Steve Berkner, Mayor  City of Ortonville  Rick Moore, AIA, ACHA – Principal  Horty Elving   Bill Thyne, President  Frandsen Bank & Trust, Clinton   Becky Parker, President  Ortonville Economic Development   Michelle Knutson, Trustee  OAHS Health Care Board & Building Committee  Dr. Allan Ross, Vice Chair  OAHS Health Care Board   Mike Dorry, Trustee  OAHS Health Care Board & Building Committee Chair  Ronald Thomas, Chair  OAHS Health Care Board  Richard Ash, CEO  Ortonville Area Health Services


Pictured Left to Right:
Brent Hasslen, President
Hasslen Construction
Steve Berkner, Mayor
City of Ortonville
Rick Moore, AIA, ACHA – Principal
Horty Elving
Bill Thyne, President
Frandsen Bank & Trust, Clinton
Becky Parker, President
Ortonville Economic Development
Michelle Knutson, Trustee
OAHS Health Care Board & Building Committee
Dr. Allan Ross, Vice Chair
OAHS Health Care Board
Mike Dorry, Trustee
OAHS Health Care Board & Building Committee Chair
Ronald Thomas, Chair
OAHS Health Care Board
Richard Ash, CEO
Ortonville Area Health Services

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Sanford Health Network & OAHS Scholarship Recipients.

We are happy to announce that Jamie Gulley and Jenea Schneider are each recipients of a $2,000 scholarship given by Ortonville Area Health Services (OAHS) and Sanford Health Network.

Pictured here with Kevin Benson, CFO for OAHS, the recipients were all smiles.

Congratulations!

Kevin Benson, CFO  with 2015 sanford Health Network Scholarship recipient Jamie Gulley

Kevin Benson, CFO at OAHS, pictured with Jamie Gulley, a recipient of a 2015 Sanford Health Network & Ortonville Area Health Services Scholarship.

 

 

 

2015 Sanford Health Network Scholarship recipient Jenea Schneider and Kevin Benson, CFO at OAHS.

Jenae Schneider and Kevin Benson, CFO at OAHS.  Jenae is a recipient of the 2015 Sanford Health Network & Ortonville Area Health Services Scholarship

Clinic or Emergency Room: Which is right for you?

When an illness or injury occurs, you deserve excellent medical care.

Here is a guideline for when it is best to go to the clinic and when the ER is most appropriate.

Click Here

Fairway View Senior Communities: Ground Breaking Ceremony

Ground Breaking Postcard for web

Sleep Medicine Program Available at Ortonville Area Health Services

In January, 2014, Ortonville Area Health Services began a partnership with Whitney Sleep Diagnostics & Consultants to provide comprehensive sleep medicine services. Patients can now receive diagnosis and treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Insomnia, Restless Legs Syndrome, or any of the 84 known sleep disorders right in Ortonville.

People who snore excessively or stop breathing during sleep may have OSA. It is estimated that up to 18 million American adults have OSA. Untreated OSA can increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and work or traffic-related accidents due to daytime fatigue. People having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or not waking up refreshed, may suffer from a treatable sleep disorder. A simple screening tool, available at any of the clinics associated with Ortonville Area Health Services, can help determine if a sleep study is the best course of action for your situation.

“Sleep medicine continues to grow as a need among our patients, so we’re excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Whitney and his team to bring his expertise to our patients. Their model goes beyond what was previously available here, and is producing better outcomes for our patients,” commented Richard Ash, CEO at Ortonville Area Health Services

Dr. Courtney Whitney, who oversees all aspects of the sleep program at Ortonville Area Health Services, became a Board Certified Sleep Specialist in 2005. In 2008, he created Whitney Sleep Diagnostics specifically to provide comprehensive sleep medicine to the rural market. His decision to partner with rural hospitals provides people living in less populated areas, access to the benefits of a free standing sleep center typically found in larger cities.

“Sleep issues have such an impact on overall health. Our partnership demonstrates the commitment Ortonville Area Health Services has to the communities it serves,” added Dr. Whitney.

iVantage Names Ortonville Area Health Services Top 100 Critical Access Hospital

Top 100 CAH JPG Logo 720pxOrtonville Area Health Services in Ortonville, MN was recently named one of the iVantage Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the United States.

“Ortonville Area Health Services is proud of the efforts our health care team, who together, has made achieving this designation possible,” said Richard Ash, OAHS CEO. “We were excited earlier this year when OAHS was recognized for performing within the top 10% of all hospitals nationwide, however, being recognized as one of the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. takes this excitement to a new level. A national designation like this does not come easily and is a tribute to the commitment of each and every member of our health care team, making a difference each day, to each person we serve. It’s an honor to receive this recognition on behalf of everyone at OAHS.”

Ortonville Area Health Services scored in the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals on the iVantage Hospital Strength INDEX™. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive rating of U.S. acute care hospitals, and the only one to include the country’s 1,300 CAHs. The results recognize that the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals provide a safety net to communities across rural America – measuring them across 62 different performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, affordability, population risk and efficiency. The list of the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and more information about the study can be found at www.iVantageHealth.com.

“Rural healthcare deserves the same performance analysis as all provider performance. It plays a vital role for communities across America, serving nearly 80 million people. The services provided in rural America are similar to those needed in any major metropolitan area, yet the volumes and economic resources provide little economies of scale, making for little benefit from scale. These top 100 Critical Access Hospitals exhibit a focused concern for their community benefits and needs, regardless of scale, reimbursement and people’s ability to pay,” said Michael Topchik, senior vice president of iVantage Health Analytics.

“Our rural hospitals play a crucial role in ensuring Minnesotans have access to high quality care when they need it,” said Lawrence Massa, president and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association. “We are proud of Ortonville Area Health Services for its commitment and dedication to providing high quality care to help keep Minnesotans healthy.”

Ortonville Area Health Services
450 Eastvold Ave.
Ortonville, MN 56278
320-839-6157             www.oahs.us

About iVantage Health Analytics
iVantage is a leading advisory and business analytic services company applying Accelerated Healthcare Transformation™ and the VantagePoints™ platform to drive sustained, evidence-based results. The company’s unique combination of technology, content, and expert advisory services accelerates decision making for the new healthcare.

Ortonville Area Health Services Completes Leading Edge Advanced Practice Topics (LEAPT) Grant.

 

From Left to Right: Sara Tollakson, Cindy Jorgenson, Tim Swenson, Liz Sorenson, Twila Mursu, Kim McCrea, Jennifer Wiik, Rick Ash, Jeanette Felton, and John Thomas.

From Left to Right: Sara Tollakson, Cindy Jorgenson, Tim Swenson, Liz Sorenson, Twila Mursu, Kim McCrea, Jennifer Wiik, Rick Ash, Jeanette Felton, and John Thomas.

Ortonville Area Health services recently completed an 18 month grant that supported their resiliency training for the organization. Other topics the LEAPT grant dollars focused on was creating a hospital culture for safety that integrates with patients and employee safety.

Mission Lifeline Grant

Recently, the American Heart Association awarded Ortonville Hospital a $12,000.00 grant that will help patients having a heart attack. This grant money covered the entire expense for EKG transmission software that was installed at OAHS this past November. The software enables the medical team at the hospital to receive an electronic EKG (a tracing of the heart) directly from the ambulance and well before the patient arrives at the Emergency Room. Once the medical team can view the EKG, treatment, stabilization and transfer plans get started immediately. The software even allows us to send the patient’s EKG to a referring hospital so they can get the cardiac cath team alerted and ready to intervene. Every minute we can save in treating our most critical heart attack patients, helps to save heart tissue and patient lives; that is why this grant is so helpful for our community.

No one understands this better than Oklahoma resident, Bobby Joy. On November 8th, 2014 he started having chest pains and soon after called 911. Within minutes the ambulance crew arrived and were able to use the new equipment, sending vital information right to the awaiting team at OAHS.

Thanks in large part to the new equipment, and well trained staff, Bobby Joy was able to come back to the hopital a few weeks later for a picture and to express gratitude.

Mission Lifeline

A GROUP EFFORT in helping save the life of Bobby Joy of Oklahoma on Nov. 8. Pictured from left to right are nurses Melissa Davis, Anita Anderson, Sandy Brown, cardiac arrest survivor Bobby Joy, and EMT’s Barb Dockter and Scott Huizenga. Not pictured is paramedic Maria Wiltscheck. With the help of a Physio Control Lifepack 15 cardiac monitor purchased for the Ortonville Ambulance, the group was able to forward information to the Ortonville Hospital on the heart attack suffered by Bobby Joy.

New Year Baby 2015

New Year Baby 2015

FIRST BABY BORN IN 2015 at the Ortonville Hospital was Hayden Claire Pedersen. Hayden is the daughter of Jordan & Brittany Pedersen of Wilmot, SD. She entered this world on Monday, Jan. 5 at 6:37 a.m., weighing 7 lbs. and measuring 20 1/4″ in length. Grandparents are Kari & Mike Pedersen of Wilmot and Shaun & Denice Hooth of Milbank, Dr. Susan Andersen delivered the baby. Hayden is shown in a New Year blanket, a gift from the OAHS Auxiliary

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