Fairway View Senior Communities: Ground Breaking Ceremony Pictures.
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!
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.
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
Ortonville 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.
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.
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
OAHS designated as a stroke ready hospital
Ortonville Area Health Services designated as a stroke ready hospital
Ortonville Area Health Services (OAHS) joins 67 hospitals recognized for their preparedness to evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency treatment to patients with acute stroke symptoms.
In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to designate hospitals in Minnesota as “stroke hospitals.” Ortonville Area Health Services choose to apply to be designated as one of these stroke ready hospitals and received the notice of this achievement at the end of December.
“Choosing to be a part of the state’s stroke department, allows us even better access to current standard and guideline resources so we can continue to provide the best care possible for patients who present to us with stroke symptoms,” said Maria Botker, Stroke Designation Coordinator and ER/OB Nursing Coordinator at OAHS.
Nearly one in three Minnesota stroke victims first receives care at a small, rural hospital. In addition, more than one-third of Minnesotans live more than 60 minutes away from a Primary Stroke Center. These facts highlight the importance of local hospitals becoming designated as stroke-ready facilities.
“When it comes to stroke, time lost is brain lost,” said MDH Commissioner of Health Dr. Ed Ehlinger. “That is why it is so crucial that all Minnesota hospitals are ready to deliver high-quality stroke care close to home.”
It is important for Minnesotans to know how to spot a stroke quickly and call 9-1-1. You can recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke by remembering F.A.S.T.
F – facial droop/numbness, A – arm weakness, S – speech difficulty, and T – time to call 9-1-1.
Christmas Baby 2014
CHRISTMAS BABY 2014 born at the Ortonville Hospital is Molly Gayle Crist. Molly is the daughter of Heather DeJong and Bobby Crist of Ortonville. She was born on Dec. 23at 7:08 p.m., was 20 inches long and weighed 6 lbs., 4 oz. Grandparents are Laverne Mielitz of Ortonville, Gloria Crist of Milbank, SD and Bob Crist of Milbank. Dr. Bob Ross and Dr. Grant Botker delivered the baby. Molly is shown in a Christmas Blanket, a gift from the OAHS Auxiliary.
Please welcome Sarah Frisch
Sara Frisch, medical student in the Rural Physician Associate
Program (RPAP) has recently started her nine month rotation at
OAHS. RPAP is a nine-month, community-based educational experi-
ence for University of Minnesota third-year medical students
who live and train in rural communities. RPAP students experie-
nce hands-on learning as they care for patients of all ages.
“I’m excited to be in Ortonville and am eager to get involved in all aspects of patient care. Please feel free to say hi when you see me…if I don’t beat you to it!!!” 🙂