HomeMy Public PortalAboutSt. Lukes McCall HospitalMEMBERS OF THE SOUTHWESTERN Idaho district Hospital council met in Nampa Fri-
day at Mercy hospital for a business session and workshop on medical record keeping.
Shown in front are panel members, from left, Lorraine Farden, Caldwell, Minnie Nelson, St.
Lukes hospital, Boise; Gabrielle Amos, St. Alphonsus hospital in Boise; back row. Sister
Mary Hevan, administrator of Mercy hospital, and Frances Vassar, council president from
the McCall Memorial hosp"iiT
Committees Working
On Final Details For
Local Hospital Benefit
With "Snow Frolics,' the `an-
nual McCall Memorial benefit,
just a week away, committees
were working this week to con-
clude final arrangements for the
affair, which starts Feb. 29 at
Shore Lodge at 8 p.m.
According to co- chairman, Mr.
and Mrs. Jack Winslow and Mr.
and Mrs. Bob Scoles, the benefit
is designed to provide entertain-
ment of various types to suit all
age groups. Included in plans are
a room set aside for games for
those not wanting to dance or
play cards. Separate dances are
scheduled for ,teen -alters and
adults, and bridge and pinochle
will be offered for card - players.
rx floor -show, featuring a var-
iety of numbers by local actors
and musicians, will open the eve-
ning's events. Sourdough hot
cakes and ham will be served
throughout the evening, with pie
and coffee to be sold later.
An evening high light will be
the awarding of a fashion -doll,
carrying a fan of fifteen dollar
b$ls and including a complete
wardrobe of doll clothes fashioned
by McCall seamstresses.
At the high school, a penny
drive and a "tall tale - teller" con-
test are being held in conjunction
with the benefit.
Heading committees are Mrs.
Leslie Ulmer, cards; Mrs. Sam De-
fier and Mrs. Ed Heikkenan, de-
corations; Mr. and Mrs. Jon
Braden games; Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Stewart, teen dance; Mrs.
Clyde Archer, senior committee
for advance ticket sales: Patty
Michael and Winni Gwilliam,
Junior c o m m i t t e e for adv-
ance ticket sales; Mrs. Reed Gil-
lespie, tickets; Mrs. Wayne Allen
and Mrs. Dave Butts, publicity;
Mr.s Byron Bell, Doll; Mr. and
Mrs. Dewey M. Rowland and Mr.
and Mrs. Burton Walker, pro-
gram; Mrs. Dewey H. Rowland,
Mrs. Dale Fortin and Mrs. Bessie
Turner, food; Warren Rowlan4,
stage crew; Pat and Kathy Adams,
high school penny drive; Mrs.
John .Schultz, "Tall Tale - Teller"
contest; and Mr. and Mrs. Warren
Brown, roving cameramen.
The "Snow Frolic" dance for
teenagers held in conjunction
with the hospital benefit Feb. 29
will be held at Peg's Teen Inn
across the highway from Shore
Lodge. The dollar admission fee
which is being charged will be
donated in its entirety to the
benefit.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stewart are
chairmen of the teen -age dance.
7�—
Variety A Show Dancing, Card 6ames
�
On Tap For Annual Hospital Benefit
Glittery decorations, informal
dress, and fun for all will mark
Saturday night's "Snow Frolics,"
the annual McCall Memorial Hosp-
ital bbnefit.
From the time that games start
at 7 p.m. until the final dance at
1 a.m., the benefit will be full of
surprises and suspense, according
to co- chairmen, Mr. and Mrs. Jack
Winslow and Mr. and Mrs. Bob
Scoles.
A game room, designed for
those not wishing to dance or play
cards, will Open in the Shore
Lodge meeting room at 7 p.m.
Card - players will start their eve-
ning's fun at 8 p.m. A floor show
for everyone starts at 9, and
dancing and more cards will fol-
low for the remaindier of the
evening, punctuated by drawings
for door prizes, and by the serving
of ham and sourdough hot cakes.
The winner of a "`Tall Tale" con-
test will also be announced at
some time during the evening.
For teen - agers, Peg's Teen Inn
will be the scene of a snow - frolics,
too ,for junior and senior high
school students. Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Stewart will be in charge,
with music by Valerie and the
Valants, and all proceeds will go
toward the benefit fund.
Later in the evening, pie and
coffee will also be served to
party - goers.
Mrs. Leslie Ulmer, chairman of
the cards committee, said that the
Shore Lodge cafeteria will be
open at 8 for the start of bridge
and pinochle games. Numerous
prizes have been donated for',
card - winners, she said.
Glittery foil snowflakes and
crushed -glass icicles are among
the decorations which will turn
the Lodge dining room into a win- j
ter - wonderland for the dance and
the floor -show. Mrs. Sam Defier,
assisted by Mrs. Bob Beaubier and
Mrs. Ed Heikkenan, has been
working on the Snow Frolics dec-
orations, and Warren Rowland
heads the stage crew, which will
set up the stage and backdrop for
the program. The show itself will
be an amateur variety production,
featuring a number of different
acts under the direction of Mr.
and Mrs. Dewey M. Rowland and
Mr. and Mrs. Burton Walker.
Proceeds from this year's bene-
fit have not been designated for
any specific item. What is pur-
chased for the hospital, it was
noted by chairmen, will depend
largely on how much money is
raised. A number of different
things are needed by the hospital,
and -it will be left to its discretion
where the money can be best
used.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1964
Memorial Hospital Benefit Earns
1500 More Than 300 People Attend
More than $1500 was raised Sat-
urday night for the McCall Mem-
orial Hospital when townspeople
some 300 strong turned out for
the evening of entertainment at
Shore Lodge. Co- chairmen, Mr.
and Mrs. Jack Winslow and Mr.
and Mrs. Bob Scoles, estimated
the proceeds in excess of $1500,
adding that a complete financial
report will be made later. The
amount was the most ever real-
ized at the annual affair.
Proceeds will be used for a
number of items for the hospital,
ranging from bed curtains and
bed rails to TV wiring in hospital
rooms.
With "Snow Frolics" as a
theme, the fun- filled evening in-
cluded a variety show, a game
room, cards, an auction, and danc-
ing for both teen -agers and adults.
Carrying out the snow theme,
sparkly foil snowflakes and icicles
hung from the rooms' ceilings,
and Mrs. Ralph Leaf, dressed in
ski attire, sang "Winter Wonder-
land" during the program.
Other numbers included the ap-
pearance of a teen age band, "Val-
erie and the Valents ", who also
played for the benefit teen -dance
at Peg's Teen inn
Rowland,
master
evening; Dewey
of ceremoneis and director of the
1 floor show, sang musical selec
tions, and The Beatles made a
P T
appearance. Popular with
the audience were Mr. and Mrs.
Kostolanonutz, with Dave Spiel-
man wand Leoeaance ofathe pianist
imin, the app
and singer. Climaxing the pro-
gram were ac selections by
former McCall -ite Ray Mansisidor,
who drove up from Homedale for
j the affair. Burton Walker and Hal
and Dorothy Irwin were accomP
aniasts, and provided music for
dancing.
Joe Nolan was pronounced tall-
jest Tale Teller winner, and was
Presented with a sun - flower -sized
badge in recognition of his selec-
tion, The doll and wardrobe went,
to Mrs. A. L. Wilcox, and Mrs.
Harry Ruark was awarded a fish-
ing pole and reel.
A cuddly v hit' Purebred Husky
pup was 00%(trd though the
(Shore Lodge during the evening
by Eskimos Don Boos and John
i Schultz, who also took the dog to
Riggins, New Meadows and sur-
rounding towns earlier in the
week as a promotion stunt The
puppy won by Pete Memmett,
was donated by him to the bene-
fit and was auctioned off.
Sourdough hoteakes and ham,
and home -mdae pies were sold to
the crowd during the evening,
netting $93.40 for the benefit tills.
With Jim Galyean as auction -'
eer, the auction added another
$460 to the total take. Items auc-
tion were donated by merchants,
and included Montgomery Ward's
in Nampa as well as local merch-
ants. Providing merchandise were
Tim Electric, Rexall Drug, May
Hardware, the Carriage House,
Western's, the Mere, Shaver's, the
Shore Lodge flower shop, the Ski
Haus, and hand -made handiwork
items were donated by Mrs. John
Taakinen.
White elephants were prizes
for the group who spent the eve-
ning playing bridge and penochle.
ounty to pay tribute to retiring
head of nurses � ` ° ^� ° ,.z
Ruth Schiorring Bennett,
director of nurses at McCall
Memorial Hospital, has a day
set aside for her Wednesday.
Valley County commis-
sioners have declared Feb. 24
as a day to honor Bennett, who
is retiring as nursing super-
visor at the hospital, and the
hospital nursing staff will host
a reception for her from 2 -4:30
p.m. in the hospital solarium.
Everyone is welcome.
Bennett's retirement will be
effective March 1.
Though stepping down as
nursing director, she will still
be at the hospital. Bennett,
who said health is her prime
consideration for resigning,
will be working as a part -time
staff nurse once she returns
from a vacation.
Karen Hofstrend, RN from
New Meadows, will replace
Bennett as nursing director.
"I will work whenever
Karen will need me," Bennett
said Monday. "I certainly
don't want to go back full
time. It will probably be a cou-
ple of days a week."
Bennett has been orienting
Hofstrend the last three
weeks.
"'She's going to be an ab-
solute delight," Bennett said.
Bennett said she is over-
whelmed by the kindness from
people since she announced
her retirement plans.
"People have called, stop-
ped me on the street," she
said. "It's just so impossible
to think you've done a fob you
get paid for, enjoy so much
and have such tremendous
feelings from the people and to
the people.
"I love that hospital. I really
and truly do."
Bennett received her nurs-
ing education at Melrose
Hospital in Melrose, Mass.
Before starting work at the
McCall hospital 11 years ago,
she traveled extensively in the
U.S. and lived in Germany
,hile her husband served with
the Air Force. She has five
children.
The Bennetts bought a
ranch near Donnelly in 1967,
three years after they moved
to Mountain Home. They mov-
ed to the ranch that Bennett
now manages in 1970.
"I knew absolutely nothing
when I moved here," she said
of ranching. "We lived on
military bases."
As nursing director, Bennett
spent two or three days a week
in the director's office and the
rest of the week as a staff
nurse. She enjoys surgery so
she also helped there.
The hospital is still small
enough that the nursing direc-
tor is not totally confined to an
office. Eventually, she said,
the position may grow to that.
While the job has set hours,
Bennett often finds herself
getting home later than
scheduled.
"It's not like working at a
fish market where you can
close up shop when the time
comes," she said. "Anytime
you're involved with people,
you can't close and say, `this is
it."'
Bennett is looking forward
"Is anybody here from Rig -
gins?"
"That just tickled me to
death," Bennett said. "People
come and go right down the-
hall, visit everyone they know
and walk back out again.
"It isn't so strange to me".,,.
now as it was when I first got
there."
If one emotion about her ,
career and McCall hospital
comes through, it's Bennett's
enthusiasm about both.
"As far as I'm concerned,
it's been a very pleasant ex-
perience," she said. "I
sometimes wonder if the peo-
ple in Valley County realize
the quality of care we have
from the physicians in Valley
County.
"Do you realize the com-
munities that have no physi-
cians? They just don't have
the care we have here.
"We have very caring physi-
cians. We have very caring'
nurses, both in Cascade and.
McCall.
to having the time for personal
interests.
"I'm a bridge player," she
said. "I love to work in my
garden and I love handwork.
I'm looking forward to it.
"I'm kind of scared after be-
ing so busy all the time but I
think I'll feel better."
Bennett has seen a lot of
remodeling at the hospital.
"The emergency room has
gone from a little one -room
emergency room to an
emergency room suite with
three rooms," she said.
Among growth she has
witnessed at the hospital are a
coronary care unit with two
beds, a full -time respiratory
therapist and a full -time
physical therapist. The nurs-
ing station has been changed,
as has the pharmacy, and the
rooms have been redecorated.
"It's improving all the
time," she said.
Bennett, as well as the
hospital, has changed during
her 11 years there. She recall-
ed that when she first came,
she was sitting at the nursing
station when someone came it
and loudly asked:
'I love the hospital'
"I think the hospitals very
well meet the needs of the
community and the physicians
absolutely amaze me with
their dedication."
Ruth Bennett
S'T/,i R /\I E w5 -),/i a. / 8 �-, (' )
Birthing bed's St ed
The new bed in the obstetrics
department at McCall Memorial
Hospital looks ordinary, but ac-
tually is a sophisticated piece of
equipment designed to ease the
burden of childbirth of women in
labor.
The device, called a birthing
bed, allows a woman in labor to
change the shape of the bed to
more- comfortable positions by
the push of a button.
The bed, made by the Borning
Corp. of Spokane, Wash., cost
about $6,500. The first woman to
use the bed was Alison Kiesel of
McCall, who delivered her
daughter, Kaelin, on Dec. 21,
1985.
The bed is expected to become
commonly used for the 110 births
per year that occur at the McCall
hospital.
The device was obtained
through a grant to the hospital
from a private health -care foun-
dation that asked to remain
anonymous, hospital director
Karen Kellie said.
The foundation donated
$11,500 to the hospital. Besides
the birthing bed, the money was
used to replace the hospital's ra-
diant infant warmer. About
$2,500 from the March of Dimes
also was used to buy the warmer.
The grant was obtained
through the McCall Memorial
Hospital District Foundation,
and the grant application was
written by Bill and Kathy Killen
of the foundation.
In their application, the Killens
emphasized the hospital's goal of
continuing up -to -date obstetrical
care, Kellie said.
Noted in the application were
previous contributions from the
McCall Memorial Hospital Aux-
iliary, including a fetal heart
monitor and remodeling of the
labor room and nursery. .
Demonstrations of the new bir-
thing bed can be arranged by ap-
pointment. Call 634 -2221 and ask
for Dave Storrar, vice president
of nursing, or Connie McClaran,
childbirth education specialist.
Photo by Tom Grote
Alison Kiesel was first to use new bed.
N ws
12 /,;ale&
Hospital names Storrar
as chief of nursing
David Storrar has been named
-director of nursing at McCall
Memorial Hospital, hospital of-
ficials have announced.
Storrar, 36, will have the for-
mal title of vice president of nurs-
ing. He replaces Kirstan Bliss,
who moved to Pocatello.
Storrar supervises the
25- member nusing staff at the
McCall hospital. The staff makes
up about two- thirds of the total
.hospital staff.
He was raised in Tacoma,
Wash., and holds bachelor
degrees in psychology from the
University of Washington in
.Seattle, and in nursing from
Washington State University in
,Pullman.
He owned a cafe in Seattle for
.a few years before entering nurs-
,gg school, after which he worked
-at Doctors Hospital in Seattle for
1' /z years.
N, Storrar moved to McCall six
,ears_ ago and joined the hospital
staff as a nurse. He said he chose
McCall to be his home because of
his wife, Ann, and his love of ski
-
`itig.
"She had lived in Moscow and
wanted to live in Idaho, and I
David Storrar
wanted to do more skiing, so we
compromised," he said.
The couple has three children,
ranging in age from seven months
to 4 years old.
Storrar said that some people
are surprised to hear he is a
nurse, given the fact that only
about 10 percent of nurses in the
country are men.
"The most common question
people' ask me is if I'm training to
become a doctor," he said.
r
Foundation raises funds
The latest fund - raising mailer
by the McCall Memorial Hospital
Foundation raised $3,095, a news
release from the foundation said.
Proceeds from the third annual
fund - raiser will be devoted
primarily toward the
foundation's goal of establishing
an endowment fund to cut the
amount of property taxes needed
to support the hospital.
In addition to donations from
full -time residents of the area, the
fund drive drew donations from
residents of various states who
perhaps are summer residents of
McCall, the release said.
Members of the foundation's
board are Bill Killen, Ruth Ben-
nett, Bob Scoles, Claire Ryberg,
Dolores Chapman, John Allen,
Kathy Killen, Brad Gauss,
Herald Nokes, Dean Hagerman
and Karen Kellie. Newly elected
board members are Max William-
son and Sharon Crowley.
Newly elected officers for 1987
are: Killen, president; William-
son, vice president; and Ryberg,
treasurer.
Anyone interested in learning
more about the foundation or
possibly making a contribution
may call Killen at 634 -7118 or
Karen Kellie, the hospital's ad-
ministrator and president, at
634 -2221.
__,._-_, I ---Wut air lilaIIII, iX. 111C11.
Hospital gets 510,000
A device to detect potential
cancers of the breast in women
will be installed soon at McCall
Memorial Hospital thanks to a
$10,000 grant from the Laura
Moore Cunningham Foundation.
The grant will be used by
hospital officials toward pur-
chase of a mammography unit,
hospital president Karen Kellie
said.
The hospital board of trustees
hopes to purchase the unit, which
could cost up to $40,000, within
the next few months.
The Laura Moore Cunn-
ingham Foundation was
originated in 1963 through the
will of Laura Moore Cunn-
ingham, the daughter of a co-
founder of the Idaho First Na-
tional Bank.
The foundation has con-
tributed more than $2 million to
Idaho charities and educational
institutions.
This year, grants totaling
$259,533 for the 1987 -88 fiscal
year were distributed to colleges,
charitable organizations and
other facilities. The McCall
hospital was one of five hospitals
in Idaho to receive a donation.
A check for $10,000 was
presented last week by Gordon
Colburn, manager of the Idaho
First McCall office, to Kellie,
Dan -Krahn, chairman of the
hospital board of trustees, and
Bill Killen, president of the Mc-
Call Memorial Hospital Founda-
tion.
The addition of the mam-
mography unit to the hospital
will cut the need for trips to Boise
for breast - cancer screening, and
may increase the screening efforts
for cancer detection, Kellie said.
Statistics show that one in 13
women develop breast cancer,
making early detection and treat-
ment vital, Kellie said.
It is recommended that screen-
ing be done for all women 40
years old or older. Women with a
history of breast cancer in their
fmaily are often referred for their
first tests at age 35. Mam-
mograms are then recommended
every one to two years for all
women after age 40.
7
McCall Hospice members invite you to Saturday's wine- tasting.
a e wine-tasting
Hospice to st g g
Mill Park in McCall will be the
site on Saturday for the Second An-
nual Wine - Tasting sponsored by the
McCall Memorial Hospital Hos-
pice.
The wine- tasting, featuring 22
wines, will run from 4 p.m. to 7
p.m. at Mill Park. Donation is $10
per person, with tickets available at
the gate.
Wines for the event will be pro-
vided by Stein Distributing. In addi-
tion, hors d'oeuvres and punch will
be served.
Proceeds from the events will
help fund the hospice program and
its companion Good Neighbor Pro-
gram. The two programs provide a
human and counseling expertise that
can smooth the trauma of people af-
fected by tragedy.
The services of hospice are avail-
able in a 50 -mile radius of McCall.
The program typically assists peo-
ple who suffer from a terminal ill-
ness and have less than six months
expectation of living.
The Good Neighbor Program aids
those suffering from chronic dis-
eases, such as Alzheimer's Disease
and respiratory diseases. Patients
helped by the program are of all
ages.
One part of a volunteer's work is
routine, such as doing errands and
providing transportation for pa-
tients. Those tasks allow the patient
to live at home and not be confined
to a hospital bed.
Such aid is not always available,
even in small towns noted for their
caring attitude, hospice officials
said. Ill people tend to become iso-
lated and people in the community
tend to fear those with terminal ill-
nesses, they said.
After a patient's death, hospice
volunteers can assist in such practi-
cal ways as sending thank -you
notes, but they also are trained in
giving emotional support for fami-
lies during the grieving period.
Trained volunteers are always
needed by the hospice program, as
are donations. The need to raise
funds is the reason for Saturday's
wine - tasting. To volunteer for the
next training session for hospice
volunteers, call McCall Memorial
Hospital at 634 -2221.
THE STAR NEWS - THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1991
First baby of 1991
Shari Waite of McCall cuddles her newborn son,
Jacob Richard Waite, soon after Jacob became the
first baby of the new year born at McCall Memorial
Hospital. Jacob was born at 5:46 a.m. on Jan. 3. Waite,
17, is a single mother and a senior at McCall- Donnelly
High School. Jacob, who weighed five pounds, 5 -1/2
ounces and was 18 -1/2 inches long, was not expected
until later in January. But his early arrival earned
him and his mother a cartful of baby -care products
Photo by Tom Grote
donated by area businesses and presented by the Gamma
Omega Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. At left, Rhonda
McKenzie of the sorority helps Waite examine a
handmade quilt donated by the Betas. Contributing
businesses to the first baby's booty included K &L
Jewelry and Gift, Sprouse ?, McCall Drug, Shaver's
McCall Floral and Gift, Contel, F -Stop Film and
Camera, Movie Source, John Baker Photography and
Paul's Market.
Hospital receives
$150,000 in grants
McCall Memorial Hospital has
been awarded $150,000 as part of a
Federal Rural Health Care Transi-
tion Grant by the Health Care Fi-
nancing Administration.
The hospital will receive
$50,000 per year over the next three
years to implement a grant program
entitled "Strengthening an Essential
Rural Hospital: Planning and Im-
plementation."
The hospital will use the grant
money for the following purposes:
• To assist in the purchase of
tele- radiology equipment, which
would allow transmittal of X -ray
images, including CAT Scanner im-
ages, over a telephone line.
Tele - radiology would mean that
diagnostic tests could be run in
McCall, images could be transmit-
ted to St. Alphonsus to be read, and
patients could stay in McCall for
treatment if the diagnosis warranted
it. Currently, many patients, espe-
cially accident victims, are trans-
ferred to Boise for diagnostic ser-
vices.
With tele- radiology, 24 -hour
back -up services would be available
for McCall's sole radiologist, ac-
cording to hospital officials.
• To assist in the remodeling of
the hospital to house the proposed
CAT scanner.
1
• To assist in paying for consul-
tants for strategic planning and ar-
chitectural blueprints for remodeling
and expansion of the hospital.
Hospital officials intend to re-
model to increase space for outpa-
tient services. Like many other hos-
pitals in the United States, the focus
has changed from inpatient care to
outpatient services.
When McCall Memorial was
built 35 years ago, the focus was 90
percent inpatient and 10 percent
outpatient. Now revenues are 60
percent outpatient and 40 percent
inpatient. The hospital sees about
9,000 individuals per year with an
average length of stay in the hospi-
tal of less than three days.
Assistance and support in writing
the grant was provided by St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Cen-
ter. Letters of support for McCall
Memorial Hospital and its proposal
were received from Sen. Steve
Symms, R- Idaho, Idaho Rep. Gayle
Wilde, R- McCall, Valley County
Commissioner Carl Kerrick, Mc-
Call City Administrator Bud
Schmidt, McCall Rotary Club Pres-
ident Gordon Colburn, McCall Se- i
nior Citizen Center Coordinator
Rose RebIllet, and Payette Lakes)
Care Center Administrator Ron Nel-
son.
12, - - i U- 3 1- J 9 171
Photo by Tom Grote
Judy Balcerzak of St. Al's reviews program with Diane Valdivia.
Hospita
1 gets data link
McCall Memorial Hospital has ware package called "Grateful Med"
received a new computer system that gives medical staff and hospital staff
provides easy access to a vast collec- access to more than six million cita-
tion of medical and health science lions to journal articles. The articles
information. relate t ta f
This system was furnished
through a grant awarded to St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
in Boise to conduct outreach activi-
ties with selected hospitals in rural
areas.
The hospital's new computer,
printer, FAX machine, and a soft-
o s tus o current medical
practice, insight into patient care,
literature surveys in a medical field
of research, and materials on legal
and ethical issues of health care.
Previously, library access was a
lengthy, manual process. Grateful
Med permits staff to select relevant
search terms and to construct a med-
ical search by entering terms onto
the computer. The system connects
via a local phone line to the Na-
tional Library of Medicine, runs the
search, and copies and presents cita-
tions for staff review.
Citations selected as relevant can
be printed and full -text articles re-
ceived via the FAX machine. The
Grateful Med program is a much
needed tool that will place the latest
health care information at the finger-
tips of hospital physicians and pa-
tient care staff, Administrator Karen
Kellie said.
Sd� /Vew-3 July ?;
Hospital renovation continues Photo by Tom Grote
Workers at McCall Memorial Hospital clear out a will be added onto the hospital. The $400,000 project
space that will soon house a CAT scanner and new X- is expected to be ready to receive the CAT scanner by
ray equipment at the hospital. The remodeling will September, with full completion slated for October.
upgrade a total of 1,900 square feet of the former McAlvain Construction of Boise is the general con -
ambulance garage, while another 1,600 square -feet tractor doing the work.
��/ l N l / r - �� / P o W S - 1 _ z / l a / . ! Z
R a d i o l o g i s t j o i n s
M c C a l l h o s p i t a l
D r . G r e g M c K i m h a s j o i n e d t h e
s t a f f o f M c C a l l M e m o r i a l H o s p i t a l
a s a r a d i o l o g i s t , w o r k i n g w i t h t h e
h o s p i t a l ' s n e w l i n e o f X - r a y a n d d i -
a g n o s t i c e q u i p m e n t .
M c K i m , 5 0 , a s s i s t s D r . S i d
H e n d e r s o n , c h i e f r a d i o l o g i s t a t t h e
h o s p i t a l , w i t h i n t e r p r e t i n g p i c t u r e s
o f p a t i e n t s m a d e f r o m t h e h o s p i t a l ' s
X - r a y , C A T s c a n n e r , u l t r a s o u n d a n d
m a m m o g r a p h y e q u i p m e n t .
T h e d e c i s i o n s d r a w n f r o m t h e
p i c t u r e s m a d e i n M c C a l l c a n p r e v e n t
u n n e c e s s a r y t r i p s t o h o s p i t a l s i n
B o i s e , M c K i m s a i d . I n a d d i t i o n t o
w o r k i n g a t t h e M c C a l l h o s p i t a l ,
M c K i m d o e s r a d i o l o g y w o r k f o r
h o s p i t a l s i n C a s c a d e a n d W e i s e r .
A n a t i v e o f W a l l a c e , i n n o r t h e r n
I d a h o , M c K i m r e c e i v e d h i s b a c h e -
l o r ' s d e g r e e i n b i o l o g y f r o m t h e
U n i v e r s i t y o f O r e g o n a t E u g e n e . H e
a t t e n d e d m e d i c a l s c h o o l a t t h e U o f
O M e d i c a l S c h o o l i n P o r t l a n d a t t h e
s a m e t i m e H e n d e r s o n w a s a t t e n d i n g
t h e s c h o o l .
H e r e c e i v e d a d d i t i o n a l t r a i n i n g i n
t h e U . S . A r m y w h i l e s t a t i o n e d a t
T r i p l e r M e d i c a l C e n t e r i n H o n o l u l u ,
H a w a i i , a n d h e a l s o s e r v e d i n
G e r m a n y .
R e t u r n i n g t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s ,
M c K i m p r a c t i c e d i n T a c o m a ,
W a s h . , b e f o r e m o v i n g t o T w i n
F a l l s i n 1 9 7 6 . T h e r e , h e w o r k e d a s a
r a d i o l o g i s t a t M a g i c V a l l e y
R e g i o n a l M e d i c a l C e n t e r a n d a l s o
o p e r a t e d a s o l o p r a c t i c e .
M c K i m s a i d h e h a s v a c a t i o n e d i n
M c C a l l s i n c e 1 9 5 8 , a n d t h e l i f e s t y l e
G r e g M c K i m
o f t h e a r e a a s w e l l a s t h e r e p u t a t i o n
o f M c C a l l M e m o r i a l H o s p i t a l l e d h e
a n d w i f e , D a r l e n e , t o m o v e t o t h e
a r e a .
M c K i m c o n s i d e r s h i m s e l f f o r t u -
n a t e t o c o m e o n b o a r d a t t h e s a m e
t i m e t h e h o s p i t a l i s c o m p l e t i n g a $ 1
m i l l i o n r e n o v a t i o n t h a t i n c l u d e d e x -
p a n d i n g t h e r a d i o l o g y d e p a r t m e n t
a n d p u r c h a s i n g a n e w C A T s c a n n e r
a n d X - r a y .
" T h i s i s n o w t h e b e s t - e q u i p p e d
s m a l l h o s p i t a l i n I d a h o , " h e s a i d .
-` ar - /�lNl,� — � ;/,?_3
Photo courtesy McCall Memorial Hospital
Shriners make donation
Joni Stright, vice president of fi-
nance for McCall Memorial Hos-
pital, receives a check for $750 from
Milt Egeland, outgoing president
of the High Country Shrine Club,
as club ambassador Art Bollar looks
on. The Shriners, whose head-
quarters is the El Korah Temple in
Boise, decided to give local dona-
tions this year as well as continue
support of Shriners hospitals in Salt
Lake City and Spokane. The dona-
tion has been designated for use in
the planned remodeling of the hos-
pital nursery. "Local people help us
raise money and see us play in pa-
rades, now they can see how the
money is used," Bollar said.
i h
Vv, / Lt ,A
McCall hospital dedicates expansion ( ,2/.;s %3)
Mary Otto, director of radiology at McCall
Memorial Hospital, explains the operation of
the hospital's new CAT scanner to dignitaries
on Friday following a formal ribbon - cutting of
the hospital's $1 million remodeling and expan-
sion. From left are Idaho State Treasurer Lydia
Justice Edwards, former Sen. James McClure,
R- Idaho, who performed the ribbon - cutting,
hospital trustee Dean Hovdey and trustee chair-
man Dan Krahn. About 250 people attended an
open house on Friday to show off the remodel-
ing, which includes the CAT scanner, new X-
ray equipment and other improvements. Kim
Adams of McCall won a $50 gift certificate after
Photo by Tom Grote
registering as someone born at the hospital, and
Jean Burnett of Donnelly won $50 cash in a draw-
ing for senior citizens. A free mammogram went
to Aline Durbin of McCall, and the Krahn and
Congleton families of McCall received $50 gift
certificates for bringing seven persons each to the
open house.
y1/2s- I P3
y3
Voter deadlines near
for hospital
Residents of the McCall Memorial
Hospital District have until Friday to
register with their precinct registrars
to-vote in the Sept. 21 bond issue
election.
Registrars within the district are
Bill's Gas and Grocery in McCall,
Ken's Lakeview Market in McCall,
Lake Fork Merc in Lake Fork and
Somerton Real Estate and Insurance
in Donnelly.
Qualified electors must be at least
18 years old, have lived in the district
for at least 30 days before the election
and be qualified to vote at general
elections.
Those who miss Friday's deadline
for registrars may sign up at the Val-
ley County Clerk's office at the Val-
ley County Courthouse in Cascade
until 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10.
Absentee ballots will be available
at the hospital starting on Friday for
those who will be outside of the dis-
trict on Sept. 21 or who will be unable
to go to the polling places on that day.
For information on absentee vot-
ing, call Diane Valdivia, administra-
tive assistant, at 634 -2221.
The hospital district is proposing a
$3.8 million bond issue on Sept. 21
that would pay for renovation of the
current hospital and expansion of the
building.
-Tti,4 1%d ✓ocVF
%%�1y3
Volunteer program key to maintaining the
"personal touch" at McCall Memorial Hospital
(Editor's note: This is another
in a series of stories leading up
to the Sept. 21 vote on a $3.8
million bond for expansion and
remodeling of McCall Memorial
Hospital.)
MCCALL — The
"personal touch." It is
ballyhooed in this nation's
service industry as one of the
tangibles that can set one
business apart from another.
It is also something that can
distinguish
good health
care from
great health
care.
Since
April of this
year, a
program at
M c C a l l
Memorial
Hospital has
been striving
to do what it
can to enhance
the stay of
patients and
visitors at the
hospital with
its volunteer
program. Marilyn Su
S a n d y pitcher of
Cottrell , patient.
director of
community
services, said about 10
volunteers put in weekly 4 -hour
shifts at the hospital. They begin
working after an 8 -hour
orientation, she said, providing
an extra set of hands.
"It is that extra special
caring touch that patients
deserve in any hospital setting,
and expect in a community
hospital," she said.
A recent survey of patrons
and potential patrons of the
hospital cautioned hospital
administration to not do
anything that might damage the
feeling of extra special care
patients receive at the hospital.
Cottrell said the volunteer
program is critical to the
maintenance of that feeling.
"They devote themselves to
extending services that might
not otherwise be available," she
said. "These
Sum
fills a
water for
people are
super."
Volunteers
might be
expected to
escort patients to
the various
departments
within the
hospital, deliver
messages, make
copies, and do a
multitude of
other things that
don't require
specialized skill
or licensing, she
said.
One of
those volunteers
who has been
with the
program since
A p r i l,
Hazeldene Bollar, said she helps
by doing whatever needs to be
done.
"Whatever they need,
helping with discharging, taking.,
them to X -ray, whatever needs
to be done," she said. "I think
it's a worthwhile project."
Though they're not paid,
Bollar said there is no question
about their value. It is
demonstrated by a phrase she
said is tacked up on a wall in a
hospital office.
"Volunteers are not paid
because they are worthless ...
they're priceless," she said.
In their blue shirts, there is
usually one volunteer on duty
during the 8 -hour workday at
the hospital, Cottrell said.
Because they are volunteers,
they generally are able to
schedule their own shift, she
said.
Though the program is
coordinated by the McCall
Memorial Hospital Auxiliary,
volunteers don't have to be
members of the auxiliary.
McCall hospital volunteer,
Ann Gill, straightens a bed.
o spital lab cramped for space
(This is the first in a series of
rticles about the Sept. 21 election
cheduled on a proposed $3.8 mil -
ion bond issue for McCall Memo -
ial Hospital.)
Y TOM GROTE
Star-News
Karen Evans has a list of sophisti-
ated equipment she would like to
dd to the McCall Memorial Hospital
boratory, but she has no place to
ut the devices even if she had them.
Without new space provided in a
3.8 million bond issue set for Sept.
1, the laboratory will be forced to
top expanding the range of tests avail -
ble, said Evans, who has headed the
laboratory %r the past 12 years.
The hospital lab is not as visible as
he emergency room or other patient -
.,are areas of the hospital, but the lab
plays a vital role in the hospital's
operation, Evans said.
The elaborate testing machines
now in use allow Evans and her staff
of four to scan blood samples, de-
velop bacteria cultures and perform a
variety of other tests to help doctors
understand the complaints of their
patients.
A typical patient may need as many
as 10 tests run at the lab to probe into
their condition, Evans said. A boom-
ing part of the lab's work has been in
so- called "out- patient" tests, where
people stay in the hospital just long
-hough to give a sample of blood or
iirine.
As a result, the number of tests
performed by the lab has more than
Joubled in four years, from 13,500 in
1989 to an expected 27,500 this year.
Evans is proud of the fact that she
ind her staff have been able to handle
he growth in the same 15 -by -21 foot
room she has used since coming to the
hospital. Faster, more sophisticated
equipment acquired over the years is
the main reason for keeping up with
the pace.
Those who must have tests per-
formed can still walk in without an
appointment, and those who arrive
usually do not have to wait to have a
test performed, she said.
But the room's counters and floors
are tightly crammed with machines.
Technicians must move a microscope
to open the incubator, and the refrig-
erator door cannot be opened fully
because it bumps into another counter.
The lab also is the place where
members of the public come into give
samples of blood, urine and other
materials. Currently, the blood -draw-
ing area is little more than a chair by
the lab door, where patients must un-
dergo the sometimes - uncomfortable
procedure in an open area.
Patients who need to give urine
must use the public restroom, which
can prove embarrassing, and a spare
bed must be found in the emergency
room or a patient's room if a donor
needs to lay down, Evans said.
The Sept. 21 bond issue calls for
enlarging the lab to twice its current
size and providing private areas where
patients can give samples.
Patient comfort and privacy would
be enhanced by the new space, but the
lab also would be able to continue to
expand its testing equipment.
"We are maxed out with space,"
she said. The result is that some tests
would continue to be farmed out to
laboratories located outside of McCall.
Delays in receiving results often
adds up to days, which in turn slows
accurate evaluation of a patient's con-
dition, she said.
Evelyn Lund, Karen Evans compete for space in hospital lab.
I
Hospital exp;
Ron Rooth, director of plant and
grounds for McCall Memorial
Hospital, paints what would be the
boundaries for the proposed ex-
pansion of the hospital in the
facility's parking lot. An election
will be held on Sept. 21 on a $3.8
million bond issue to fund the ex-
P1110 by Tom Grote
insion shown
pansion, which wouid also reno-
vate the existing 40- year -old
hospital. Rooth painted the lines so
that taxpayers could see for they -
selves how much larger th- LOsPital
would be under the enlargement
scheme. For more information on
the bond issue, see story at right.
Leaky roof, outinoded
facilities plague ?hospital
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Most people see McCall Memo-
rial Hospital as place to get well, but
Ron Rooth considers the building as
sick as some of the patients it houses.
As building and grounds supervi-
sor for the hospital, Rooth has to cope
with 37 years of piecemeal additions
and patchwork repairs that have re-
sulted in a maintenance nightmare.
If Tuesday's $3.8 million bond
issue passes, the entire infrastructure
of the current building - plumbing,
electrical and heating - will be virtu-
ally replaced.
The roof of the current building
would also be removed and replaced,
a job that Rooth said can't wait even
if Tuesday's bond issue fails.
When snow covering the roof
melts, water creeps into many of the
80 penetrations from pipes and vents,
down through three or more layers of
built -up roofs and into hallways, pa-
tient rooms and the hospital's labora-
tory. A half -dozen buckets at a time
are needed to ca�ch the drips.
The cost of replacing the roof on
the existing building alone has been
estimated at a half - million dollars,
Rooth said.
Dry weather stops the leaks, but
only brings other problems to the fore-
front. The building's plumbing sys-
tem consists mostly of the original
galvanized pipe, which is failing more
often.
Leaks are made worse by the fact
that the pipes usually are imbedded in
concrete or cement -block walls, re-
quiring jack - hammersto reach cracks,
Rooth said.
The electrical system in the hospi-
tal is at capacity, with no room to add
new circuits, he said. The building's
back -up generator can support only
emergency service during an outage,
which means patient rooms often are
left without power and X -ray equip-
ment left idle.
The hospital's heating system is a
conglomerate of oil- burning and gas -
fired boilers plus electrical heaters. "I
can't balance the temperature in the
hospital. It is either too hot or to cold,"
Rooth said. A completely new heat-
ing system would be installed if
Tuesday's bond issue passes.
Sprinklers cover only 3,500 square
feet of the 16,000 square -foot hospi-
tal, a situation which would be cor-
rected under-the bond issue, he said.
rN�
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i
a
PROPOSED ONE
LVELAoDQaa
.5.1 ,.A
r-
H�!i,._
I
MUTM HOSPITAL!
i
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PROPOSED ONE
LEVEL ADDITION
I
Architect's sketch shows how hospital would be expanded under bond.
Lev .5 -1�1
Photo by Tom Grote
Mary Benson, Jim Wolcott, Jan McMaster stand in existing hospital operating room.
Hospital bond would build
two rooms for operations
Patients undergoing surgery at
McCall Memorial Hospital would
gain an added measure of safety and
comfort if Tuesday's $3.8 million
bond issue for the hospital passes,
according to those who work in the
hospital's surgery section.
The hospital has just one operating
room containing 225 square feet. That
area gets crowded in a hurry when up
to 10 people performing or assisting
in surgery move in, said Jan
McMaster, the hospital's director of
surgical services.
If an emergency occurs, such as a
new mother needing a Ceasarian sec-
tion, an equally small delivery room
is located next door, separated by a
curtain from a supply storage area.
Once an operation is finished, pa-
tients must be wheeled into the hospi-
tal hallway and into a separate room
for recovery, a move that causes anxi-
ety for hospital anesthetist Jim
Wolcott.
The trip raises the risk of compli-
cations for unconscious patients hav-
ing just completed surgery, Wolcott
said.
If a second surgery is scheduled
soon after the first, Wolcott is unable
to personally check on the patient in McMaster said. In August, 29 surger-
the recovery room, a fact which also ies were performed at the hospital,
causes him concern.
If Tuesday's bond passes, two op-
erating rooms, each 400 square feet,
would be built as well as a two -bed
recovery room adjacent to the new
operating rooms.
The two rooms would give the
hospital more flexibility in schedul-
ing surgeries while coping with the
rising number of procedures,
she said.
Having two operating rooms also
gives a larger safety cushion for nurses
who must clean the room and sterilize
instruments in preparation for the next
case, said Mary Benson, who ischarge
of the clean -up duties.
Although the level of safety now is
considered high, Benson said she and
her colleagues would feel less rushed.
Hospital bond
election Tuesday
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Voters in the McCall Memorial
Hospital District will go to the polls
on Tuesday to judge a $3.8 million
bond issue to expand and renovate the
hospital.
The district includes the northern
end of Valley County including
McCall, areas around Payette Lake,
Lake Fork and Donnelly. Only regis-
tered voters may cast ballots.
Three polling places will be open
between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday.
They are the lower level of McCall
City Hall, the Donnelly fire station
and the hospital itself, located on State
Street one block south of Idaho 55.
A two- thirds majority of voters
must vote "yes" for the bond issue to
pass.
The bonds would be funded with
property taxes paid back over 15 years,
with the first payment due in Decem-
ber 1994. Property taxes would
increase by 61 cents per $1,000 of
taxable valuation.
The hospital would remain open
during a 2 -1/2 year construction pe-
riod, with project completion targeted
for 1996.
During that time, the existing
17,000 square -foot building, much of
which dates back 37 years, would be
totally renovated. Plans call for a new
roof, new plumbing and electrical
systems and a new heating system.
Sprinklers would be installed through-
out the building.
The existing patient rooms would
be enlarged, and each provided with
its own bathroom.
A 13,000 square -foot wing would
be added to the hospital in the current
parking lot and the main entrance
relocated. The addition would mainly
accommodate the growing number of
people who visit the hospital for tests
and other purposes, but do not spend
the night.
Departments that would receive
more room include the hospital labo-
ratory, physical therapy, surgery,
emergency room, labor and delivery,
and intensive care.
The actual number of patient beds
would decrease, from 17 now to 15, to
reflect the fewer number of inpa-
tients and the shorter stays by patients
seen in recent years.
The bond issue package is the re-
sult of three years of planning by
hospital officials and trustees through
their own work and comments re-
ceived at public meetings.
The plan being proposed should
satisfy the hospital's needs for the
next 15 years, said Karen Kellie, the
hospital's administrator for the past
eight years.
"There are needs that must be ad-
dressed today, but the plan is not
shortsighted," Kellie said.
In its surveys, the hospital has
found that patients care most about
the quality of the doctors, nurses and
other staffers they encounter during a
hospital visit, she said.
"The expansion is designed with
that view in mind, so that we don't
lose that family feeling," Kellie said.
If the bond issue does not pass, the
board of trustees will be faced with
some difficult choices, she said.
The most crucial problem, the
hospital's leaking roof, likely would
have to be addressed first.
The roof is in need of replacement
with or without the aid of the bond
issue, she said.
The hospital has no room for new
equipment in such areas as physical
therapy and the laboratory, and those
services will not be able to be ex-
panded, she said.
Other options for funding the ex-
pansion would then be explored, but
Kellie said it was unlikely the plan
itself would be changed if Tuesday's
bond failed.
Regardless of the outcome of the
vote, Kellie said the hospital's mis-
sion would be undeterred. "We would
still have fun working together and
serving the public," she said.
The hospital building is owned by
the district, but is operated under a
management contract with Health
Management Services, a subsidiary
of St. Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center in Boise.
Health Management Services also
operates community hospitals in Cas-
cade, Mt. Home and Jerome. Kellie is
the only employee of HMS in McCall.
All other employees work for the hos-
pital district.
McCall hospital gets grant
The McCall Memorial Hospital
will be a recipient of a $5,000 grant
from the Idaho Community Founda-
tion this month.
The grant will be used to replace
the operating room surgical table at
the hospital as part of its $3.8 million
remodeling and expansion approved
by voters in September.
The Idaho Community Founda-
tion is a public nonprofit organization
established in 1988 to meet a wide
variety of social, cultural, educational
and other charitable needs through-
out the state.
Grants are made from a collection
of endowed funds established by in-
dividuals, corporations and private
foundations to support charitable ac-
tivities in Idaho.
Hospital passes $3.8 million
bond issue to expand, repair
The people who run McCall
Memorial Hospital entered 1993
with trembling lips, but left the
year with broad smiles and the
promise of a totally rebuilt and
expanded hospital.
Their lips were trembling be-
cause they were about to speak the
dreaded "B- word" — bond issue —
to a public that gave such tax mea-
sures mixed reviews in the past.
Having just completed a $1 mil-
lion installation of a CAT scanner
and new X -ray equipment, hospi-
tal administrators decided they
could wait no longer to move for-
ward with the hospital's master
plan.
The 37- year -old hospital build-
ing was plagued with a leaking
roof, staffers had to cope with
cramped spaces and there was gen-
eral fraying around the edges.
Fortunately, the reputation for
health care by the public held
with property taxes. The plan
would nearly double the amount
of floor space for the hospital and
give needed elbow room to de-
partments such as the laboratory,
physical therapy, surgery and
birthing.
The anxiety faced by the pro-
moters of the hospital bond issue
was understandable. Voters in May
had rejected a fifth bond issue in
four years for the McCall -Don-
nelly School District. A month
before the hospital vote, a bond
issue for a proposed new county
jail was soundly defeated.
An intensive public relations
campaign was mounted to educate
the public about the needs for the
hospital bond. Without resort
to horror stories, the campy
calmly told of the benefits t
consumers would enjoy with
larger hospital.
The message was well de:!
ered, because after the polls cloy
the "yes" votes amounted to C
percent of those casting ball:
more than the two -third majo
needed.
The hospital had manage(
accomplish on its first try �,
other agencies had sought for y
without success. The result wi
a newly renovated and expan
McCall Memorial Hospital b.,,
time the new year comes arou i
1996.
TI4F. CTAR_NRWC _ TI41TRQnAV 1ANTIARV IO IQQA
First baby O 1994 Photo by Shari Hambleton
Jim Howard Halbesleben, son of Jessica and Tom
Halbesleben, of Fruitvale, doesn't seem to care about
the loot he garnered for being the first baby born at
McCall Memorial Hospital in 1994. The baby items
were donated by the McCall Memorial Hospital Aux-
iliary, and the wrapped gift basket was a gift from
Small Wonders Boutique in McCall. Born on Jan. 5,
at 2.47 p.m., Halbesleben weighed seven pounds, eight
ounces and measured 21 -1/2 inches. He was welcomed
into the world by his parents, his brother Travis,
18 months, and his sister Victoria 2 -1/2. Dr. Char-
lotte Hunter, right, assisted with the birth. Jo
Bergstrom of the auxiliary, standing to the right
of Hunter, presented the family with the gifts.
Halbesleben was transferred to St. Luke's Re-
gional Medical Center shortly after his birth
suffering from pneumonia, but he was released
on Saturday.
Hospital
ground on
McCall Memorial Hospital will
stage a ground- breaking ceremony
for its construction and remodel
ing project today.
The event will run from 5 p.m to
7 p.m. today on the western side of
the hospital parking area and the
adjacent annex at 200 Hewitt Street.
Actual ground- breaking ceremo-
nies will take place at 6 p.m.
Festivities will include the hon-
oring of Drs. Herald Nokes and
Wayne Allen for their years of ser-
vice. The celebration will spotlight
community efforts that took place
in the 1950s to build the hospital,
and the community efforts that have
made the current construction and
renovation possible.
The celebration theme is "Back
to the Future" and highlights the
1950s era. A group photo will be
taken at 6:30 p.m. of all those at-
tending who were born at the
McCall hospital during the 1950s.
Prizes will be awarded for the
"best 50s dress" and "the best 50s
transportation' to the celebration.
Refreshments and 1950s music will
be featured.
The hospital project is the result
of the successful $3'.8 million bond
election approved by 69 percent of
voters casting ballots in a Septem-
ber 1993 election. During the con-
struction project, most of the exist-
to break
expansion
ing 17,000 square— foot, 37 -year-
old building will be totally reno-
vated.
Plans call for a new roof and
new plumbing, electrical and heat-
ing systems. A fire sprinkling sys-
tem will be installed throughout
the building and the existing pa-
tient rooms will be enlarged with
individual bathrooms and show-
ers.
A total of 18,000 square —feet
will be added to the hospital, pri-
marily to the west, in the current
parking lot, and the main entrance
will be relocated. The addition will
mainly accommodate the growing
number of people who do not spend
the night, but visit the hospital for
tests, therapy, health promotion
classes and other purposes.
All departments will be en-
larged, including the laboratory,
physical therapy, surgery, emer-
gency room and labor and delivery.
The emphasis on square footage
expansion of outpatient services
and slight decrease of actual pa-
tient beds reflects the shorter length
stays by patients and increase in
number of out— patient visits.
The hospital will remain open
with full services during the two -
year construction period. Project
completion is targeted for June
1996.
Hospital to open doors
on remodeling Feb. 19
McCall Memorial Hospital is
planning an open house for Friday,
Feb. 19, celebrating completion of
the hopital's remodeling project.
The open house will run from
noon to 7 p.m. on Feb. 19, with a
formal ribbon - cutting set for 1 p.m.
with former U.S. Sen. James
McClure officiating.
The hospital open house will fea-
ture a health fair. Free tests will in-
clude blood pressure checks, oxygen
saturation, complete blood count
and screening for colorectal cancer.
Health care professionals will be
available to provide information on
various health promotion topics in
continuation of the hospital's effort
to address the community's interest
in disease and injury prevention.
The McCall Memorial Hospital
auxiliary will coordinate hospitality
for the event, with tours of the $1
million project. Improvements in-
clude:
• Remodeling of the Radiology
Department from 538 square feet to
1,876 square feet.
• Replacement of 22- year -old ba-
sic X -ray equipment.
• Addition of a new CAT scan-
ner.
• Relocation of ultrasound and
mammography within the depart-
ment.
• Teleradiology (sending X -rays
over the telephone line).
• 1,780 square feet of new con-
struction - southwest addition to in-
clude purchasing and medical sup-
plies, laundry, cardiopulmonary and
community services.
• Remodeling of the nursery,
made possible through a donation
from Doug and Betsy Manchester to
the hospital auxiliary.
The focus of the radiology re-
modeling is the installation of the
CAT scanner, made possible primar-
ily through local support and a 2-
1/2 -year fund - raising effort launched
by the auxiliary. Donations and
grants through the McCall
Memorial Hospital Foundation also
assisted the project.
The hospital was built in 1956,
and hospital officials will also use
this opportunity for historical
recognition and appreciation of years
of community support, Admini-
strator Karen Kellie said.
Anyone born at the hospital dur-
ing the past 37 years is encouraged
to bring a birth certificate to the
open house and enter a contest for a
$50 cash award. Senior citizens at-
tending the open house will also be
eligible for a $50 cash drawing.
Funds from a private donation will
be used for the cash awards.
Visitors in the mid -age range
have the opportunity to win either a
free mammogram or a free exam for
prostate cancer screening, including
a PSA blood test. The family with
the most members attending the
open house (grandparents and grand-
children included) will receive a "gift
certificate" for a $50 discount to be
used for any of the McCall hospital
services.
Clowns and refreshments also are
likely to appear during the festive
occasion, Kellie said.
The hospital's Strategic Plan and
the Master Site Development Plan
for Phase II and future projects will
also be featured at the open house.
Primarily, needs for the next pro-
ject center around out- patients, who
do not require overnight hospital
admission. Further renovation of the
existing building and expansion of
the Emergency Room, Laboratory
and outpatient surgery areas were
recommendations from the hospital
Building & Planning Committee to
the Board of Trustees at its January
meeting, Kellie said.
Public meetings will be sched-
uled this spring to review progress
on the strategic plan and to invite
further comment from the commu-
nity for future needs and plans for
health care in this region, he said.
Hospital to recruit
corps of volunteers
After many months of strategic
planning and preparation, McCall
Memorial Hospital, in conjunction
with McCall Hospital Auxiliary,
will be implementing the new vol-
unteer program starting in mid -
April.
An informational meeting for all
potential volunteers is set for
Thursday, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. in the
hospital solarium. Sarah Moosman
and Margaret Fogg, co -chair for
volunteer services at the hospital,
along with Sandy Cottrell, R.N., di-
rector of community services will
be conducting the meeting.
In addition, Annette Compton,
director for volunteer services for St.
Luke's Regional Medical Center,
and Cathy Reckmeyer, manager for
volunteer services for St. Alphonsus
Regional Medical Center, will be
present to discuss their respective
volunteer programs.
The addition of the volunteer
program is a natural progression of
continuing growth and continuity
within the hospital, a news release
said. This will be an important con-
tribution to patient care and com-
munity awareness of the hospital
role.
Once established, volunteers will
be able to choose between three
shifts - morning, afternoon or
evening -seven days a week. Duties
will be diversified, from escorting
patients within the hospital, deliver-
ing flowers and mail, to visiting and
assisting patients in choosing their
hospital menu.
Artist's sketch shows new entrance to McCall Memorial Hospital.
Hospital to show off
new wing on Saturday
McCall Memorial Hospital will
open its new west entrance on Satur-
day just long enough to allow a "sneak
preview" of the soon- to -be- opened
addition.
The public is invited to visit the
hospital via the new west entrance on
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for
tours and refreshments.
The newly constructed areas avail-
able for preview are the west en-
trance, lobby, lab, conference/educa-
tion rooms, emergency room, and
surgery rooms.
The first occupancy of the hospital
construction and remodeling project
will take place this week in the two
labor and delivery rooms. The next
big move will occur in March as the
new portions on display during
Saturday's sneak preview are occu-
pied.
The second part of the project will
focus on remodeling the older por-
tions of the hospital vacated by de-
partments moving into the new addi-
tion, such as the former surgery and
obstetrical areas, which will be re-
modeled for physical therapy. During
the entire course of the project, all
departments will remain fully func-
tional.
Opening this portion of the hospi-
tal will mark the half -way point for
the construction and remodeling
project. The majority of the project is
financed by a $3.8 million bond ap-
proved by voters in September 1993.
The balance of construction, as
well as equipment, landscaping and
furnishings is being funded from the
hospital's cash reserves, grants and
directed giving. Total cost of the con-
struction project is about $5 million.
For information on Saturday's
Sneak Preview Open House, or the
construction project, call McCall Me-
morial Hospital at 634 -2221, ext. 292.
SLio, - Ale. -mss 212 Y � /,? J)(,,
Allen honored
To the Editor:
Every February, an event for Idaho physicians
called the "Medical Winter Clinics" takes place in
McCall at the Shore Lodge. I understand that the
highlight of this year's educational seminar oc-
curred Saturday evening, Feb. 17, when Dr. Wayne
Allen was recognized by his peers as Idaho's
Family Physician of the Year.
Dr. Allen, a man of few but powerful words,
gave a 15- minute speech without notes. One of
the national speakers from the prestigious Cleve-
land Clinic emphasized at his talk the next day
that the banquet honoring Dr. Allen was "worth
the plane trip out here."
Wayne Allen is an inspiration to others. What-
ever your chosen path in life, if you accomplish it
with love and gusto, yourefforts, like Dr. Allen's,
will become the fabric of a community and will
endure. And don't forget "balance," because a
sense of humor, family support and time for
exercise have also been essential ingredients for
Dr. Allen's success. Congratulations, Wayne!
Karen Kellie, administrator
McCall Memorial Hospital
��f J �� f v e w 5 l v r , J l - c k J i , J 9 W b
P h o t o f o r T h e S t a r - N e w s b y C a n d y A n d e r s o n
K a t h l e e n B u r i c a , s e a t e d , B o b N i s s e n a n d J a c k i e H a w k i n s a r e s h o w n i n p a t i e n t r o o m t h e y a n d o t h e r h o s p i t a l
e m p l o y e e s r a i s e d f u n d s t o d e c o r a t e .
H o s p i t a l e m p l o y e e s r e m a k e r o o m
M c C a l l M e m o r i a l H o s p i t a l e m -
p l o y e e s h a v e r a i s e d m o n e y f o r d e c o -
r a t i n g a p a t i e n t r o o m a t t h e h o s p i t a l .
T h e e m p l o y e e s r a i s e d t h e m o n e y
f o r t h e h o s p i t a l a u x i l i a r y ' s P a t i e n t
R o o m P r o j e c t t h r o u g h e m p l o y e e p a y -
r o l l d e d u c t i o n s .
F i v e o f e i g h t p a t i e n t r o o m s a v a i l -
a b l e f o r t h e a u x i l i a r y p r o g r a m h a v e
b e e n s e l e c t e d b y f a m i l i e s , g r o u p s o r
i n d i v i d u a l s t o d e c o r a t e a n d d e d i c a t e
t o t h e i r l o v e d o n e s .
T h e p u r p o s e o f t h e p r o g r a m i s t o
p r o d u c e r o o m s t h a t p r o m o t e a h e a l -
i n g , c a r i n g e n v i r o n m e n t w i t h p e r s o n -
a l i z e d , h o m e - l i k e s u r r o u n d i n g s , a
h o s p i t a l n e w s r e l e a s e s a i d .
T h e p a r t i c i p a n t s o f t h e p r o g r a m
c h o o s e w a l l p a p e r , a r t w o r k a n d o t h e r t h e c o m m u n i t y .
f u r n i s h i n g s t h a t r e p r e s e n t f o r t h e m a T '
s e n s e o f c a r i n g .
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e P a t i e n t R o o m
P r o j e c t , e m p l o y e e s a r e a l s o f u n d i n g
t h e C h i l d r e n ' s P l a y A r e a t o b e l o c a t e d
i n t h e n e w h o s p i t a l w i n g ' s m a i n l o b b y .
B o t h e m p l o y e e p r o j e c t s q u a l i f y f o r
m a t c h i n g f u n d s f r o m t h e T e n n i t y -
S i m p l o t C h a l l e n g e G r a n t g i v e n t o t h e
h o s p i t a l i n A u g u s t 1 9 9 5 . E v e r y d o l l a r
r a i s e d b y t h e e m p l o y e e s t h r o u g h t h e i r
h o s p i t a l p a y r o l l d e d u c t i o n s i s m a t c h e d
b y a d o l l a r f r o m t h e c h a l l e n g e g r a n t .
T h e m i l l i o n d o l l a r m a t c h i n g g r a n t
i s f r o m J a c k a n d E s t h e r S i m p l o t a n d
B i l l a n d M a r i l y n T e n n i t y , l o n g - t i m e
s u p p o r t e r s a n d p a r t - t i m e r e s i d e n t s o f
Pictured with new anesthesia equipment at McCall Memorial Hospital are, from left, Sara Neal, Holiday
Happening luncheon chair; Dari McKim, Holiday Happening evening co- chair; Dorothy Mott and Lea
Linville, Antique Show co- chairs; Jim Wolcott, certified registered nurse anesthetist. Not pictured: Billie
Hawley and Kay Henderson, Holiday Happening evening co- chairs; Dottie Moore, Antique Show co- chair.
Hosvital gets anesthesia device
The McCall Memorial Hospital
Auxiliary has donated $20,300 to-
wards the purchase of a new anesthe-
sia machine for the hospital's surgery
department.
The donated funds are the result of
two successful 1995 fund - raising
projects: the Holiday Antique Show
held last September, and the Holiday
'Happening luncheon and evening
event held last December.
The auxiliary donation makes pos-
sible an additional $20,300 in match-
ing funds from the Tennity - Simplot
Challenge Grant. As a result, a total of
$40,600 will be applied toward the
$58,640 purchase price of the new
anesthesia machine.
The anesthesia machine is used
during life- saving emergencies and
elective scheduled surgeries. It is used
about 250 times per year with more
use expected this year.
The new machine updates anes-
thesia equipment, which the auxiliary
helped purchase in 1975.
On March 20, the anesthesia ma-
chine was moved into the recently
completed west addition to the hospi-
tal and used during the first surgery to
be performed in one of the newly
completed operating rooms.
During the 40 years the auxiliary
has been established, it has donated
more than $300,000 for equipment
and other capital needs of the hospi-
tal
This year the auxiliary will cel-
ebrate its 40 -year anniversery. In ad-
dition to fund- raising activities, the
auxiliary aids in hospital in- service
programs including mammography,
the hospital volunteer program and
patient courtesy. For information on
auxiliary programs, call 634 -2221.
Star -News Photo by Roger Phillip:
Enjoying the spacious new laboratory at McCall Memorial Hospital are, from left, Mary Fairman, Evelyn
Lund, Randi Shaydak, Dean Arbach and Karen Evans.
Hospital lab settles into new space
The laboratory at McCall Memo-
rial Hospital has made the successful
.changeover from its previous cramped
quarters to a spacious area in the
hospital's new wing.
The new lab has space to provide
for increased patient privacy during
specimen collection. A separate blood
draw room and restroom are included
in the 1,000 square feet of lab space.
Equipment purchased for the new
lab includes two small chemistry ana-
lyzers that have allowed the lab to
expand therapeutic drug level testing.
These tests allow physicians to closely
monitor medication blood levels for a
patient.
Also, a specimen freezer and two
refrigerators funded by a grant from
the Laura Moore Cunningham Foun-
dation have been added.
The hospital's laboratory is staffed
by four medical technologists, each
with over 15 years experience, and
one certified phlebotomist who spe-
cializes in drawing blood. Educational
requirements for medical technolo-
gists are a four -year degree in biologi-
cal sciences followed by a one -year
internship.
A variety of tests are handled by
the lab for patients. Urine drug screens,
federally mandated screens for com-
mercial drivers and saliva alcohol test-
ing are a few of the commonly per-
formed tests.
In conjunction with the American
Red Cross, patients can participate in
autologous blood transfusion, a pro-
cess of storing one's blood for an
upcoming elective surgery. The blood
can be collected at the McCall hospi-
tal for surgeries planned in McCall or
at other locations.
Last year, 9,561 people used the
lab with a total of 111,190 tests per-
formed. About 98 percent of tests
ordered for patients are processed in
McCall, with the remaining 2 percent
sent to reference labs.
The laboratory and its staff have
been named the Department of the
Month during October by hospital
officials.
The $5 million dollar hospital con-
struction project is scheduled for inte-
rior completion in April of 1997 with
landscaping to follow throughout next
summer.
Project funding has been provided
by a $3.8 million dollar general obli-
gation bond approved by voters in
1993, donations, grants, and hospital
cash reserves.
The $2 million in capital needs
associated with the project for equip-
ment, furnishings, signage and land-
scaping are being funded in part from
donations and grants matched by the
Tennity- Simplot Challenge Fund.
Stern - �,e�w S
McCall Memorial Hospital
opens main, emergency
entrances in new wind
3/Zd/96
Star -News Photo by Tom Grote
Standing in the spacious new emergency room at McCall Memorial Hospital are, from left,
Marcia Shuey, R.N., Dr. Scott Harris, emergency room director, Gary Jeffus, R.R.T., and
Jan Appel, R.N., nursing practice coordinator.
After 18 months of construction,
the new main and emergency en-
trances of McCall Memorial Hospital
opened this week in the new wing of
the hospital building.
All persons entering the hospital
will now enter on the west side, from
Forest Street or Hewitt Street. The
former main entrance was along State
Street. Patient and visitor parking is
available adjacent to the new entrance.
The opening of the west entrance
and lobby area is a milestone for the
construction project, where the ma-
jority of additional square footage
was added to the west side.
The next phases of the project will
complete the remodeling of the old
wing during the next nine months.
For example, the previous surgery
and baby delivery areas will become
cardiopulmonary and physical therapy
rooms.
The new entrance is equipped with
a canopy and heat - traced concrete to
provide greater safety and protection
from weather. Motion sensor doors
allow easier access, especially for
those on crutches or using wheel-
chairs.
A design committee composed of
representatives from the hospital
board, auxiliary, foundation, medical
staff, hospital staff and the commu-
nity chose the various aspects of
exterior and interior design.
Other departments now located in
the new west addition are the emer-
gency room, laboratory, surgery and
anesthesia recovery, education and
conference rooms, business office,
patient accounts, purchasing and the
kitchen.
The laboratory is located closest to
the new entrance and is the place used
most by out - patients, or those who are
not required to check into the hospi-
tal.
The addition of two classrooms
will accommodate the increased de-
mand for community health and
prevention education programs con-
ducted by the hospital's Center for
Health Promotion.
The completed construction in-
cludes two new labor and delivery
rooms located on the southeast end of
the building. The family- centered
birthing rooms opened Feb. 1 and
have been the site of 13 births.
The hospital expansion and remod-
eling project is being funded by a $3.8
million general obligation bond passed
in September 1993 by voters in the
McCall Memorial Hospital District,
which extends from McCall to Don-
nelly.
The balance of construction costs
as well as equipment, furnishings and
other capital needs are being funded
from donations, grants and the
hospital's cash reserves.
Cost of equipment and other capi-
tal needs will total about $2 million by
next year, bringing total costs of the
construction project to about $5 mil-
lion.
Two celebrations are planned, the
first in early summer and another when
the full project is completed in 1997.
For more information on the new
wing, call the McCall Memorial Hos-
pital Development office at 634 -2221,
ext. 292.
Johnson to chair drive
to match $1 million
for McCall hospital
Carolyn Johnson of McCall
has been named chair of the
Tennity - Simplot Challenge
Campaign by the McCall Hos-
pital Foundation Board.
Johnson has been a member
of the hospital foundation for
the past four years and been
actively involved with the
implementation of the $2 mil-
lion capital campaign since its
beginning in August 1995.
Funds raised are being used
for capital needs, such as equip-
ment, furnishings, landscaping
and signage associated with the
hospital's expansion and reno-
vation construction project.
Voters in the McCall Memo-
rial Hospital District in 1993
approved a $3.8 million bond
issue to renovate and expand
the hospital, but the funds were
for construction only and not
for equipment and furnishings.
The project is 75 percent com-
plete.
A total of $1 million has been
equally funded between Jack
and Esther Simplot and Bill and
Marilyn Tennity, who are part -
time residents of McCall.
These funds will become
available for hospital capital
purchases as matching capital
donations are received from
other individuals, corporations
and groups.
For every capital dollar do-
nated, the challenge donors will
together match it with one dol-
lar.
Johnson reports that a total
of $372,821.34 of the $2 mil-
lion goal, or 18 percent, has
been raised.
Since the challenge was is-
sued, the Tennitys and Simplots
have donated $186,410.67 to
match other capital donations
of $186,410.67.
According to Johnson,
$22,319.68 of the other capital
donations have been donated
Carolyn
Johnson
Will lead
fund drive
by the McCall Memorial Hos-
pital Auxiliary.
"We need individuals who
feel strongly about the avail-
ability of local health care to
help us spread the word," she
said. "Meeting the needs of a
community that fluctuates in size
by 50 percent during a calendar
year is a challenge for any small
rural hospital.
We hope those who enjoy the
area as part -time and full -time
residents will contact us for more
information on how they can
help meet the challenge,"
Johnson said.
The hospital will recognize
donor gifts reaching aminimum
level of recognition on the
"Gems of Honor" wall sched-
uled for installation in August.
Past donor records are being
compiled from all available hos-
pital records so donors' total
giving amounts will be used to
determine wall placement.
Names will be inscribed on
moveable cherry wood name
plates displayed on a back-
ground of river rock.
The "Gems of Honor" wall
will be located inside the hospi-
tal entrance next to the lobby.
For additional information,
contact Candy Anderson,
McCall Hospital director of de-
velopment, at 634 -2221, ext.
292.
Ich (I
Enjoying the spacious new laboratory at McCall Memorial Hospital are, from left, Mary Fairman,YEvelyn Phillips
Lund, Randi Shaydak, Dean Arbach and Karen Evans.
,56ar IVe(c).5
Hospital honors Gaus �10
Dr. Brad Gauss was honored re-
cently by McCall Memorial Hospital
for his 16 years of service as a mem-
ber of the McCall Memorial Hospital
Foundation board of directors.
Recognition of Gauss took place at
the hospital's Thanksgiving luncheon
held to honor the volunteer directors
of Community Outreach Programs
and the members of the three volun-
teer boards that provide guidance and
assistance to the hospital - the board
of trustees, auxiliary board and the
foundation board.
Gauss, a McCall dentist, was in-
strumental in the creation of the foun-
dation in 1983. He and McCall attor-
ney Bill Killen drafted the articles of
incorporation and the organizational
bylaws that qualified the organiza-
tion for its tax exempt status in 1984.
During the first three years of the
foundation, Gauss served as founda-
tion president and in 1986 turned over
the presidency to Killen.
During the years Gauss has been
an active member of the foundation,
the organization has played a key role
in securing grants and receiving do-
nations through its nonprofit status.
"Dr. Gauss' vision for our founda-
tion has put it in a position to provide
essential financial assistance to the
hospital," hospital Administrator
Karen Kellie. "The foundation was
organized under Brad Gauss' and Bill
Dr. Brad
Gauss
Honored for
long service
/ </,z/7//996
Killen's direction before other simi-
lar size rural hospitals saw the future
significance of having such an orga-
nization. We are very grateful for
their foresight."
Other board members recognized for ser-
vice are:
• Board of Trustee members Dan Krahn,
Marion Johnson,, Gene Benedict, Dean
Hovdey, Joice Eld, Rita Miller and Rick
Lamm.
• Auxiliary board members Dari McKim,
Billie Hawley, Joan Perry, Mardi Keen,
Bobbie Schoonover, Ferne Krumm and Sara
Neal.
• Foundation board members Carolyn
Johnson, Herald Nukes, Fred Meyer, Brad
Gauss, Bob Scoles, Joyce Alexander, Kay -
Magee, Richard McChrystal, Steve
Millemann, Katie Charles and Bill Tennity.
• Community Outreach Program direc-
tors Ed Hershgold, Center for Health Prorrio-
tion; and Maureen Hershgold, Cancer Sup -'
port Services.
Hospital
expands
surgery
(Note: This is the latest in an
occasional series of articles about
new facilities opening as part of the
expansion and remodeling of
McCall Memorial Hospital).
The new Surgery Department at
McCall Memorial Hospital is located
on the west side of the hospital and
consists of two operating rooms, a
two -bed recovery room and a storage
room for sterile instruments and ster-
ile supplies.
The hospital has provided surgery
since it first opened in 1956, The
former surgical area, which was only
225 square feet, was one of the most
crowded and outdated areas in the
hospital. That area, combined with
the old obstetric suite, has been re-
modeled and is in use for physical
therapy patients.
Each of the new operating rooms
has been built to modern codes and
are 400 square feet. The previous room
was so crowded that fathers could not
be included in Caesarian Section de-
liveries. Now, the father can support
the mother and stand near the mother's
head, next to the anesthetist.
Another improvement is the avail-
ability of a separate, quiet recovery
room. The state -of- the -art monitor-
ing equipment is part of the anesthe-
sia machine recently funded by the
hospital's auxiliary and foundation as
part of the Tennity- Simplot Challenge
Grant.
A team of nurses and technicians
are on call', at all time to cover
le__ ,,.. .. ....1.
scheduled elective surgeries as well
as emergencies. Dr. Tom Reedy, a
gynecologist, is currently the medical
director of surgery. Seven of the 11
doctors who live in McCall work in
the operating room.
Within the past five years, a visit-
ing specialty program has been devel-
oping as part of the medical staff.
These physicians have active prac-
tices in Boise and own second homes
in McCall
Two surgeons visit McCall one
day per month to lease space ffom the
hospital and work closely with local
physicians. Dr. Avery Seifert, aurolo-
gist, primarily does cystoscopy, an
examination of the bladder classified
as an outpatient surgery and not re-
quiring the patient to spend the night
in the hospital.
Dr. Chris Oakley, a general sur-
geon, _performs two or three dutpa-
tient surgeries each day that he has a
clinic in McCall. Oakley was recently
was chief of staff at St. Luke's Re-
gional Medical Center.
Last year, Seifert and Oakley did
20 percent of the surgeries in McCall.
The hospital and medical staff have
discussions scheduled with other vis-
iting specialists and anticipate adding
services, perhaps by this summer.
o - <S�Qr-- /�PV ✓�
.::�r /,C7/y i
Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips
Hospital rooms don decor
Marcia Gauss, a McCall painter,
puts her artistic touches on "An
Irish Room," a patient room being
redecorated at McCall Memorial
Hospital last week. The McCall
Memorial Hospital Auxiliary's pa-
tient room dedication project will
be the subject of Tuesday's Payette
Lakes Progressive Club meeting
starting at 1 p.m. Lea Linville of the
auxiliary will present the program
featuring all eight patient rooms
decorated at the hospital. Tours will
follow.
20 k — / ,!n
rY1 / 9 �6
Immunizations go into database
Three local health organizations recently celebrated
National Infant Immunization Week by purchasing
computer software to track the community's immu-
nization levels. The Payette Lakes Medical Clinic,
McCall Memorial Hospital and the Central District
Health Department have joined forces with a state
database system, whose goal is to have every new-
born child in Ada, Valley, Elmore and Boise coun-
Star -News Photo by Jeanne Seol
ties entered into the community immunization soft-
ware. The database keeps track of immunization sched-
ules for every child entered, and can be recalled by
physicians. Pictured using the new software is, seated,
Central District Health Department Nursing Secretary
Kathy Ellison. Standing, from left, is McCall Memorial
Hospital Coordinator Maureen Perseo and Payette
Lakes Medical Clinic Manager Leann Tallman.
Sza,a - /t) ec.�s
Photo courtesy McCall Memorial Hospital
New hospital logo used in wall of honor
McCall Memorial Hospital has adopted a new logo,
shown above on the hospital's Gems of Honor Wall.
Whistlepunk Graphic Design of McCall served as
consultant in the logo development. The wall recog-
nizes support for the hospital. The inscription and
theme of appreciation is a quote by Rabelais: "Noth-
ing is so precious as time itself." The hospital board
of trustees has also formally adopted a revised mis-
sion statement: "McCall Memorial Hospital is a com-
munity sponsored service existing to provide quality
primary health care and to promote wellness for the
people in West Central Idaho." "The update process
involved many people over several months," hospital
Administrator Karen Kellie said. "Trying to succinctly
capture what we do and why we exist was an important
review of collective values and beliefs."
/ /.3o I �r7
Hospital opens
new physical therapy clinic
The McCall Memorial Hospital
Physical Therapy Clinic has moved
into new quarters at the renovated
hospital.
Completion of this clinic is an-
other benchmark in the overall hospi-
tal construction project, funded in part
by a $3.8 million dollar bond passed
by hospital district voters in Septem-
ber 1993.
The new physical therapy depart-
ment contains 1,100 square feet as
compared with 400 square feet of
space in its previous quarters. The
additional room allows wheelchair ac-
cess, more room for patient exercise,
and increased privacy for maintain-
ing patient confidentiality. Included
in the additional room is a handicap
bathroom with a shower for outpa-
tient use following treatments.
Additional equipment 'has been
added, allowing a greater range of
rehabilitative procedures used in treat-
ment of sports injuries, total hip and
knee replacement, stroke damage and
many other conditions.
Equipment now available includes
a treadmill, Nordic Track, stationary
bike, upper body ergometer, numer-
ous weight machines, an exercise mat
table, two treatment tables and ultra-
sound and electrical stimulation units.
A set of parallel bars will soon be in
place.
Equipment purchases were funded
through a donation received from
Marilyn and Bill Tennity and matched
by the Simplot- Tennity Challenge
Grant.
All patient treatments are adminis-
tered directly by a licensed therapist.
"We work hard to ensure that there is
good communication between us and
'the referring physician," department
Director Anne Byars said.
"Therapy should be fun," Byars
said. "With the new windows our pa-
tients can watch beautiful sunrises
and the mountains as they progress
through their treatments." In addition
to Byars, the department is staffed by
Don Sanda, a master of physical
therapy, and aide Jackie Hawkins.
Since August 1996, the McCall
Hospital Physical Therapy Depart-
ment has operated a satellite clinic in
Riggins staffed by Kim Grover, a mas-
ter of physical therapy.
The hospital's physical therapy
department is a clinical site for Idaho
State University master's students
completing their requirements to be-
come licensed physical therapists.
The public is invited to stop by the
hospital for a tour of the new clinic.
Star -News Photo by Tom Grote
Anne Byars, Don Sanda and Jackie Hawkins stand by equipment in the new physical therapy clinic.
Little Squirt
Star -News Photo by Jeanne Sao
Chris Bidiman of McCall lets out a blast on a clinic led by nurse Phoebe Hershenow. The youths
fire extinguisher on Saturday at McCall learned safety procedures, how fires start, and how
Memorial Hospital. Bidiman, son of Renee to put out a fire. The two days of instruction
Bidiman of McCall, was one of 16 youths who covered a variety of topics on child care and the
took part in the hospital's annual baby- sitting business of being a baby- sitter.
Star -News Photo by Tom Grote
Standing in a new Bricks for Life patio at McCall Memorial Hospital is chair Katie Charles with children
Clay, Connor and Carley, and donors Del and Joye Catlin.
Hospital installs brick patios
Outdoor patios embedded with per-
sonally inscribed bricks are now be-
ing installed at McCall Memorial
Hospital.
Donors to the hospital foundation's
Bricks for Life Endowment project
can now see their bricks displayed
around the exterior of the hospital in
seven locations.
People have become "brick inves-
tors" by making a donation to the
endowment fund and receiving an
inscribed brick to recognize that do-
nation. Investors choose their inscrip-
tion to memorialize a loved one, rec-
ognize a special event or record mem-
ber names of a group or family on
blocks of eight bricks.
The Bricks for Life project, chaired
,y foundation member Katie Charles,
has raised the awareness of the
foundation's endowment fund and
substantially increased the size of the
endowment fund, Charles said.
The bricks donation program has
added about $75,000 to the endow-
ment, bringing the balance close to
$180,000.
The larger goal for the endowment
fund is to reach the $1 million mark
by the year 2000. At $ ] million, inter-
est income generated from the fund
will be used to provide continuing
improvements of hospital facilities,
equipment and services.
A total of 1,100 inscribed bricks
are currently installed, or 15 percent
of the total bricks available for in-
scription. The remaining brick posi-
tions available are now filled with
blank bricks. As the project contin-
ues, the blank bricks will be replaced
with newly inscribed bricks. Rein-
stallation- is expected to take place
one or two times per year as numbers
permit.
"The Bricks for Life project has
been an excellent way for people to
express their ties to the community in
a permanent way," Charles said. "Re-
maining bricks offer a continuing op-
portunity to give meaningful gifts that
last even more than a lifetime."
Anyone interested in obtaining in-
formation on the McCall Hospital
Foundation "Bricks for Life" project
may call the foundation office at 634-
2221, ext. 292.
.S�A�; lle5 ws 9/-V //f7
McCall patients in for
homey surprise with
room decor changes
cCALL — You may find
yourself rubbing your eyes
j n disbelief should you ever
wake up from anesthesia in Mc-
Call's Memorial Hospital.
"I'm in an Irish cottage," you
may find yourself saying. Or, "I'm
out on the ranch."
It's not the drugs doing this to
you. The sterile hospital rooms de-
void of ornamentation are a thing
of the past at McCall's newly ex-
panded and remodeled hospital.
In their place: Gaily decorated
rooms designed to make patients
feel right at home sweet home.
"A docent group from the Uni-
versity of Southern California
Medical Center came through
here and said they'd never seen
anything like this," said Candy
Anderson, development director
for the hospital foundation.
The idea of decorating the
rooms, which will be part of a pub-
lic hospital tour today, actually
began with Dr. Wayne and
Shirley Allen in 1985.
The Allens offered to dedicate a
room in memory of their daughter
Lindy, who had died in a car acci-
dent. Their example was copied
by Bob and Kay Scoles, of McCall,
who had lost their son Chris.
When the hospital embarked on
its expansion and remodeling pro-
gram, a handful of individuals
and groups volunteered to deco-
rate six other rooms.
Each room is different:
■ A room decorated by the med-
ical staff contains antique - looking
teddy bears, dolls and other toys.
The wallpaper is trimmed with
pictures of dolls; the wall, with an
old- fashioned cycle.
■ Descendents of the Campbell
Brothers, who settled and ranched
in the New Meadows valley in the
1800s, gave their room a Western
ranch flair. A black iron art piece
depicting silhouettes of cowboys
sitting on a fence serves as a coat
rack. Western lampshades sit on
- lights, and bent horseshoe
andles are forged into cabinet
d closet doors. Historic family
hotos of the Campbell brothers
ang on the wall, and a family his -
ry has been provided for reading.
■ A New Meadows couple
formed one room into an
cottage in honor of their
ws, both first- generation
Americans. The room fea-
tures green plaid wallpaper, pic-
tures of Ireland and Irish lace cur-
tains bought in Ireland. The clos-
et is designed to look like a front
door and archways break up the
monotony of the wall. And the
bathroom contains a poster sport-
ing 27 Irish cottages.
■ One room features a South-
western flair with pink and
turquoise colors and Native
American pictures and objects.
■ Another smacks of the woods
with a lampstand featuring a bear
caricature and a glass beveled
closet with a deer antler mantle.
A
■ flyfishing room features an
encyclopedia of flies on the wall,
as well as pictures of Kokanee
salmon and an elk antler with a
carved moose on it.
■ And a retired military man
and his wife decorated a room
with an old world map theme and
Eskimo, Jamaican and other for-
eign dolls.
A patient waiting room features
overstuffed chairs and couches, a
miniature bear sculpture foun-
tain providing soothing running
water and a picture of the old mill
on Payette Lake.
Outside, a two-tiered waterfall
and auxiliary garden offers a
peaceful respite for visitors and
patients alike.
"It's beyond my wildest dreams
how well the project's turned out,"
said Lea Linville, who decorated
the Irish room after her husband
spent a few days in one of the
early decorated rooms. "These
rooms epitomize the hospital's
total philosophy of caring for pa-
tients. I believe we don't know
how much healing takes place in
the mind and how much these
ronmc will add to that."
"We found that we can do a lot
to maintain the hospital's needs,
and still provide a comfortable
less frightening environment fa
our patients," said Linda Klind
vice president of nursing.
Before the hospital was built
residents and visitors who needec
medical attention had to travel to
Cascade or Council — by hearse
or station wagon since there were
no ambulances for transport.
The expansion doubled the
17,000- square foot hospital,
which was built in 1956. It in-
creased the lab fourfold, providing
,5771 1_6_S a) -i nr
room for an anticipated cardiac
rehabilitation program.
The hospital serves about
10,000 people in a 45- square -mile
radius of McCall, including the
communities of New Meadows,
Riggins, Cascade, Weiser and
Grangeville. The population dou-
bles during vacation season.
Beds generally fill every week-
end as summer homeowners and
campers flock to the resort com-
munity from the Boise area,
Grangeville and Lewiston. About
600 people are admitted each
year, each for an average length
of 2.5 days.
The expansion and remodeling
and new equipment cost about $7
million. More than half was fund-
ed by a $3.8 million dollar bond
and $$1.2 million worth of hospital
cash reserves. Retired Californi-
ans William and Marilyn Tennity
and Boise industrialist J.R. Sim-
plot and his wife, Esther, also cre-
ated a challenge grant to raise the
$2 million for capital needs.
Those decorating the rooms
worked with nursing and house-
keeping staff to make sure the
carpeting, chairs and other items
met hospital guidelines. The
chairs, for instance, sit higher
than normal chairs, making it
easier for patients to get in and
out of them. They're also designed
to provide a healing rocking mo-
tion to people sitting in them.
Natalie Bartley
of Boise, sinks
into a plush chair
during a tour of -
McCall Memorial
Hospital's new ..
personalized pa:
tient rooms. The
room features a
forest -like at-
mosphere with a
bear lampstand-
pine cone
wreath and bevel
glass closet door
with a deer
antler handle.
Karen Bossick
The Idaho Statesman
5Za2- Alews
O-U-5 �
McCall hospital dedicates expansion
Boise industrialist and part -time McCall resident
J.R. Simplot addresses a crowd on Saturday during
ribbon - cutting ceremonies for the expanded and
remodeled McCall Memorial Hospital. Simplot and
Bill Tennity have pledged to match up to $1 million
'r hospital improvements. The $7 million project
Star -News Photo by Tom Grote
was funded with a $3.8 million bond issue, patient fees,
grants and contributions. Tours of the new hospital,
which was doubled in size, were given throughout the
day, and ceremonies were held to dedicate the Bricks
for Life plazas and the McCall Memorial Auxiliary
Reflective Garden.
-/�, _5,4w, - �-, - q1 /I/ ,�, r
Kevin Bollar is tested inside the "Body Box" Photo courtesy McCall Memorial Hospital while Marilyn Everhart,
Gary Jeffus and Dr. Dave Burica look on.
Device tests lung health
McCall Memorial Hospital is now
able to test for lung and airway dis-
eases using an advanced piece of
equipment called a plethysmograph,
or "Body Box."
Before the equipment was installed
in May, patients requiring advanced
testing for pulmonary functions had
to travel to Boise. '
Plethysmography testing may de-
tect the exact nature of pulmonary
disease sooner and allow medical aid
at an earlier stage, producing better
treatment results,, said Dr. Dave
Burica, medical director of the
hospital's cardiopulmonary depart-
ment.
The system is accurate, flexible
and allows technicians to acquire test
results quickly and economically,
Burica said.
"Current studies indicate that the
occurrence of asthma is on the rise
worldwide," he said.
"We expected that the beginning
demand for plethysmograph testing
would be four patients per month,"
cardiopulmonary department Direc-
tor Marilyn Everhart said. "The ac-
tual number of tests performed has
averaged eight per month, twice the
initial projections."
In addition to pulmonary function
testing, the cardiopulmonary depart-
ment at the McCall hospital performs
electrocardiograms (EKGs), arterial
blood gas testing to determine the
quality of breathing, inpatient treat-
ments for pulmonary problems re-
quiring inhaled medications, and chest
physiotherapy.
A department respiratory thera-
pist also responds to all hospital emer-
gencies involving breathing problems
and is present for all Caesarean sec-
tion births.
The department is staffed by two
registered respiratory therapists and
one respiratory student in progress
toward certification. The department
is on call 24 hours per day, seven days
per week.
a Y /\/p w-'- k/0 ye 277 b z r/ 3, r 9 9 7
Pictured with endoscopic computerization equiptment at McCall Memo-
rial Hospital are Dr. John Witte of Idaho Gastroenterology Associates of
Boise; Charly Holler, RN, hospital operating room director; and Carol
Lugar, RN, Witte's associate.
McCall hospital adds device
for gastrointestinal ills
Persons in the McCall Memo-
rial Hospital service area will now
have access to specialists dealing
with gastrointestinal problems.
Consulting privileges have been
extended by the hospital medical
staff and the board of trustees to
three specialists from the Idaho
Gastroenterology Associates prac-
tice located at 425 W. Bannock in
Boise.
Drs. Ted Bohlman, Mark Lloyd
and John Witte are taking appoint-
ments to see patients -in McCall.
The three specialists will rotate
through the twice - monthly visits to
McCall.
Persons needing the services of
a gastroenterologist may be referred
by their local primary care physi-
cian or call (208) 343 -6458 for an
appointment.
Bohlman, Lloyd and Witte offer
consultation services and treatment
of digestive diseases. Early detec,
tion of diseases, including cancer,
can be accomplished by
colonoscopy and upper
gastroscopy.
Both procedures use endoscopic
technology now available at the
hospital. The equipment is partially
funded by events put on by the
McCall Memorial Hospital Auxil-
iary Antique Show and Holiday
Happening as well as the Tennity-
Simplot Challenge matching grant
through the hospital foundation.
"Prior to this, local physicians
referred patients needing these ser-
vices to Boise," hospital adminis-
trator Karen Kellie said.
"Availability of services closer
to home saves patients travel time
and often an overnight hotel," Kellie
said.
Procedures are done in an oper-
ating room under local anesthetic
as an outpatient procedure.
Other visiting specialties avail-
able in McCall include general sur-
gery, urology, cardiology, neurol-
ogy, neurosurgery, orthopedics,
ophthalmology and oncology.
Wednesday, March 18, 1998
McCall hospital announces mammography,
computer equipment upgrades
— M d
MCCALL — A new state -of- the -art LoRad M-
IV Mammography unit was installed recently at
McCall Memorial Hospital, increasing the the capa-
bilities at the hospital.
A Radiology Committee comprised of e -
Staff and hospital representatives met monthly last
year to study new technology and recommend upgrade
of the hospital's 9- year -old machine. The
Mammography unit was funded by the Hospital Auxiliary ($24,264),
a Steele Reese Foundation grant ($10,000), the Tennity- Simplot
Challenge Grant ($34,264) and by hospital capital funds ($7,472).
The hospital's Breast Care Clinic /mammography Program has been
active in promoting breast cancer awareness and detection and serves
approximately 650 women in the McCall region per year.
The McCall Hospital continues as a certified facility. The new mam-
mography machine will be certified by the FDA, American College
of Radiology, and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Radiation
Control Program.
There are grant funds available for mammography and pap smears
in certain situations. Please call Community Services office, 645 -2221,
ext. 180 if you would like to arrange a brief program for any organi-
zation or work site regarding women's health. It is thought that only
30 percent of women who need mammograms have the exam.
Call the hospital Radiology Department, 634 -2221, ext.146 for an
appointment, or discuss your situation with your physician.
The hospital also has completed a major upgrade in its computer
system, work that is being completed this week.
Joni Stright, the hospital's Senior Vice President has lead a com-
plex process over the past year to select a vendor for information sys-
tem upgrade and expansion.
Hospital department directors and staff were involved with vendor
demonstrations, reviewing program documentation, making reference
calls and going on site visits.
Computer Program and Systems, Inc., of Mobile, Ala., was select-
ed to provide the new system because of the company's excellent rep-
utation for customer support and its ability to provide future patient
care applications as well as financial applications.
The hospital's 9- year -old system required frequent repair. The new
hospital information system replaces medical record encoding soft-
ware. The new information system will add materials management
and inventory information. Additionally, the medical records system
will interface with the billing system to meet the increasing coding
requirements of Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies.
The $325,000 CPSI information system expenditure was autho-
rized by the McCall Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees in November
1997.
For questions or suggestions for improvement please call the hos-
pital at 634 -2221, Sandy Dryden, Director of Business /Accounting
Services, ext. 137, Joni Stright, Senior Vice President, ext. 139 or
Karen Kellie, Hospital Administrator, ext. 131.
Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips
Radiology Director Mary Otto stands with mammography machine.
'"cu ml Hospital upr des
mammography testing
A new mammography machine
has been installed at McCall Me-
morial Hospital to offer state of the
art breast - cancer screening.
The new $76,000 machine was
selected by a committee of doctors
and hospital staffers to replace the
hospital's previous nine - year -old
machine.
A nursing exam and instruc-
tion regarding self breast
examination are part of the pro-
gram because breast examination
remains an important part of total
breast care. It is thought that only
30 percent of women who need
mammograms have the exam, a
hospital news release said.
The mammography unit was
funded by the McCall Memorial
Hospital Auxiliary ($24,264), a
Steele Reese Foundation grant
($10,000), the Tennity - Simplot Chal-
lenge Grant ($34,264) and by
hospital capital funds ($7,472).
The hospital's breast care clinic
and mammography program has
been active in promoting breast
cancer awareness and detection
and serves about 650 women in the
McCall region per year.
The new mammography ma-
chine will be certified by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration,
American College of Radiology,
and Idaho Department of Health
and Welfare Radiation Control Pro-
gram.
Mary Otto, Pam Nash and Jea4
Schultz are registered radiology'
technologists who operate the
mammography equipment and are
certified mammographers.
Dr. Greg McKim, a board certi-
fied radiologist, has been providing
mammography interpretation ser-
vices at the hospital since 1991.
Grants are available to pay for
some mammography and Pap
smears.
Breast clinic nurses include
Linda Enderson, Nancy Cussler,
Linda Klind and Phoebe
Hershenow. Donna Harjung is rep-
resenting Idaho on a national level
in the effort to promote awareness
and education regarding both
breast and cervical cancer. Auxil-
iary volunteers help patients with
registration and the set -up of an
education video.
Call the hospital's community
services office, 634 -2221, ext.180, to
arrange a brief program for any
organization or work site regard-
ing women's health.
Call the hospital radiology de-
partment, 634 -2221, ext. 146, for a
mammography testing appoint-
ment.
y`ZP /��ccLja ��7L�si��ar,
p/ 9 9
St. Luke's to help manage McCall hospital
By Tracy Loew
The Idaho Statesman
McCALL — St. Luke's Re-
gional Medical Center will pro-
vide management services to
McCall Memorial Hospital for
the next three years, officials of
the two hospitals announced
Friday.
The 15 -bed McCall hospital,
one of Idaho's smallest, previ-
ously had contracted for those
services with Saint Alphonsus
Regional Medical Center.
The hospital's board of
trustees recommended switch-
ing to St. Luke's after review-
ing four proposals, officials
said.
The decision was based on
cost and on St. Luke's provid-
ing access to a director of rural
services. That access creates a
two-way exchange of manage-
ment and operational services
while keeping control of the
hospital at the local level, the
board said.
"Growing network relation-
ships between medical centers
improve patient care systems,"
said Karen Kellie, president
and administrator of McCall
Memorial Hospital.
The agreement was signed
last week and will take effect
Aug. 1.
Both St. Luke's and competi-
tor Saint Al's have been ex-
tending their service networks
into rural Idaho communities
and surrounding states.
St. Luke's currently provides
management and administra-
tive services to Wood River
Medical Center and Gooding
County Memorial Hospital.
Saint Al's manages the hos-
pitals in Cascade, Mountain
Home and Jerome, as well as
the Horseshoe Bend Commu-
nity Health Clinic.
Susan Gibson, vice presi-
dent of mission services for
Saint Al's, said the hospital will
continue to provide many serv-
ices to the McCall area through
a cooperative agreement with
McCall Memorial.
"For example, we have out-
lined in the cooperative agree-
ment that those services will in-
clude mobile MRI, Life Flight,
mobile cardiovascular servic-
es, clinical initiatives such as
trauma case review, teleradiol-
ogy and a patient transfer
agreement, to name a few,"
Gibson said.
The agreements help small
hospitals get the expertise and
purchasing power of larger or-
ganizations while keeping lo-
cal control.
In addition to bringing in
more revenue, the agreements
help make the larger hospitals
more attractive to insurance
companies by widening their
referral networks.
"'Through each management
agreement, we are finding
ways to help these hospitals in
a variety of ways that enhance
the clinical coordination and
cost efficiency of their opera-
tions and services," St. Luke's
president and chief executive
officer Ed Dahlberg said.
"Through this process, these
hospitals are better able to ful-
fill their missions and patients
are better able to receive ap-
propriate care in their local
hospitals."
McCall hospital installs system
for tracking patient conditions
A Point of Care System,
which allows for tracking pa-
tient conditions and medica-
tion needs, was recently in-
stalled at McCall Memorial
Hospital.
The installation was the fi-
nal phase of a four year up-
grade and expansion of the
hospital's computer system.
Point of Care mobile units
provide touch screen charting,
documentation and retrieval of
patient information. It is used
extensively by nurses, physi-
cians and other health care pro-
fessionals working directly
with patients.
The system is intended to
include improved legibility, re-
duction of medication errors,
data security and patient confi-
dentiality.
The previously installed
physicians office link has im-
proved test result turnaround
time, according to the hospital.
Recent computerized additions
also include inventory control
systems for purchasing and
pharmacy.
The installations were over-
seen by Senior Vice President
Joni Stright and Linda Klind,
vice president of patient care.
The system's vendor is CPSI of
Mobile, Ala.
Photo by Laura Pau
From left, McCall Memorial Hospital nurses Lori Hall, Shere
Herfel and Linda Endresen, with instructor Donald Byrd,
examine the monitor of the new Patient Point of Care
Information System.
Classroom with a Pulse-
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
For Jeremy Wood, training at Mc-
Call Memorial Hospital and Payette
Lakes Medical Clinic has been an
indispensable part of his quest to
become a family practice doctor.
Wood, 28, is a third -year medi-
cal student at the University of
Washington School of Medicine who
completed five months of training in
McCall on Friday.
Another UW medical student, Rob
Armine, studied in McCall in the
winter of 2006.
The UW school has sent medical
students to McCall since 1996, one
of the longest - running sites in its
program to train medical students in
rural communities. "It's got a great
reputation in Seattle for being a place
to come," said Wood, who lives in
Alaska.
The clinic, hospital and internal
medicine clinic owned by the hospital
act as a rural medical school where
aspiring doctors serve a kind of ap-
prenticeship. Wood's teachers
Medical student gains
valuable training at
McCall hospital
were McCall's family practice doctors
and internists. He worked under their
supervision and licensing, and the
doctors signed off on his treatments.
"They are great clinical instructors
here, and I think they derive quite a
bit of professional satisfaction out of
teaching," Wood said of the physi-
cians' educational role.
According to the program's cur-
riculum guidelines, training should
emphasize family practice, pediatrics
and internal medicine, Lyle Nelson,
McCall Memorial's director of devel-
opment, said.
Legacy of learning by doing
The medical field has a legacy of
learning by doing, and McCall's doc-
tors want to teach what they know,
Wood said. Being a student, he had
more time to visit with patients than
a doctor could so he was assigned
patients needing more extensive fol-
low-up. He acted as an extra pair of
ears and eyes, reporting back those
Patients' conditions to physicians.
Wood averaged three days a week
at Payette Lakes Medical Clinic with
hours typically running from 8:30
a.m. to 6 p.m. A typical day would
start with rounds before clinic hours.
One day per week, he was on
24 -hour emergency call just like all
other McCall doctors. On the remain.
ing days, he spent a half day at
McCall Memorial Hospital's clinic in
Donnelly and a half day at the clinic
in Riggins.
Hectic schedule a surprise
His schedule was a lot more hectic
than he expected for a rural commu.
nity. It was not uncommon for him to
work a 60 -hour week. "This place is a
lot busier than I thought it was going
to be," Wood said.
See CLASSROOM, Page B -14
"It's got a great reputation in Seattle for being a
Classroom
(Continued from Page B -1)
Wood found out McCall doc.
tors benefit through teaching UW
students whose questions keep
them sharp as they share their
experience.
"(Students) learn a lot and
they contribute a lot," Dr. Eddie
Droge said.
"I think all of the physicians
enjoy our teaching interactions
with the medical students, and we
are stimulated by the questions
they ask," said Dr. David Hall,
chief of staff of McCall Memo-
rial Hospital.
Wood discovered what rural
family practice looks like day to
day. McCall is one of few places
he knows of where a family phy-
sician also does emergency
room calls, delivers babies, see
patients in the hospital, and does
surgery.
Being married, Wood found
juggling doctoring with home life
demanding. But he understood
the sense of fulfillment doctors
can derive from a small -town
practice, he said.
With his departure, Wood left
a legacy for McCall. He helped
set up a protocol at the Payette
Lakes clinic for uniform treat.
ment of chronic pain. "I feel good
about it is what the bottom line
is," he said.
place to come."
— Jeremy Wood / Medical Student
7
Jeremy Wood, a University of Washington medical student, checks the heart-
beat of Aspen Peterson, age 15 months, at Payette Lakes Medical Clinic.
�'/87
J4A�
POAJ
Dr. :Don Cstermffler
The newest thing on the McCall medical scene is more relationship is not entirely unique,but other hospital-based
than 2,000 years old,thanks to Dan Ostermiller.This family integrative clinics are generally found in metropolitan cities.
physician,who had been treating the local population using In autumn of 2006,after nearly five years of study and
conventional Western medicine for nearly 20 years,went planning,the Integrative Medicine Clinic at McCall Memorial
back to school to become one of the relatively few American Hospital opened its doors.Dan and Lisa Ostermiller
medical doctors who are board-certified in acupuncture. now work side by side with a team of coaches,each of
There may be just 400 others like him in the nation. whom provides a different area of expertise.Aside from
Acupuncture is a mainstay of Chinese healing arts,but acupuncture,areas include diet coaching and physical
until recently it received little credence among American training,as well as massage,yoga and meditation therapies.
doctors.Five-Element Acupuncture,the specific discipline The patient may see a variety of specialists and coaches
Dr.Ostermiller ascribes to,observes patterns of nature, who work in concert to diagnose and treat the patient's
such as the cycle of seasons,as a way of understanding how complaints as well as focus on the patient's desire for general
the human body works. "This is powerful medicine,"he wellness and prevention. "We've had comments from
remarked. patients that they feel like they're being taken care of by a
As Ostermiller learned more,his wife Lisa noticed team,"said Lisa.
a change in him:he was more excited about practicing "Truly,integrative medicine embraces evidence-
medicine than he had been in a long time.She was inspired based medical practices from many cultures,"Ostermiller
"Truly, integrative medicine embraces evidence-based
medical practices From many cultures," Dan Ostermiller
explains, "they augment each other.
to study acupuncture herself,eventually earning a master's explained. "They augment each other.When I see patients I
degree.She noted that"It really makes sense...I've been a use all my Western medicine,but then I can say'well maybe
biologist/naturalist all my life so working with the laws of this[alternative treatment]will help them more than a
nature just seems the right thing to do." common drug we might use. "
Soon Ostermiller began talking with Karen Kellie,the He sees education as the key to the success of the program,
administrator at McCall Memorial Hospital,about a dream asserting that"if you treat people as unique individuals,
he had of opening a new clinic that would integrate the and explain what you are doing and why it works,they
best of Eastern medicine with more traditional methods.He accept it."To this end,Ostermiller spends countless hours
knew there would be a demand for it;after all,studies show in community health education.Together with Lyle Nelson,
that Americans are now spending as much on alternative the Hospital's Development Director and four-time Olympic
medicine practices as they do on traditional medical I Biathlete,he speaks at schools,meetings and wherever he
treatments. can find an audience.In a way that is both entertaining and
Kellie was sold—in fact,she wanted the hospital to be educational,the two share their vision of a much-needed new
the home of this new clinic.According to Ostermiller,such a lifestyle for Americans:one of good health.IC
www.mccallmag.com McCall Magazine Summer/Fall 2007 • 105
McCall hospital begins using doctors
A Doctor In-Housewho only see admitted patients
BY LUCIA V. KNUDSON
The Star -News
Providing higher quality care
for patients admitted to McCall
Memorial Hospital is at the core
of the recently adoptedhospitalist
program.
A hospitalist is a doctor who
specifically works in a hospital
taking care of its patients. The
concept has been in existence
since 1996, and McCall Memorial's
own program was spearheaded
in 2006.
Most of McCall's existing
doctors have signed onto to be
hospitalists, including Dr. Marcia
Witte, chief of medicine at the
hospital, and eight of the nine
physicians at Payette Lakes Medi-
cal Clinic.
The system benefits physicians
as well as patients, Witte said. Doc-
tors have a scheduled period of
hospital duty and are not torn be-
tween multiple duties, she said.
McCall Memorial Hospital
started a trial of the system in the
fall of 2006. McCall's physicians
were supportive when they saw
patient care remained satisfactory
or improved, Witte said.
Doctors are assigned a three -
day and a four -day block of time
within a seven -week rotation.
Each duty day lasts 12 hours from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. While on duty, the
physician is responsible only for
patients in the hospital, with a
short block of time at the clinic
during the day.
Patients admitted overnight
by the emergency room doctor,
which is also a rotating duty, come
under the hospitalist's care the
next day.
Doctor Quickly Available
Overnight, the hospitalist is
always available by pager and
any problems that arise with in-
patients after hours are referred
to the hospitalist. The hospital
doctor can also assist in a pinch
with an overload of emergency
room patients.
The new system means another
call schedule on top of the ER call
schedule, still the system is widely
Supported, Witte said.
"But 1 think there's a lot of sup -
portforthe system," she said. "The
physicians likethe system andfeel
it serves them pretty well."
Before the hospitalist system
was in place, the physician on
duty at the emergency room would
admitpatients and thenlook after
their day -to -day care until release.
That could doom plans for time
off or vacations unless the doctor
could find another physician to
take over, Witte said.
They would also have to inter-
rupt clinic hours or ER duty or
to see hospital patients, with all
the juggling creating a stressful
situation, she said.
"Whatthis allows isfor the doc-
tor to focus on one place of care,"
Witte said. "What you have now is
a rested physician whose primary
responsibility is to care for you
while you're in the hospital. It
allows the ER doctor to focus on
the ER, the clinic doctors to focus
on the clinic, andthe hospitalistto
focus on the hospital patients."
Dr. Sarah Curtin, who signed
on to be a hospitalist, said the
biggest plus for her is less stress
knowing where she will be on
any given day and avoiding the
scramble to find coverage for
time off.
You never knew if you were
going to have hospital patients or
not while trying to do your sched-
Star-News Photo by Lucia v. rnuason
Dr. Sarah Curtin visits with Irma Hickman during one of her days on
as a hospitalist, or doctor on duty, at McCall Memorial Hospital.
ule with (obstetrics) and ER and
clinic," Curtin said. `Also having
hospital patients was reallyhard;
you never really had a day off."
Patients Need to Adjust
Patients will have to get used
to someone other than their
regular doctor treating them or
changing of doctors during their
hospital stay, but on the other
hand they will have a doctor who
can spend more time with them,
Witte said.
Curtin checked on Irma Hick-
man on a recent duty day with
hospital patients.
"I've never had this before,"
Hickman said to Curtin, but
Hickman thought having the
doctor in the hospital all day was
a good thing.
Continuity of cai4 is an advan-
tage of McCall's system over big
city hospitalist programs, Witte
said. In bigger cities, the personal
physician may not know when a
patient is admitted to a hospital
or have information of whathap-
pened during the stay.
The McCall hospital's small-
town setting allows frequent
communication between the
primary physician and the hos-
pitalist.
"Because it's a small commu-
nity, we can review their case with
their primary care physician,"
Witte said.
Calzacorta wins
seat on McCall
hospital board
Jane Calzacorta won a
four -year term on the McCall
Memorial Hospital District
Board of Trustees in Tuesday's
election.
Calzacorta
garnered 79
votes to Robert
Vosskuhler's
71.
Calzacorta
will finish the
six -year term
vacated by Mar
ion Johnson,
who resigned. Jane Calzacorta
Calzacorta, 47, lives in McCall
and works as an insurance
agent. She is a 1979 graduate of
McCall - Donnelly High School
and attended Colorado Women's
College and completed courses
at Boise State University, the
College of Southern Idaho and
Northwest Nazarene University.
She is married to Tony Cal-
zacorta, arealeader and manager
for Idaho Power Co.
They have a son, Kirk, who is
in real estate and marketing for
Tamarack Resort and a daughter,
Nikki, who is an architecture stu-
dent at the University of .Idaho.
Cou
nselor takes over father's practice
Jacob Wilson is following in
hisfather's footsteps with Central
Mountains Counseling, located in
fthe Allen -Nokes Building across
3
the streetfromMcCallMemorial
/Hospital.
Wilson, 26, openedhis counsel-
ing service in December, moving
into the office his father, Joe
Wilson, who has joined McCall
Memorial Hospital.
Jacob Wilson grew up in
McCall and is familiar with the
mental health needs of the area's
people and knows what it takes to
provide effective service.
"The better you know a com
munity, the more effective you
are," he said.
He offers counseling to in-
dividuals, and his speciality is
youth. It helps with his work
that the age difference is small
between him and his youthful
clients.
"That allows me to identify
with the kids," he said.
Wilson offers counseling to
change behaviors, to teach youth
coping skills and to teach them
and their families how their
members fit together.
Counseling wasn't the track
Wilson originally intended to
take when he went to college. For
18 months at Boise State Univer-
sity, he was a business major then
I/ V /O
Jacob Wilson, left, chats with his father, Joe Wilson, in Central
Mountains Counseling, Jacob Wilson's new counseling practice located
in the Allen -Nokes Building in McCall.
he realized the subject matter
didn't fit. So he switched to taking
social work classes.
After earning a bachelor's
degree in social work from BSU,
he advanced his education at the
University of Nevada in Reno
where he received a master's in
social work.
His master's work included
a 20 -hour per week internship
where he acted as the director
of a camp for sexually abused
youth.
With his father working just
across the street, Wilson has at
his disposal his father's experi-
ence and advice.
It's nice to have someone to
bounce things off of," he said.
In addition to his private
practice, Wilson works with staff
and youth at The Shepherd's
Home, a shelter home for youth,
and does anger assessments for
local schools.
Contact Central Mountains
Counseling at 630 -4040 or central -
mountainscounseling @gmail.
com.
Burst of Babes
51 babies born at MMH between
Oct. &March; more on the way
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
Deb Schirmeister has no doubt the local area
is experiencing a baby boom. She has the sore
feet to prove it.
Schirmeister is an obstetrics nurse at McCall
Memorial Hospital and three births keptherbusy
late Monday night.
Two babies of the three babies were born less
than a half hour apart around midnight. The hos-
pital has two delivery rooms, and Schirmeister
was running from one room to the next.
Eighteen babies wereborn atMcCallMemorial
Hospital in April, six in March, 13 in February
and 11 in January. The record for any month is
19 births in March 2007. Fifty -one babies were
delivered at the hospital between October and
March.
"The last two weeks have' been a big burst of
babies," Schirmeister said.
The baby boom is reflected in enrollment in the
hospital's current childbirth preparation classes,
which has 17 expectant couples registered.
About four couples enrolled for the course
three years ago when Schirmeister took over
teaching the classes.
A total of 264 new arrivals would be recorded
by the hospital by the end of the year if the current
trend continues, hospital development director
Lyle Nelson said.
The influx that kept Schirmeister from going
home Monday night, although unpredictable, was
not cause for alarm.
The hospital is prepared to meet spurts
in patient load with on -call medical staff. An
obstetrics nurse is on call around the clock for
back -up, Nelson said.
See BABIES, Page A-10
Photo for The Star -News by Matt Moehr Photography
Adam and Jessica Sharkey of McCall admire
their newborn baby boy Titus at McCall
Memorial Hospital. Titus was one of a flurry
recent births at the hospital.
Babies
(Continued from Page A -1)
"There is always a back -up
plan with people ready to assist
during'peaks," he said.
Many Expectant Families
Nobody knows whether the
rise in births will continue, but
pregnant moms and dads at the
hospital's expectant parents
class on Monday night said many
friends, family and co- workers
are expecting.
"Seems like almost everybody
is pregnant right now, Merrilee
Rebman said. Rebman and her
husband, Brian, are awaiting the
birth of their first child.
Brenda Mort and Chris Costa,
both Tamarack Resort employ-
ees, say many female co- workers
are pregnant or have had babies
recently. Pregnancies are so plen-
tiful, they have become a joking
matter, said Mort, who called the
phenomenon "epidemic."
Mort and her husband, Brian
Klind, credit the boom to more
young couples moving into the
area and more weddings.
"The next thing after wed-
dings is babies," Mort said.
Ben and Tara Reeder said they
have three family members and
afriend expecting babies. Reeder
joked the long winter with the re-
sulting boredom may be to blame
for the spate of pregnancies.
Kellie to retire as McCall hospital chief
1
Star -News Photo by Lucia V. Knudson
McCall Memorial Hospital Administrator Karen Kellie and Dr. Paul Traughber, radiologist, look through the hospital's multi -slice CT scanner.
Administrator, who will step
down in 2010, has seen patient
numbers, facilities grow
under her watch
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
Karen Kellie plans to retire as administrator
of McCall Memorial Hospital in 2010, a quarter
century after she assumed the top job at the
publicly owned hospital.
Iibllie, 57, said she in good health and wants to
retire at the same time as Tom Kellie, her husband
Service in two years.
"It's been on the horizon," Karen Kellie said
of her retirement plans.
The hospital was owned by Valley County
when Kellie came to McCall in 1981 and was
managed by a consortium that included the
communities of McCall, Cascade, Council and
Cottonwood. A joint board ran the McCall and
Cascade hospitals.
The hospital auxiliary was supportingMcCall
Memorial with equipment purchases, and no
hospital foundation existed at the time.
In 1983, voters approved forming an inde-
pendent, taxing district to finance hospital
operations. Medicare had changed its payment
system, county fundingwas limited, soadditional
support was needed, Kellie said.
"That meant taxes, and voters responded
positively," she said.
tion, and before, has been progress- minded with
a high - caliber medical staff interested in improv-
ing themselves through continuing education.
Three - legged Stool
That health care is about building relation-
ships has been Kellie's leading philosophy. She
fondly compares the relationships that make
hospitals go, to a "three- legged stool."
"The leader in mypositionrepresents the staff.
The (hospital) board represents the community.
And the third leg is the physicians on the medical
staff," she said. `All three need to be strong and
driven to continuously improve."
Kellie credited the hospital's board of trustees
with foresight in strategic planning and focus on
achievement for helping her lead the hospital for
more than two decades.
� /s /DT
4
/
V `
Kellie: McCall hospital chief to retire
(Continued from Page A -1)
She also gave the McCall
Memorial Hospital Auxiliary
credit for its supportive role.
"Thanks to our hospital
auxiliary's vision, I've also
strengthened my belief in pa-
tient and family- focused care
in a healing environment,"
she said.
What causes her the most
stress are those times when she
sees her work is not meeting
people's needs.
Access to and the cost of
health care are no longer sus-
tainable, Kellie said. For two
years now, she has served on
the American Hospital Associ-
ation's Intermountain Regional
Policy Board where the main
focus is reform.
"Health promotion, chronic
disease management, and other
prevention efforts in primary
care should be reimbursed
more consistently and at a
higher rate," she said. "It
would be an investment and
prove cost effective in the long
run."
Information technology
has been used effectively to
lower overhead and avoid du-
plicating diagnostic testing,
she said.
Optimistic About the
Future of Health Care
The mechanics of making
universal health care viable
needs to be worked out, and the
country needs to explore matters
concerning "the quality of life
and end of life," she said. She
lauded the Mayo Clinic model
where the patient comes first
and receives multidisciplinary,
compassionate care. And she
lauded the model's growing sup-
port from doctors and others.
"I am an optimist by nature,"
Kellie said. "I do not feel U.S.
health care will be the same
in five years; I think it will
improve."
In 1981, Kellie came to McCall
Memorial Hospital to work as
vice president of nursing and
patient care.
Her medical career began
in the early 1970s with nursing
studies at Washington State
University in Pullman. She
graduated Washington State's
nursing program with a bach-
elor of science in 1972.
A two -year stint followed in
respiratory intensive care at
the University of California -San
Francisco veterans hospital.
Later, Kellie advanced her
career at the University of
Washington at Seattle, earning
a master's degree in nursing in
1976. She then went to work at the
trauma center of Harborview
Medical Center in Seattle.
Volunteer service called, and
Kellie headedto Puerto Cabezas,
a small mountain town in east-
ern Nicaragua, for three months
working as a nursing instructor
for a group called Option.
Kellie returned to Seattle to
become director of coronary
care for four years at Providence
Medical Center then moved to
McCall in 1981.
Kellie appreciates in a per-
sonal way the hospital that has
grown up during her tenure.
"This hospital saved the
lives of two of my friends," she
said.
Deliberate process to be
used to replace Kellie
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
The search to replace Karen Kellie as ad-
ministrator at McCall Memorial Hospital will
kick into gear this summer.
Those associated with the hospital and
within the community will be invited to meet
with the search firm that has been hired for
the job, officials of St. Luke's Regional Medi-
cal Center said.
St. Luke's administers the hospital under a
management contract, and Kellie is employed
by St. Luke's.
The hospital hired Healthcare Placement
Group based in Mission Viejo, Calif., a profes-
sional executive recruiting firm.
St. Luke's has previously used the firm for
high -level executive searches, said Maureen
O'Keeffe, vice president of human resources
at St. Luke's Medical Center. St. Luke's has
had good luck using the firm in the past,
O'Keeffe said. «
Talks between the firm and hospital senior
staffers, members of the hospital's board of
trustees, physicians and others in the com-
munity would gather the qualities desired in
a new administrator.
See PROCESS, Page A -3
McCall hospital profile
and 2008
McCall Memorial Hospital has grown sub-
stantially in all ways since 1985 when Karen
Kellie took over as hospital administrator. Here
is picture of growth between then and now:
• Employees: from 50 in 1985 to 140 today.
• Family Doctors: From two to 10.
• Internal Medicine Doctors: From one to two.
• Radiologists: From none to three.
• Visiting Specialists: From none to 42.
• General Surgeon: From none to one, effective
in July.
• Total Budget: From $1.24 million to $17.75
million.
• Outpatients: From 6,300 to 28,200 (2007).
• Inpatients: From 558 to 546 (2007).
• Births: From 115 to 130 (2007).
• Square Footage of Main Hospital: From 16,000
to 32,000.
The hospital operates three clinics not in exis-
tence in 1985:
• McCall Medical Clinics, completed in May,
5,414 square feet.
• Donnelly Medical Clinic, completed 2007,1,248
square feet.
• Integrative Medicine Clinic, completed 2006,
1,458 square feet.
• Allen Nokes Center, completed 2002, 4,393
square feet.
leadership
Many changes have happened at McCall
Memorial Hospital since Karen Kellie took over
as the chief administrator in 1985. Here is a list,
by no means exhaustive, of the improvements
made during her tenure:
• Expansion of medical staff and other
professional staff in step with population
growth.
• Improved diagnostic testing in McCall with
the addition of lab testing, a sleep lab, bone
densitometry, colonoscopy, mammography, a
CT scanner and continued upgrades.
• Visiting medical specialists to save patients
trips to Boise or elsewhere. A dozen services
regularly come to McCall.
• McCall doctors providing service at five
clinics around the region.
• The addition of St. Luke's Home Care and
Hospice to serve a 75 -mile radius of McCall.
• Expanded mental health services.
• The McCall Integrative Medicine Clinic,
the first of its kind associated with a hospital
in the state.
• A full -time general surgeon slated to open
a practice in McCall in August.
• The McCall Memorial Hospital Auxiliary
Thrift Shop.
SL., rL,.d
Process
(Continued from Page A -1)
Those qualities would be
distilled into a composite to be
brought to trustees.
A "transition committee"
would be formed made up of
board members, doctors and
others.
After a candidate profile is de-
cided upon, the search firm would
solicit resumes and compile a list
of suitable candidates. The first
round of interviews would likely
by conducted by late fall this year,
O'Keeffe said.
About three choices would
be made, and those people could
come to McCall in January, partly
to get a taste for a McCall winter,
she said.
"Winter here is important for
them to see and understand,"
O'Keeffe said.
The finalist would likely be
chosen somewhere between late
winter and early spring in 2009,
with a move to McCall expected
by late spring or early summer.
That would allow about a year
of overlap time for the new ad-
ministrator to learn the ropes
from Kellie.
"The process gives everybody
some ownership with the ability
to participate," O'Keeffe said.
O'Keeffe agreed finding some-
one to follow in Kellie's footsteps
could be tough.
"But we have the commitment
to keep looking until we do," she
said.
Kellie, a former nurse, relates
well to staff and doctors, because
of her nursing focus, and finding
someone with that same capabil-
ity would not be easy, said Dan
Krahn, chairman of the hospital
trustee board.
The long tenure of many
staffers while Kellie has been on
board attests to her leadership,
Krahn said.
"I think it's been a terrific
run," he said. "Having staff along
time at a hospital is not typical
where turnover is somethinglike
every five years."
Kellie stands outfor her ability
to foster relationships with hos-
pitals and medical organizations
around the state and beyond,
Krahn said.
Kellie's people- oriented nurs-
ing mind -set has balanced with
the hard -nosed approach often
taken by business types, he
said.
"She has a uniqueness to see
the nursing side, where she came
from, and put that with the finan-
cial side," Krahn said.
A Stitch
in Time
Skin grafts by McCall
hospital's, new surgeon
spare Riggins woman
a profound ordeal
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
For Kathy Scheline, the ar-
rival of McCall's first resident
surgeon could not have come at
a better time.
About two weeks after Dr.
Julie Conyers started a full-time
surgery practice at McCall Memo
rial Hospital's McCall Clinic this
summer, Scheline, 59, of Riggins,
had an accident where Conyers'
expertise proved invaluable.
Scheline and her husband,
Cliff, were diggingpost holes with
a tractor and auger at the Scheline
family ranch north of Donnelly
in mid - August.
The auger was not doing its job
so well, so Cliff Scheline changed
its angle. His wife came over to
help, and the spinning bolt of
the auger's drive shaft snagged
her clothes, wound them tight
on her body, and dragged her into
the machine.
She was only hooked to the ma-
chine about 10 seconds, but at 100
rpm the damage inflicted to her
body was profound. The spinning
bolt jerked off her clothes and
chewed a gaping wound into her
left side. Three ribs were pulver-
ized, two others were broken, and
skin and muscle in her side were
shredded.
See SURGEON, Page B -10
Star -News Photo by Lucia V. Knudson
Kathy Scheline, left, gives Dr.
Julie. Conyers a high five, an act
which shows she is healing well
from surgery to repair a massive
wound under her arm. Conyers
performed skin grafts as part of
Scheline's recovery.
Surgeon
(Continued from Page B -1)
Cliff Scheline, an emer-
gency medical technician,
provided first aid until an
ambulance from Donnelly
Fire and EMS arrived. Kathy
Scheline was taken to McCall
Memorial Hospital where
Conyers was waiting for her.
Conyers' main worry for
her patient was lung bruis-
ing, which could quickly lead
to complications. She sent
Scheline via air ambulance to
St. Alphonsus Regional Medi-
cal Center in Boise, where
she underwent six hours of
surgery.
Thousands of stitches and
340 staples put her left side
together again. Scheline re-
mained at the hospital about
eight days before being al-
lowed to go home to Riggins.
After about two days, she
began to notice something did
not look right where the auger
had drilled a hole under her
left armpit. She was admitted
to McCall Memorial, where
Conyers determined the skin
in that area was dying and she
would need skin grafts.
Before the Sept. 8 proce-
dure, Conyers removed dead
skin from an area about 8
Surgeon brings 18 years
experience to full -time
McCall practice
General surgeon Dr. Julie
Conyers brings 18 years of sur-
gical experience to the full-time
surgical practice that she began
this summer at the McCall Memo-
rial Hospital's McCall Medical
Clinic.
Conyers worked at St. Luke's
Boise Medical Center since 2001
prior to coming to McCall. Dur-
ing that time she saw patients at
McCall Memorial as a visiting
surgeon.
Conyers continues her as-
sociation with St. Luke's, and
McCall Memorial contracts with
St. Luke's for her professional
services through its management
contract with the hospital.
See CONYERS, Page B -10
inches by 9 -1/2 inches.
During the procedure,
Conyers peeled four strips
of skin from Scheline's thigh
that were then stitched over
the hole. The procedure lasted
six hours and no follow -up
surgery was needed.
Conyers has been a seam-
stress since seventh grade,
and Scheline's daughter,
Sherry, noted. the stitching
on her mother's skin is so fine
that it is not visible.
Not having to travel or to
stay in Boise during Sche-
line's follow -up surgery saved
the family time and money
that would have been spent on
lodging, meals and gas as well
as time lost at work.
Cliff Scheline, who is also
a minister, sees a connection
between Conyers joining the
McCall Memorial staff and
his wife being alive today.
"For us we look at sequence
of events that we believe God
Put in place," he said. "Dr.
Conyers had to be here for
the healing team to be what
it was for Kathy."
Conyers
(Continued from Page B-1)
Conyers was recruited by
the McCall hospital's medical
staff after good results with
patients and 4vorable com-
ments from local doctors,said
Carol Shaw,director of McCall
Memorial's administrator
services.
Having a surgeon stationed
in McCall was part of the hos-
pital board's long-range goals,
Shaw said.
Conyers does a wide range
of common operations, in-
cluding colon and bowel
resections, appendectomies
and skin grafts.She also does
gall bladder, cancer, trauma
and some head and neck
surgery.
Conyers attended the Uni-
versity of Colorado medical
school, and performed her
internship and residency at
St.Joseph Hospital in Denver,
Colo.
She was on the surgical
team at St. Joseph Hospital
that took care of four students
shot at Columbine High School
in Littleton,Colo.,on Apri120,
1999.During that incident,stu-
dents Eric Harris and Dylan
Klebold went on a rampage,
killing 13 and wounding 20
before killing themselves.
One of her hobbies is
sewing; Conyers has been
a seamstress since.seventh
grade. Her experience has
made her patient and me-
ticulous with hand-stitching
surgical incisions,she said.
Sw..l1e,...
%lvl,Q
04v"
McCall hospital lans 3 -story expansion
$25 million addition to
meet demand for services,
look to the future
Each area has seen growth since
1995, the year the most recent addi-
tion to the hospital was completed at
the hospital campus off State Street,
Kellie said.
Also, 6,000 square feet of the ex-
isting building would be remodeled
for the hospital's seven other depart-
BY LUCIA V. KNUDSON
ments including surgery.
The Star -News
The plan would also provide 15,500
Plans were shown Tuesday night
square feet of unfinished space for fu-
ture doctors' offices and 15,000 square
for a $25 million, three -story expan-
feet
feet covered parking for patients
sion of McCall Memorial Hospital.
and vi sitors to the hospital, she said.
The plans were shown during
Parking would make the first
a pre - application meeting of the
level of addition, medical
McCall Area Planning and Zoning
vicesthe
vices-laboratory, radiology and the
Commission. A formal application
emergency room the second level, and
will be submitted later.
future office space the third level.
The plan unveiled Monday was
See HOSPITAL, Page A -3
for phase 1, which would build an
additional 22,000 square feet of
Sketch at right shows where the
space that would accommodate the
proposed three -story expansion would
emergency room, laboratory and
be located at the existing hospital site.
radiology department, Administra-
Sketch courtesy American Health Facilities
for Karen Kellie said.
Development
Construction weld begin in the sprint
d the expansion and renovations are expected ct
ready for occupation between 2014 to
I
�M , Site Plan Plan
IN
I
------------
Plan Summary
• Add 22,000
square feet for
the emergency
room, lab and
radiology.
Remodel 6,000
square feet of
existing space to
partially accom-
modate seven
other hospital
departments, in-
cluding surgery.
Provide 15,500
square feet
of unfinished
space for future
doctor office
needs.
Provide 15,000
square feet of
covered park-
ing for hospital
patients and
visitors.
Hospital: 3-story expansion
p
(Continued from Page A -1)
No new patient rooms will be
added with phase 1.
Plans will likely be edited in
response to public comments
and costs could change as a
result, Kellie said. Funding of
the project is not known at this
time, Kellie said.
Construction would begin in
the spring if approved, and the
expansion and renovations are
expected to be ready for occupa-
tion between 2014 to 2015.
How the hospital would pay
for the addition is still being
studied, Kellie said.
Phase 2 would demolish the
part of the existing hospital
built in 1956 and move surgery,
obstetrics and patient rooms to
the second floor of the rebuilt
facility. Thatphase couldhappen
in about 20 years, Kellie said.
Hospital officials have sched-
uled meetings through March
with civic groups, and are
soliciting the public's response
to the plan on the Internet and
through the media.
Hospital officials are asking
the city to rezone a 55 by 180 -foot
lot on Forest Street to be used for
hospital parking.
No rezone is being sought for
the Lutheran churchparcel, also
owned by the hospital, which
could become future hospital
employee housing.
Undeveloped parcels like
the former Masonic Hall site
are generally slated to become
parking lots for the hospital.
P &Z Chair Bob Youde ques-
tionedthe safety of thedriveway
from Forest Street to the hospital
emergency room and the one
entrance from Hewitt Street.
"That's going to put a load
onto the through traffic and have
implications for other people,"
Youde said.
"You all can address your
crowded site issues, but I'm still
looking at the implications for
the people downstream on those
two streets," he said.
Kellie agreed the site was
crowded and the design would
need to be adjusted.
Costs prohibit the hospital
from buying land and building
a fully new hospital so the only
alternative left at the current
location is to grow up, Kellie
said.
About 20 acres would be
needed for a new facility, while
the hospital's holdings total 5.6
acres.
"That's why property and
moving the whole facility at once
was not feasible," Kellie said.
The hospital was built in
1956 with contributors giving
one day's wages toward its
construction.
In 1993, the district passed a
$3.8- million, 15 -year bond that
added 13,000 square feet, the
hospital as it appears now. The
bond retired this year.
McCall Memorial Hospital
has 164 employees. Medical care
planned
is provided by 15 physicians,
four mid -level providers and 27
visiting specialists.
P2��
McCall hospital
hires Montana
CEO for top job
Lee Rhodes will join outgoing
administrator Karen Kellie
until her 2010 retirement
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
The head of the hospital in Roundup,
Mont., has been hired as the next adminis-
trator of McCall Memorial Hospital.
Leland (Lee) Rhodes
has been the chief execu-
tive officer of Roundup
Memorial Healthcare
since June 2003.
Rhodes, 52, will come
to work in McCall in
March and work side by
side with outgoing ad-
ministrator Karen Kellie.
Kellie, 57, announced
in June that she would
step down in 2010 after 25
years as CEO. Leland Rhodes
Rhodes will not work
directly for the hospital, but will be employed
by St. Luke's Health System, which operates St.
Luke's Regional Medical Center in Boise.
St. Luke's has a contract with the Mc-
Call hospital to provide administrative
services. The CEO — now Kellie and soon
to be Rhodes — is the only McCall employee
for St. Luke's.
The salary to be paid to Rhodes was not
disclosed.
Rhodes was among 13 applicants for the
job, of which five were invited to McCall
for interviews. Rhodes was invited back
for a second round of interviews earlier
this month, and was the only finalist to be
invited back, Kellie said.
See HOSPITAL, Page A -8
Hospital
(Continued from Page A -1)
Before working in Round-
up, Rhodes' experience has
included executive level re-
sponsibilities at St. James
Healthcare in Butte, Mont.,
administrative roles with
Deaconess Medical Center in
Spokane, and as an auditor
with Blue Cross of Montana.
"Lee's background with in-
surance programs, his strong
financial acumen, and his
experience working as part of
a health system all made him a
serious candidate," said Rich
Holm, St. Luke's vice president
of regional relationships.
"However, it was his
thoughtful and approachable
manner along with his respect
for clinical services that made
him the right choice for this
community," Holm said.
In a statement, Rhodes said
he was lookingforward to com-
ing to work in McCall.
"I feel the quality of the
employees, medical staff,
foundation people, auxiliary
people, and board of directors
is truly outstanding," he said.
"I look forward to working
with the McCall community
on providing quality health-
care and wellness."
His wife, Tami, works for
the state of Montana doing
mediation and investiga-
tion for the Human Rights
Bureau.
The couple have two sons,
Kitrick, 22, is a senior at Mon-
tana State University, and
Kellen, 20, is a sophomore at
Montana Tech.
Hospital charts
plan of action
for next 2 years
BY TOM GROTE
The Star-News
Expansion of services to New
Meadows and Riggins and more rec-
ognition of non - traditional health -care
methods are among the goals of
McCall Memorial Hospital for the
next two years.
The hospital's board of trustees
recently approved a two -year Action
Plan with goals for this year and 1999.
The plan was adopted following
meetings with -hospital employees,
doctors and volunteers board as well
as public meetings in October. A total
of 109 persons attended the meetings
held in Donnelly, Riggins, New Mead-
ows and McCall.
The hospital still needs a plan for
the next two years even though a $7
million expansion and remodeling was
completed last summer, said Gene
Benedict, a hospital trustee and chair-
man of the Action Plan committee.
"Planning never ends because of
all the changes in medicine," Benedict
said. "We agreed we can't sit on our
laurels and wait for the next thing to
come."
Members of the planning commit-
tee were encouraged by comments
from the public that the hospital now
offers a high level of care, he said.
"The people who participated told us
`you can take assurances we don't
want you to change too much,' "
Benedict said.
Few physical improvements to the
hospital itself are mentioned in the
action plan. However, the plan was
adopted before Payette Lakes Medi-
cal Center received permission from
the City of McCall to build a new
clinic just west of the hospital on
Forest Street, he said.
Gene
Benedict
Chaired
committee
Clinic to move
The McCall City Council has ap-
proved a conditional use permit for a
new Payette Lakes Medical Clinic
next to McCall Memorial Hospital.
Construction on the clinic could be-
gin as early as this summer.
"We are doing preliminary archi-
tectural work on the clinic and a fund-
ing package," Dr. Eddie Droge of the
clinic said.
Droge said preliminary plans call
for roughly doubling the size of the
existing clinic, which he said is too
small for the six doctors practicing
there.
The current clinic, located directly
across Forest Street from the hospital,
is about 5,000 square feet.
The new clinic would be located
on Forest Street on the west side of the
hospital. It would continue to be a
private clinic not funded or operated
by the hospital.
Hospital officials support the clinic
being built in the planned location so
it will remain close to the hospital,
Business Manager Joni Stright said.
r�-,,4
Hospital trustees may look at buy-
ing or leasing the current clinic build-
ing, now located across Forest Street
from the hospital, he said.
The building could be used as a
clinic for doctors now located else-
where in McCall or as office space for
the growing number of specialists who
make regular visits to McCall from
Boise, Benedict said.
Here is a review of some of the
major points in the action plan:
• Service Area: The plan calls for
expansion of services to New Mead-
ows and Riggins, which are served by
the hospital.
Goals include offering health edu-
cation programs in those towns, pro-
viding transportation to programs of-
fered in McCall, expanding the
Healthwise program to those towns,
and increasing primary care, such as
mental health therapy.
• Complementary Care: The plan
calls for setting up a seven- member
advisory board to recommend pro-
grams offered through the hospital's
Center for Health Promotion.
Topics the trustees would like to
see investigated include what the plan
calls "complementary care," such as
chiropractic, acupuncture and hypno-
sis.
Surveys show many people visit
other health -care providers in addi-
tion to medical doctors, Benedict said.
Medical doctors now on staff at
McCall Memorial agree alternative
providers play a part in overall health
care, he said.
• Spiritual Support: Public com-
ment said the hospital should provide
space for people to meet with their
clergy or for private prayer, Benedict
said.
To that end, the hospital plans do
more for the religious needs of pa-
tients, including designating a "medi-
tation room."
• EMTs: A closer working rela-
tionship is urged in the plan between
the hospital and local ambulance ser-
vices, which operate independently
from the hospital.
The care now provided by emer-
gency medical technicians is high, the
plan said. That level can be main-
tained by inviting EMTs to observe
and train in the hospital's emergency
room, by conducting regular review
of cases, and assigning hospital em-
ployees as liaisons with EMT units.
• Patient Services: The action plan
calls for quicker reporting to patients
of testing done at the hospital, starting
a patient survey, and focusing on pain
management.
• Medical Staff. The action plan
calls for the appointment of a Director
of Medical Education to keep local
doctors up to date with changes in
treatment and technology. The plan
also calls for doctors to do more col-
laboration on specific cases.
The six -page plan is available at
the hospital reception desk. For ques-
tions, call Administrator Karen Kellie
at 634 -2221.
New McCall */`
hospital chief
ready for job
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star News
..
McCall Memorial Hospital faces
the same challenge as all hospitals na-
tionally — which direction health -care
funding will take, the hospital's new
administrator said.
"The question is how that would
effect reimbursement for hospitals for
better or for worse," said Lee Rhodes,
52, who took over management of the
hospital from Karen Kellie earlier this
month.
Before coming to McCall, Rhodes
Lee Rhodes
was CEO for six years at Roundup
Memorial Hospital in Roundup, Mont.,
McCall Memorial
about 45 miles north of Billings.
Hospital is a 15 -bed
The McCall hospital will retain Kel-
hospital with 71 full -
lie to work on special projects, such as
time and 90 part-time
the master plan, and she will report to
employees. Here are
Rhodes. Kellie is due to retire in 2010.
its 2008 statistics at
"She's going to be a great resource
a glance:
for me, having been here 25 years,"
Gross revenue,
Rhodes said.
$18,130,000.
Rhodes was born and raised in
Number of admis-
Montana, attending public school in
sions, 617.
Helena. After graduating high school,
Acute care patient
he enrolled at the University of Mon-
days, 1,083.
tana in Missoula, earning a bachelor's
. Babies delivered,
degree in business administration with
141
an emphasis on accounting..
• Newborn patient
He went to work for Blue Cross of
da s, 227.
y
Montana as a Medicare auditor. To
Emergency Room
earn certification as a certified public
accountant, Rhodes next went to Spo-
visits, 4,525.
kane, Wash., working at the LeMaster
Outpatient visits,
& Daniels accounting firm.
27,215.
40% Rhodes, Page A -6
Rhodes
(Continued from Page A -1)
Two and a half years later
with CPA in hand, Rhodes
went to work at Deaconess
Medical Center in Spokane as
accounting supervisor.
After a total of 5 -1/2 years
in Spokane, Rhodes returned
to his home state to raise a
family with his wife, Tami.
The couple have K tric grown
sons in college,
at Montana State University
in Bozeman and Kellen, 20, at
Montana Tech in Butte.
Rhodes took a position as
director of finance at St. James
Health Care in Butte, Mt., ajob
he held ab out six years until he
was promotedto chief finance
officer at St. James.
About four years later,
he again was promoted, this
time to chief of operations. In
that role, he oversaw hospital
departments that included
dietary, housekeeping, labora-
tory, diologn maintenance, s further
and radiology.
advanced his career, taking the
CEO opening in Roundup.
plateforthisfall.Inspiteof the
nation's foundering economy,
expansion plans announced
last year are still necessary,
he said. The hospital is "space
challenged," he said.
He learned during a tour
of the McCall hospital's ra-
diology department just how
cramped is the room for the
hospital's 64 -slice CAT scan-
High - quality Physicians n
ner.
Space for the sliding table
The McCall hospital is b
behind the device's large
already functioning at a high d
doughnut- shaped scanner is
recruiting high quality physi- o
over six feet tall. He credited
cians, s
ways around the problem.
Rhodes said. "
make it work," Rhodes said.
e
c e
hospitalboardfoundation and
employees," he said.
Strategicplanning is onhis
space crunch saw three admin-
istrative offices subdivided
into six smaller offices to pro-
vide administrative staffers'
office space while meeting
other departments' growth
needs, he said.
More operating rooms
would be needed to reduce
competition. for time and
space if the hospital decides
to add an orthopedic surgeon
to its staff in the future, he
said. The hospital brought a
general surgeon on staff last
summer.
Rhodes enjoys Nordic ski-
ing in winter and golf, fishing
and water skiing in the sum-
mer. He is tempted to tak e
up alpine skiing once again
with ski hills at Brundag
e
Mountain and Little Ski Hill
close by.
"McCall has all that, and I
was looking for a place with
rivers, lakes and mountains,"
he said.
Rhodes does not work di-
rectly for the hospital but is
employed by St. Luke's Health
System, which also operates
St. Luke's Regional Medical
Center in Boise.
St. Luke's oversees the hos-
pital as part of a management
agreement with the hospital's
board of trustees.
Rhodes is the only hospi-
tal staffer who works for St.
Luke's. As such, his salary
m is not subject to public dis-
closure.
Cn
d� G
'rP
Sc Luke's,`
McCall eye
expanding
partnership
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
"We have
McCall Memorial Hospital
no debt,
has begun formal talks with
St. Luke's Health System
three months
about expanding the McCall
cash reserve
hospital's partnership with
St. Luke's.
and our
A steering committee of
six people from McCall Memo-
neighbors
rial and four from St. Luke's
in small
has been formed to explore
ways St. Luke's could help
hospitals
the McCall .hospital expand
services and be more efficient
in the area
over the next five years.
McCall hospital officials
envy our
sought out the aid of St.
situation:' ,
Luke's, and the talks are not
in response to any overture
- McCall Hospital
by St. Luke's, McCall hospi-
CEO Emeritus
tal trustee chair Dan Krahn
Karen Kellie
said.
Krahn emphasized the
talks are not necessarily a
prelude to a full merger, but that
whatever happens
must be to the benefit of patients and employees.
"That is a huge reason why we contacted St. Luke's;
their local boards make the decisions," Krahn said.
See HOSPITAL,
Page A-8
HOSPITAL COMPARISONS
Here is a comparison of McCall Memorial
Hospital with St. Luke's Regional Medical
Center (only Boise centerfzgures shown).
MCCALL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
• Beds - 15
• Employees -161
• 2008 Admissions - 617
• 2008 Babies Delivered 141
• 2008 Outpatient Visits - 27, 215
BOISE
• Beds - 403
• Employees - 3,522
• 2008 Admissions - 25,346
• 2008 Babies Delivered - 4,820
• 2008 Outpatient Visits - 285,342
HOSPITAL TIMELINE
► 1956 -Hospital opens as a city -owned hospi-
tal, later becomes a county -owned facility.
► 1984 -Voters approve hospital district afterfi-
nancial troubles under county ownership.
o 198 - Hospital signs management agree-
ment with St. Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center.
► 1993 - Voters approve $3.8 million bond issue
to expand, modernize hospital.
► 1999 - Hospitaldrops management agreement
with St. Al's, signs similar agreement with
St. Luke's Health System.
► Early 2009 - Hospital, St. Luke's begin talks
on expanding partnership.
1�J2
Hospital: McCall, St. Luke's eye expanding partnership
(Continued from Page A -1)
The talks are in their early
stages, but Krahn and CEO
Emeritus Karen Kellie said
no major changes in opera-
tions at the hospital would be
made without approval of the
board's trustees and, if neces-
sary, voters.
St. Luke's already has a
long history with the McCall
hospital. The hospital has
had a management contract
with St. Luke's since 1999 and
directly employs Kellie and
current CEO Lee Rhodes.
St. Luke's also operates a
home health and hospice pro-
gram in McCall with its own
employees, and the hospital
is part of the St. Luke's buy-
ing group for equipment and
supplies.
St. Luke's operates hospi-
tals or cancer centers in Boise,
Meridian, Eagle, Ketchum
and Twin Falls, and manages
hospitals or health centers
in Challis, Mountain Home,
Gooding, Stanley and Weiser
in addition to McCall.
Total revenues for St.
Luke's Health System totalled
$903 million in 2008.
No specific occurrence
caused the McCall hospital to
approach St. Luke's, Krahn
said.
"There was a discussion
among board members of
what do you do to ensure
the long -term viability and
sustainability of a rural hos-
pital," he said.
Kellie agreed, saying now
was the time to ponder the
future in light of national
health care reform, rising
health costs and the growing
number of people without
health insurance.
"We have no debt, three
months cash reserve and our
neighbors in small hospitals in
the area envy our situation,"
she said.
The expertise provided
by an expanded partnership
could help the McCall hospital
set up new services such as
chemotherapy and orthopedic
services, Kellie said.
Krahn has briefed hospital
employees on the talks, and
has tried to calm anxiety
over further involvement by
St. Luke's in hospital opera-
tions.
"If youthinkof itlikeaball
club, it is looking at the depth
of your bench," Krahn said.
One area to be explored is
retirement benefits. McCall
hospital employee are now
covered by the state public
retirement system, but St.
Luke's, a nonprofit corpora-
tion, has its own benefits
program that could be superi-
or depending on the employee,
Kellie said.
The steering committee
also will look at how the
McCall hospital could use
St. Luke's favorable bonding
rating to finance a planned
expansion of the McCall
hospital.
McCall officials are plan-
ning an expansion within
the next five years, but are
not sure asking voters for a
property -tax bond is the best
way to fund the expansion...
It is not clear how deep a
St. Luke's- McCallpartnership
would have to grow before
McCall could use St. Luke's
financing, St. Luke's CEO Ed
Dahlberg said Tuesday.
"It could take upwards of a
year to understand the ramifi-
cations," Dahlberg said.
St. Luke's commitment to
local control is unwavering,
he said.
"We understand and ap-
preciate finding the sweet spot
between the valise of being a
larger system and recognizing
the commitment of local com-
munities, " Dahlberg said.
"We can't have a strategy
of going out and picking off
places if they don't want to
commit to us," he said.
STANDOFF IN THE ER
Confrontation between McCall officer, hospital staffers
over blood draw procedures leads to new policy
BY TOM GROTE
and LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
90- minute confrontation
last month between a
McCall police officer and
emergency room staff-
ers at McCall Memorial
Hospital nearly led to the arrest of
hospital employees.
The stand -off, which occurred May
27, was over the officer's authority
to force hospital employees to draw
blood from a suspect brought to the ER
who was facing felony drunk - driving
charges.
The suspect eventually agreed to
give the blood sample but not before the
officer reached for his handcuffs and
told a supervisor "I will be arresting
somebody tonight."
A meeting between hospital and
police officials two days later resulted
in an agreement that will guide both
sides in a future situation. .
McCall Police Chief Jerry Sum-
mers said his officer, Mike Maini, acted
professionally and within the law.
Hospital CEO Lee Rhodes said
hospital staffers were not aware of a
1992 state law that gives police officers
authority to order a blood draw under
certain conditions. However, Maini's
conduct was "more aggressive" than
staffers had experienced in the past,
Rhodes said.
Both Summers and Rhodes said
the incident is behind them and they
Previous incident
involved same officer
The May 27 incident was not the
first time McCall Memorial Hospital
staffers had refused police orders to
draw blood from a suspect.
Two weeks earlier, staffers refused
a similar order, which was given by
McCall Police Officer Mike Maini, the
same officer who ordered the blood
draw on May 27.
The situationwas resolved when the
suspect was held down while the blood
sample was taken, officials said.
Following that first incident, hos-
pital CEO Lee Rhodes tried to arrange
a meeting with McCall Police Chief
Jerry Summers, but schedule conflicts
prevented ameeting until afterthe May
27 incident occurred.
are ready to move forward with a new
understanding.
"I know that we need them and they
need us," Rhodes said.
"Everyone is on the same page, and
it was unfortunate it had to come that
point," Summers said.
Combative Suspect
The incident began about 9 p.m.
on May 27 when Jonathon Conti, 26,
of Boise, wrecked his motorcycle on
Hillhouse Loop west of Donnelly, ac-
cording to an Idaho State Police report
of the accident.
Conti and apassenger, Amy Gifford,
20, of Eagle, were injured and taken by
ambulance to the McCall hospital for
unspecified injuries.
ISP Trooper Mark Wright called
Maini, who was on duty in McCall,
and asked him to go to the hospital
to get a sample of Conti's blood while
Wright finished his investigation at
the scene.
When Maini requested a blood
sample from Conti, he became combat -
ive and refused, according to Summers
and a tape recording of the incident
made by Maini that was played for
The Star -News.
Maini, who has been a McCall
police officer about a year, then
ordered emergency room staffers to
draw blood under the 1992 state law
that gives him authority to do so,
Summers said.
See STANDOFF, Page A-6
An internal review of the May 27
ingidents was made by hospital officials
that included statements by those who
were present that night, Rhodes said.
He declined to release the review, cit-
ing various state laws exempting public
disclosure of personnel and patient
records, doctor - patient confidentiality
and records that are part of an active
police investigation.
State law gives police
power to order blood draw
Idaho Code section 18 -8002, passed
by the Idaho Legislature in 1992, gives
lawenforcement officers specific pow-
ers when a suspect refuses to consent
to a blood draw to determine their
blood - alcohol content.
See BRIEFS, Page A-8
Jerry Lee
Summers Rhodes
"We always
want to look at the
patient's rights
and make sure
the patient has
given consent for
anything we do."
—Lee Rhodes,
McCall Memorial Hospital CEO
"We were
following the law,
we were instructing
them what the
law was, and we
were instructing
them what the
consequences for
failing to comply
with the law were."
i
—Jerry Summers,
McCall Police Chief
On the back page (A -8)
♦ Excerpts from new protocol
on blood draws
♦ Hospital employee video-
taped incident
♦ Excerpts of incident tape
Standoff
(Continued from Page A -1)
The staffers at the emer-
gencyroombalked, citingwhat
they believed was the right of
Conti to refuse, Rhodes said.
"We always want to look at
the patient's rights and make
sure the patient has given
consent for anything we do,"
said Rhodes, who became the
hospital's CEO in March.
An attending physician, an
emergency room nurse and a
laboratory technician were on
duty at the time, Rhodes said.
He declined to reveal their
names, citing protection of
their privacy rights.
Chain of Discussions
The refusal set off a series
of discussions and telephone
calls. Hospital staffers sum-
moned Beth Gray, the hospital
Meeting Held on Policy
Two days later, at the re-
questof Rhodes, ameetingwas
held at the hospital to review
the incident.
Attending were various
hospital staff members,
Summers, Valley County
Prosecuting Attorney Matt
Williams and Valley County
Sheriff's Capt. John Coombs.
By the end of the meeting,
a joint agreement had been
hammered out to guide police
and hospital staffers on future
incidents.
About a half -dozen inci-
dents occur each year in which
a blood sample needs to be
taken from a suspect in the
emergency room, Summers
said. The May 27 incident, and
vice president of nursing and
patient care, and Karen Evans,
vice president of diagnostic
services, which incudes the
lab.
Maini called Summers, who
was at Valley County Jail in
Cascade on another case.
"I advised him to try to work
withthestaff tovoluntarilytry
to draw the blood," Summers
said. But Summers also gave
Maini authorization to arrest
anyone who refused to coopex`-
ate and to charge them with
obstruction of justice.
Summers also spoke on the
telephone with Gray, but said
he was unable to resolve the
problem with her.
At one point, Maini reached
for his handcuffs and told hos-
pital staffers he would arrest
anyone who refused to follow
his instructions.
Maini repeated his inten-
tionsto Gray inatelephone call
before Gray came to the hospi-
a similar incident two weeks
prior were the first times
hospital staffers had refused
to draw blood, he said.
Rhodes said hospital staff-
ers reacted as they didbecause
"they thought the police officer
was more aggressive than
what they had experienced in
the past."
He acknowledgedthat staff-
ers were not aware of the state
law that gives police authority
to order a blood draw because
there had never been a conflict.
The new policy will ensure
that staffers are aware of the
law, he said.
Summers defended Maini's
actions. "Mike was nothing
but professional," the chief
said. "He had been putting u
ptal. "If medical staff refuses,
I will be arresting somebody
tonight," according to the re-
cording of the incident.
Maini also called the lab
tech, who had gone home off -
shift during the negotiations,
and ordered the tech to return
to the emergency room.
No one was arrested, how-
ever, and after additional
discussions with Conti, he
agreed to voluntarily submit
to the blood draw about 90 min-
utes after he was brought in,
Rhodes and Summers said.
Conti was treated for his in-
juries andreleased, afterwhich
he was taken to Valley County
Jail and charged with felony
aggravated drunken driving,
felony leaving the scene of an
accident, battery against an
officer and assault.
He was freed on $10,000
bond, and his next court hear-
ing is set for Tuesday.
with abuse from the patient
and others around him; he
remained absolutely profes-
sional through the entire
thing."
"We were following the
law, we were instructing them
what the law was, and we
were instructing them what
the consequences for failing
to comply with the law were,"
Summers said.
Rhodes was confident the
new policy w ill Prevent similar
confrontations in the future.
"Our purpose was to come
up with a solution so we
wouldn't have our employees
threatened and have in oig
turmoil happening
ER, because it is not good for
patient care," he said.
M -D schools, hospital work together
to deal with sports concussions
BY LUCIA V. KNUDSON
The Sta,News
McCall - Donnelly High
School senior Christine Rob-
erts says her life likely was
saved after a soccer accident,
thanks to the high school's
concussion management pro-
gram.
The high school, in partner-
ship with McCall Memorial
Hospital, implemented the
program two years ago, and
results have been encourag-
ing.
Since the program's incep-
tion, 150 baseline tests have
been conducted on student
athletes, and seven concus-
sions have been managed.
"This program has been
successful because of the
collaboration and support
of the hospital, physicians,
parents, athletic coaches,
school administrators and
staff," said Tamara Kam, the
hospital's coordinator for the
program and on of its McCall
originators.
Returning to play too soon
while recovering from an
initial concussion can have
catastrophic consequences,
Kam said. A second blow to
the head can cause perma-
nent brain damage and even
death.
Careful monitoring of an
athlete who has suffered a
first concussion can help avert
worse damage, Kam said.
Under the program, a
baseline of brain function is
establishedfor all incomingM-
D freshmen and new students
planning to participate in
football , soccer and wrestling.
Freshmen athletes will be
retested as juniors and those
starting as sophomores will be
retested as seniors.
A computer -based diag-
nostic test is administered to
obtain the baseline. It mea-
sures athletes' reaction time
and ability in remembering
information, multi- tasking
and concentrating.
Coaches often are the first
to know if an athlete has
sustained a head injury, and
they have been educated on the
signs of concussion, immedi-
ate response and follow -up
procedures and protocols.
"The coach is the first line
of defense and tells parents
if a concussion is suspected,
then urges parents to an ap-
pointment with a doctor,"
Kam said.
Students suspected of
sustaining a concussion are
then retested, more than once
if necessary. The post- concus-
sion data are compared to the
baseline data to assess brain
function.
Most of the seven athletes
with concussions were cleared
to play after only one or two
post- concussion tests. How-
ever, a few underwent up to
four tests over four months
before being cleared.
Roberts sustained aconcus-
sion in her junior year during
a soccer game and in her
senior year during a bicycle
accident.
In the soccer incident,
Roberts was going for the ball
when an opponentran intoher.
All she remembers was com-
ing to, her head pounding.
Her doctor advised her not
to play, and she took the advice
even though she tends to push
herself beyond her limits.
"I decided it was not worth
my life to get further brain
damage," Roberts said.
McCall hospital emergency room
gets high marks in national survey
Those high expectations
set the bar higher for McCall
than for other hospital's na-
tionwide where expectations
may be lower, Evans said. The
hospital's ranking reflects
that patients' high expecta-
tions have been exceeded,
she said.
"Those are the things we
want to feel proud about,"
she said.
People who come to the
ER are feeling frightened, in
pain and stressed, and they
know the care will be costly,
but they also expect to find
relief, Evans said.
Previous survey results
have been used to improve
emergency care, said Dianne
Robinson RN, director of the
hospital's ER.
Apain scale was developed
from earlier survey results,
and bills were made easier
to read and to understand.
Emergency room billing
rated higher than the national
average.
"We're always looking
at these and always trying
to improve on these areas,"
Robinson said.
BY LUCIA U KNUDSON
The Star -News
The emergency room of
McCall Memorial Hospital
has again received high
marks in a national survey,
a feat repeated in previous
years, according to hospital
officials.
Since 2004, the hospital
has used the survey company
Avatar International LLC to
measure the satisfaction of
patients who have been to the
ER. The survey is conducted
yearly, and responses are
ranked against a national
database.
McCall Memorial's ER was
compared to ERs in other U.S.
hospitals large and small.
In10of 16measuresonthe
survey, the McCall ER placed
in the top 10 percent and
ranked in the 95th percentile
nationally.
Most of the measures
sat above the national aver-
ages, said Karen Evans, the
hospital's vice president of
diagnostic services.
McCall Memorial's ER
has received two awards
and the hospital one for be•
ing in the top 10 percent of
surveyed hospitals around
the nation.
Among the Categories were
billing, expectations, general
care, pain management, pa
tient safety, physician care,
and time spent waiting for
care..
The results for this lat-
est survey are based upon
responses from 417 survey
forms returned to Avatar.
The survey asks 50 ques-
tions to gauge the level of
patient expectations. Patients
rate their expectations and
rank how their expectations
were met.
McCall patients typically
have high expectations about
the care they will receive at
the hospital, said Dr. Scott
Harris.
"People in general are used
to getting quality medical
care and they know it's the
same physicians, the same
nurses and the same hospi-
tal," Harris said.
Thatfamiliarity shows the
wisdom of the McCall hospi-
tal supportingfamilypractice
and family care, he said.
Z� . � .j
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■► McCall
Memorial
Hospital
Photos courtesy McCall Memorial Hospit;
by Matt Moehr Photography
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114110. "This is going
to help ensure
their financial
success, help
implement
some of the new
changes, and help
with access to
resources"
— Dr. David Pate,
CEO, St. Luke's Health
System
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
McCall Memorial Hospital trustees
last week approved a tentative agreement
that would seethe hospital become part of
St. Luke's Health System based in Boise
and renamed St. Luke's McCall.
The trustees approved aletterof intent
to join the St. Luke's system. That letter
was approved last month by the St. Luke's
board of directors.
The agreement is not final, but the let-
ter is a major step in negotiations between
the McCall and St. Luke's hospitals that
began in January 2009.
Open houses are scheduled in May
to explain the tentative agreement to
the public in the hospital's service area,
which extends from Council on the west
to Riggins on the north to Cascade on
the south.
Advisory Vote Planned
Also, a nonbinding advisory vote will
be taken Aug. 3 within the hospital's tax-
ing district, which extends from McCall
to Donnelly.
Spokesmen for both McCall and St.
Luke's hope there will be no roadblocks
to completing a formal agreement as
early as Oct. 1.
"Having a partner allows us to have
more access to things to benefit the com-
munity," McCall hospital trustee chair
Dan Krahn said.
"Historically we've gone through
changes throughout the 54 years the
hospital has been open," Krahn said. "It
has been an evolution, and this is the
next step."
See HOSPITAL, Page A -2
Hospital: McCall Memorial enters new era
(Continued from Page A -1)
Health -care reform just
passed by Congress and other
trends in the hospital industry
will make it more difficult for
independent hospitals like
McCall Memorial to operate,
said Dr. David Pate, CEO of St.
Luke's Health System.
"It is going to be harder and
harder to find physicians and
staff for a stand-alone hospital
to have success," Pate said.
"This is going to help ensure
their financial success, help
implement some of the new
changes, and help with access
to resources."
Advantages Cited
Krahn and Pate listed the
following as major advantages
to the two hospitals joining
up:
• Buying Power: As a
larger operation, St. Luke's
is able to acquire equipment,
supplies and other materials
at less cost than the McCall
hospital is currently able.
• Staff Support: The Mc-
Call hospital will be able to
use St. Luke's staff to process
patient billings and collec-
tions, deal with insurance
companies, handle employees,
and do other paperwork at far
less cost.
• Financing: St. Luke's has
access to favorable financing
rates that will allow McCall
to acquire major medical
equipment, such as advanced
scanners, at less cost and to
extend payments over several
years.
Also, St. Luke's is able to
secure financing at favorable
interest rates for an expected
$25- million expansion of the
McCall hospital in the next
five years.
Currently, the hospital is
only able to borrow money
through bond issues with a
public vote, and those bonds
would only be paid with taxes
by property owners between
McCall and Donnelly.
Under the agreement, a
new independent board of
directors would run St. Luke's
McCall. The board would be
composed of current trust-
ees but also residents from
the larger area served by the
hospital.
Local Control Assured
The new board would
have control over day -to -day
decisions, but St. Luke's
would have the final say over
purchase of equipment or
building improvements.
"We do believe health care
is a local issue," Pate said.
"We have one mission that is
the same for all the entities,
and each entity has its own
vision."
The agreement would see
the main 15 -bed hospital
building on State Street as
well as several other build-
ings transferred to St. Luke's
ownership.
The 165 employees of the
McCall hospital would become
St. Luke's employees, but
salaries would still be set by
the new local board.
Employees would see their
retirement packages switched
from the current state public
employee system to a private
program.
Meetings have been held
with employees to explain
how the new partnership
would affect each one of them,
Krahn said.
St. Luke's Health System
operates medical centers or
cancer centers in Boise, Twin
Falls, Meridian, Eagle and
Ketchum.
St. Luke's also manages or
owns clinics in a variety of
cities, includingPayette Lakes
Medical Clinic in McCall, an
independent physicians clinic
that joined the system Jan. 1.
St. Luke's has held a man-
agement contract with McCall
Memorial Hospital since 1999
and the two hospitals already
are sharing services under
that contract.
Financialprojections show
the McCall hospital would be-
gin to see its financial cushion
erode overthe nextfew years if
it stayed independent, McCall
CEO Lee Rhodes said.
The savings from joining
with St. Luke's will ensure the
hospital's financial stability
and also ensure it will be able
to pay back St. Luke's for fi-
nancingmajor equipment and
expansion, Rhodes said.
The partnership would not
be derailed if the Aug.3 advi-
sory vote fails, Krahn said.
The results of the vote
would be factored into the
results of the open houses as
well as other studies on the
implications of the partner-
ship, he said.
Pate doubts the typical
patient served by the Mc-
Call hospital will notice any
changes if McCall Memorial
Hospital becomes St. Luke's
McCall.
"I don't think they will be
able to see a difference, but
it will provide a means for
McCall to progress forward,"
he said.
r
Facts & itkli8
Figures
Hospitals Comparison
Here is a comparison of Mc-
Call Memorial Hospital with St.
Luke's Regional Medical Center.
Dollar and patient figures are
for 12 months ending Sept. 30,
2009:
McCall Memorial Hospital
• Revenues - $19.8 million.
• Beds -15
• Employees -165
• Admissions - 612
• Babies Delivered -114
• Outpatient Visits - 27,074
St. Luke's Regional
Medical Center
(Boise and Meridian)
• Revenues - $723.7 million*
• Beds - 566
• Employees - 5,671*
• Admissions - 29,310
• Babies Delivered - 5,742
• Outpatient Visits - 529,241
*Includes allTreasure Valley
facilities
Timeline
Here is a time line of major
events in the history of McCall
Memorial Hospital and future
events:
• 1956 - Hospital opens as a
city -owned hospital, later be-
comes a county -owned facility.
• 1984 - Voters approve hos-
pital district after financial
troubles under county owner-
ship.
• 1984 - Hospital signs man-
agement agreement with St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical
Center.
• 1993 - Voters approve $3.8
million bond issue to expand,
modernize hospital.
• 1999 - Hospital drops man-
agement agreement with St.
Al's, signs similar agreement
with St. Luke's Health System.
• January 2009 - Hospital, St.
Luke's begin talks onexpanding
partnership.
• April 1, 2010 - Hospital
trustees approve letter of intent
to join St. Luke's.
• May, 2010 - Open houses
scheduled in McCall, Cascade,
Donnelly, New Meadows, Big-
gins, Council.
• Aug. 3, 201.0 - Non - binding
advisory ballot by voters within
McCall Memorial Hospital
District (McCall and Donnelly
areas).
-Oct. 1, 2010 - Goalforcomple-
tion of McCall hospital joining
St. Luke's.
Facilities Transfer
Here is list of McCall Memo-
rial Hospital buildings to be
transferred to St. Luke's Health
System under the proposed
agreement:
• Main hospital building,
1000 State St.
• Allen -Nokes Center, 200
Forest St.
• Integrative Medical Clinic,
203 Hewitt St.
• McCall Medical Clinics
(wing of St. Luke's Payette
Lakes Medical Clinic), 211 For-
est St.
• Lake Street building (re-
modeling nearing completion),
Lake and State streets.
• Our Savior Lutheran
Church (leased to church pend-
ing future use), 100 Forest St.
St. Luke's Facilities
Here is a list of facilities
owned or managedby St. Luke's
Health System:
Medical & Cancer Centers
• St. Luke's Boise
• St. Luke's Magic Valley
• St. Luke's Meridian
• St. Luke's Wood River,
Ketchum
• St. Luke's Children's Hos-
pital, Boise
• St. Luke's Eagle
• St. Luke's Mountain States
Tumor Institute, Boise, Fruit-
land, Meridian, Nampa (in
partnership with Mercy Medi-
cal Center), Twin Falls
Regional Partners
• Challis Area Health Cen-
ter
• Elmore Medical Center,
Mountain Home
• Gooding County Memorial
Hospital
• Holy Rosary Medical Cen-
ter, Ontario, Ore.
• McCall Memorial Hos-
Clinic, McCall
•
gins Salmon River Clinic, Rig -
pital • Weiser Memorial Hos-
Payette Lakes Medical pital
Auxiliary, foundation think
agreement a good move
The McCall Memorial
Hospital foundation and
auxiliary are both support-
ive of the hospital's plans
to join St. Luke's Health
System, spokesmen for both
groups said Tuesday.
"The foundation board is
excited by the synergy that
will result from the proposed
alliance with St. Luke's,
both in terms of enhanced
services for hospital patients
and increased fundraising
opportunities for future
hospital equipment and im-
provements, " foundation vice
chairman John Hucks said.
The foundation, an in-
dependent organization,
contributed $195,283 to the
hospital last year, according
to hospital records.
Theletterof intentsigned
between the McCall hospital
and St. Luke's says the foun.
dation will be expected to
raise up to $5 million in the
next few years as the local
share of an estimated $25
million expansion project.
The foundation's board
has not yet discussed the
planned expansion and how
it plans to raise its share of
the funding, Hucks said.
The auxiliary, also .an
independent group, will
continue to support the Mc-
Call hospital after it joins St.
Luke's, incoming president
Pat Rader said.
"It has always been the
auxiliary's mission to sup-
port the hospital in every
way and to assist it in pro-
viding the best facilities
Possible," Rader said.
The auxiliary operates
a thrift store in downtown
McCall that generates funds
for the hospital and grants
to the community. The aux-
iliary donated $98,135 to the
hospital last year, hospital
records show.
Hucks and Rader said
neither of their boards have
discussed whether they will
change their groups' names
to match the proposed new
name of the hospital - St.
Luke's McCall.
,ti,
I/ C/) 6
N6 '°hospital board would come from many walks of life
If McCall Memorial Hospital completes its
plan to join St. Luke's Regional Medical Center,
a new nonprofit corporation would be formed
called St. Luke's McCall Ltd. that would be
a member of St. Luke's Health System Ltd.,
according the letter of intent between the two
hospitals.
The current McCall Memorial Hospital
District would stay in place, along with the cur-
rent board of trustees, but the role of the board
would be changed from making hospital policy
to an annual authorization of committing the
district property taxes to hospital operations.
Those property taxes currently total $1.3
million and are used to offset bills not paid by
patients as well as shortfalls in state and federal
reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid.
St. Luke's McCall would be governed by a
new board of between nine and 21 residents
of the hospital service area, which extends to
Council on the west, Riggins on the north and
Cascade on the south.
The new board would be composed of the
following:
• At least two persons selected by district
trustees who would also serve on advisory com-
mittees such as planning and finance.
•President of the McCall Memorial Hospital
Foundation.
•President of the McCall Memorial Hospital
Auxiliary.
The foundation and auxiliary are indepen-
dent organizations and would not be affected
by the new partnership.
The board chair and CEO of St. Luke's Mc-
Call may attend St. Luke's Health System Board
meetings, but as non - voting members. McCall
members may become voting members if St.
Luke's later decides to expand its board.
However, the chair of the McCall board can
serve as a voting member of several St. Luke's
committees, including the finance committee,
which make policy recommendations to.the
full board.
Photo courtesy1AFP
Mo Fitz- Maurice presents Dr.
Jim Dardis of McCall with the
2010 Idaho Family Physician
of the Year award.
Dr. Jim Dardis named
2010 Idaho Family
Physician of the Year
The Idaho Academy of
Family Physicians named Dr.
Jim Dardisfrom McCall as the
2010 Idaho Family Physician
of the Year at the 2010 IAFP's
62nd Annual Meeting in West
Yellowstone, Mont.
The award was presented
to Dardis by, Mo Fitz - Maurice,
a third -year medical student
from the University of Wash-
ington.
Mo Fitz - Maurice has
trained under Dardis for the
last five months in McCall and
previously during a six -week
summer rotation in 2008.
Dardis received his medi-
cal education atthe University
of Colorado School of Medi-
cine in Denver. He completed
an externship through the
Bristol Bay Area Hospital in
Dillingham, Alaska, and then
went on to do his residency
training in family medicine
for three years at the North-
ern Colorado Medical Center
Family Practice Residency
Training Program in Greeley,
Colorado.
After Completing residen-
cy, Dardis worked in Boulder,
Colo., for one year until he
moved his family to McCall
in 1987.
As an advocate for medi-
cal education, Dardis served
on the WWAMI Admissions
Committee for Idaho from
2002 to 2006, helping identify
the best and brightest students
wanting to practice medicine
in Idaho.
Dardiswasamemberof the
IAFP Board of Directors from
1992 to 2004 and president of
the Idaho Academy of Family
Physicians from 1995 to 1996.
He also served as the del -
egate representative for Idaho
to the American Academy of
Family Physicians Congress
of Delegates from 1996 to
2004.
Dardis attributes his suc-
cess as a physician to his
parents. His father was also
a physician from whom he
learned how to build close
relationships with patients.
But it was his mother
from whom he learned the
most important lessons. She
was afflicted with multiple
sclerosis and spent 32 years
in a wheelchair, always living
in the family home and not
requiring a nursing home.
From her Dardis learned to
see life from the patient's
perspective.
?//Po
McCall hospital advisory vote passes by 86%
"We anticipate a smooth
transition which will ultimately
provide better care for patients."
-Lee Rhodes
s Atw4
1/40/1,
McCall hospital receives Avatar International award for patient satisfaction
McCall Memorial Hospital
has received Avatar Interna-
tional's national award for
exceeding patient expecta-
tions during 2009. This is the
second year McCall Memo-
rial Hospital has received
the award.
The National Exceeding
Patient Expectations Award
is presented to those medical
facilities that exceed patient's
satisfaction ratings in quality
of care, reliability and indi-
vidualization andpreparation
before the visit.
"This is an enormously
rewarding accomplishment,"
said Beth Gray, vice president
of patient care and nursing.
"This exceptional patient
rating reflects on every phy-
sician, nurse and employee
of the hospital," Gray said.
"Setting high performance
standards and collaboratively
striving to surpass them is a
core principle of the hospital's
culture."
Avatar International is an
independent survey company
that anonymously surveys
patients following their use
of hospital services. The
patient responses are col-
lected throughout the year
and compared to a national
data base of large and small
U.S. hospitals.
"Department leaders care-
fully review the survey results
and implement those sugges-
tions that help us improve
patient care," said Karen
Evans, vice president of di-
agnostic services.
"We listen to our patients
and do ourbest to exceed their
expectations," Evans said.
"It is important to confirm,
through Avatar's anonymous
surveys, that we are achieving
this goal."
The results for the 2009 sur-
vey are based upon responses
from 1,004 patient survey
forms returned to Avatar. The
survey asks 50 questions to
gauge the level of patient ex-
pectations and satisfaction.
Departments surveyed
include outpatient surgery,
laboratory, obstetrics, sleep
lab, cardiopulmonary /EKG,
radiology, emergency de-
partment, and outpatient
procedures.
%na s fromtournament
t Friday
Donati6qs of proceeds
from the 201 eadows Val-
ley Benefit Go ournament
were handed out o Friday at
the Meadows Valle Senior
Citizens Center.
This year marked the th
anniversary of the tour a-
ment, also known as "The
dick," which also featured
a ner and auction.
A total of $27,510 was
distrilkuted on Friday to the
• Mea \nn Valley School:
Elementearning Center
-$500.
• MeaValley School:
Library
• Meaalley School:
Missould n's Theater
-$1,000.
• Mea Val School: Science tmen $1,000. • Adaunty Hi toricalSociety: . • Fosdholarship om-
mittee: rships for V seniors ed to colle
$5,102.
• Meadows Valley Public
Library $7,153.
• Meadows Valley Senior Schirmeister, maternal and childbirth services.
Citizens Center: $7,153.
Photo by Laura Crawfoi
McCall Memorial Hospital department leaders gather around
their Avatar International award. From left are Pam Bush,
surgical services; Dianne Robinson, emergency department;
Karen Evans, diagnostic services and laboratory; Becky
Masters, cardiopulmonary; Beth Gray, patient care and
nursing; and Bill Colpo, radiology. Not pictured is Deb
lu Ix
9�3e
Hospital merger
official Friday
Officials hope transition to St.
Luke's McCall will be smooth
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Dan Krahn hopes the only difference callers to
the McCall hospital will notice after Friday is the
name given by the receptionist. Instead of "McCall
Memorial Hospital," callers will be greeted by "St.
Luke's McCall."
On Friday, Krahn, who is chair of the McCall
hospital board of trustees, will lead a delegation to
sign documents formally merging the McCall hos-
pital with St. Luke's Health System of Boise.
The McCall hospi-
tal board of trustees "'People sa y
voted unanimously last p
Thursday to approve I don't want
the merger, and the St.
Luke's board approved you to lose that
the move on Tuesday.
Krahn hopes users personal touch
of the hospitals will
notice little more than and personal
the telephone greeting,
new logos on their bills care,' and we
and new signs on the "
agree.
hospital buildings.
"We want a smooth - Lee Rhodes
transition, but it is
important for the community to pause and reflect
that this is opening a new chapter," he said.
Friday's signing ceremony will be the culmina-
tionof twoyearsof negotiations between the McCall
hospital and St. Luke's.
The two hospitals signed a letterto intent to merge
on April 1. A series of public meetings were held and
86 percent of those voting in an advisory ballot on
Aug. 3 said they approved of the merger.
Same Name Since 1956
The name change will be the first for the hospital
since it opened in 1956 at the corner of State and
Park streets.
The transition to a not - for -profit entity is the most
significant change for the hospital since 1984, when
voters approved converting the hospital from being
county -owned to an independent taxing di0rirt.
McCall, Cascade
hospitals oppose
Donnelly clinic
BY CARISSA SINDON
For The Star News
St. Luke's McCall officials want Val -
ley County commissioners to j oin them
in opposing a clinic in DonnellAor low -
income patients proposed by Adams
County Health Center in Council.
The move is in response to a request
by Adams County Health Center that
the commissioners sign a letter of sup-
port for the center.
The Council clinic is seeking a gov-
ernment grant to open the Donnelly
clinic, which would provide services
to low- income residents.
As of Wednesday, commissioners
had not taken a stand either way.
A new clinic in Donnelly would
erode the services offered by St. Luke's
McCall and Cascade Medical Center, St.
Luke's McCall CEO Lee Rhodes said.
"We already have the facilities,
services and medical providers in
our county to handle our populations'
health needs," Rhodes said.
"Adding more facilities and medical
providers could damage the long -term
financial viability and quality of our
current facilities and medical provid-
ers," he said.
Cascade Medical Center Adminis-
trator Bill Behnke said that he lauds
the efforts of the Council clinic.
But Behnke thinks the $1.4 million
federal grant sought by the Council
clinic would be better spent to build a
clinic in Riggins, which lacks medical
facilities.
See CLINIC, Page A -2
Clinic
(Continued from Page A -1)
The federal government is
pushing nonprofit clinics like
Adams County Health Center
to collaborate with established
hospitals, which Behnke said
he is willing to do.
Alternative Needed
In Valley County there are
many people who need health
care and have few resdurces,
said Denise Langston- Groves,
executive director /CFO of the
Council center.
The center is pursuing a
two -year grant and then a
renewal, she said.
"We're heart - driven,"
Langston- Groves said. "It's
not about the bottom line."
The health center operates
on a sliding scale and patients
must qualify with the center
looking at the number of per-
sons living at a residence and
the total household income,
she said.
According to 2007 figures,
the percentage of uninsured
people in Valley County was
47.9 percent, while the state-
wide figure was 29.4 percent,
she said.
The percentage of children
who have not received recom-
mended immunizations inthe
county is 34.1 percent, while
the national benchmark is 17.9
percent, she said.
By law, neither hospital
in Valley County can refuse
service to anyone based on the
ability to pay, Rhodes said.
Also, a recent physician
staffing review of St. Luke's
McCall revealed that it is now
overstaffed due to the slower
economy, he said.
Adding additional phy-
sicians in the area would
weaken the viability of retain-
ing current medical providers
at both hospitals, he said.
Some services that the
proposed Donnelly center
would provide are already
provided at both hospitals,
Rhodes said.
Duplication of services
would lower the volume of
patients for the other provid-
ers and ultimately drive up the'
cost per service, he said.
SLM's McKinney passes national CT exai
Mike McKinney, a radiologic
technologist at St. Luke's McCall,
passed the Computed Tomography
National Board Registry examina-
tion earlier this month.
McKinney previously worked
as a supervisor at the former Boise
Cascade Corp. sawmill in Cascade.
When the mill closed in 2001, he
took advantage of a re- education
program and chose radiology.
"I made the right choice," he
said. "Every patient is special,
every exam is unique, and every
day is filled with opportunities to
help others."
Computed Tomography, or CT,
is an advanced method of creating
two - dimensional pictures of inter-
nal body structures using ionizing
radiation and computers.
Hospital officials said CT scan-
ning equipment plays a vital role
in diagnosing trauma injuries
and diseases of the brain, chest,
abdomen, pelvis, facial bones,
neck and spine.
"We are extremely proud every
time one of our medical providers
passes a national certification,"
hospital CEO Lee Rhodes said.
"Individual expertise, verified
by national exams, is essential in
reaching the high standards we
seek in patient outcomes."
McKinney has an associate's
degree in radiology and a bache
of science degree in ultrasoui
He joins Pam Nash, Rene Birk
bine and Bill Colpo as register
CT technologists at the hospitz
"Radiology is playing
ever - increasing role in mode
medicine," said Colpo, who
director of the radiology t
partment. "Being registered
several imaging modalities he:
us deliver better patient care a
control costs."
Mike McKinney consults with a
patient during an examination a
St. Luke's McCall.
Photo by Laura Crawford, St. Luke's Mc
�I �l
s�
St. Luke's McCall adds three members
to board of directors; total now 14 3I3
St. Luke's McCall has
appointed three new mem-
bers to its local board of
directors.
The addition of Carol
Feider, Dr. Eddie Droge and
Mark Robinson brings the
total number of directors
for the not - for -profit medical
center to 14.
The board sets policies and
provides guidance on scope
of local medical services and
how hospital revenues are
reinvested into local health
care services, facilities, and
equipment.
"Guiding local health care
is a challenging volunteer
commitment with a consider-
able dedication of time," said
Dan Krahn, chairman of the
board of directors. "Our three
new directors bring a talented
history of strategic planning,
medical expertise, and finan-
cial experience."
CAROL FEIDER
Feider retired from the
United States Forest Service
in 2004 after 33 years of
service.
She earned a bachelor of
science degree in engineering
design from Brigham Young
University.
She brings experience in
fiscal oversight, cost manage-
ment, engineering design,
and information technology
to the board.
'eider
is an
advanced
master gar-
dener and
member of
the Long
Valley Gar-
den Club
and New
Meadows
Ladies Dr. Eddie
Group. Droge
Volunteering keeps her
busy in the community in-
structing and working on city
beautification.
Feider is the first board
representative from New
Meadows. Prior to the hospi-
tal joining St. Luke's Health
System, board members had
to live in the hospital taxing
district that extends from
McCall to Donnelly.
Now that St. Luke's McCall
is a not - for -profit hospital, the
board makeup can include
members from all the commu-
nities it serves, Krahn said.
MARK ROBINSON
Robinson moved to Mc-
Call after retiring in 2003. He
graduated from the Univer-
sity of Idaho in 1963 with a
dual degree in finance and
accounting.
Robinson served in the U.S.
Army after college, then spent
his career working in finance
throughout the Midwest for
Carol Mark
Feider Robinson
Caterpillar Tractor, Ziegler,
Inc., and Whayne Supply Co.
Robinson has volunteered
and served on many boards
during his career, including
the Chamber of Commerce
in Minnesota, a bank board,
and Cedar Lake Lodge, which
is a nonprofit intermediate
care center for people with
intellectual disabilities in
Kentucky.
His financial and non-
profit background will be
a valuable asset to the St.
Luke's McCall Board.
DR. EDDIE DROGE
Dr. Eddie Droge retired in
2007 after practicing family
medicine in McCall and Big-
gins for 37 years.
Droge's planning back-
ground includes servingonthe
McCall Planning and Zoning
Commission for 10 years and
chairing the hospital's plan-
ning committee for 15 years.
He led the building of Pay-
ette Lakes Medical Clinic and
recently served as apart -time
Planning consultant for the
hospital's master planning.
Droge joined the hospital
foundation in February 2009.
Along with his planning
background, he brings to the
hospital board a physician's
perspective and historical
knowledge of medical ser-
vices in the region.
Droge attended medical
school at the University of
North Dakota and the Univer-
sity of Oregon, and completed
internshipsatMaricopaCoun-
ty General Hospital and U.S.
Public Health Service, Fort
Hall Indian Reservation, in
Fort Hall, Idaho.
He then completed his
residency at Sonoma County
Hospital in Santa Rosa, Calif.,
and joined Drs. Wayne Al-
len and Herald Nokes at the
Payette Lakes Medical Clinic
in 1969.
Other members of the
board are Dr. Sarah Curtin,
Chief of Medical Staff; Rich
Holm, St. Luke's Health Sys-
tem; Dean Hovdey, treasurer;
Andrew Laidlaw, secretary;
Dean Martens; PatRader, aux-
iliary president; Lee Rhodes,
St. Luke's McCall CEO; Verna
Allen Vanis, foundation presi-
dent; Bob Vosskuhler; and
Linda Youde.
Photo for The Star -News by Matt Moehr
Oncology patient Sue Van Harpen is examined by Dr. Benjamin Bridges while
nurse Dianne Robinson takes notes during a recent session at St. Luke's McCall.
St. Luke's McCall BY CARISSA SINDON
begins local
For The Star News
After months of having to travel to Boise to see her on-
appointments for
cologist, Sue Van Harpen of McCall can finally breathe a
sigh of relief.
oncology patients ents
Van Harpen, who has lung cancer, is one of the local cancer
patients who can now see her doctor at St. Luke's McCall.
Oncologists from the St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor
�� �t'S nice
Institute in Boise are now seeing patients in McCall for fol-
low -up appointments.
because normal) y
"(It's) nice because normally if it's just a follow -up you're
driving down to Boise and seeing your doctor maybe for 15
if it's just a
minutes and then coming back home," Van Harpen said.
There are three oncologists that see patients at St. Luke's
follow-up you're
McCall on a rotating schedule the last Friday of each month,
driving down to
said St. Luke's McCall RN Dianne Robinson.
As part of the new services, hospital staff members have
Boise and seeing
undergone oncology training and nurses attended a chemo-
g
therapy certification course in Boise, Robinson said.
your doctor maybe
The hospital has been doing infusion therapy for many
years as supplements to chemotherapy, such as giving blood
for 15 minutes
transfusions and treatments for hydration and bone build-
ing, she said.
and then coming
The hospital will begin offering chemotherapy services
back home."
in the fall once a chemo hood is installed, which prevents
harmful chemicals from escaping the treatment area, Rob,
— Sue Van Harpen
inson said.
See ONCOLOGY, Page 19
s�WA
Oncology
(Continued from Page 20)
Receiving treatments in
McCall not only relieves
the financial burden of fuel
costs and hotel stays that are
involved with traveling to
Boise, but also the stress and
anxiety of having to travel
when patients do not feel well,
Robinson said.
"Not only are you having
a medical issue, but then the
trauma of driving down there
anddrivingback, sixhours out
of your day - it's hard," Van
Harpen said.
For her last chemotherapy
treatments, Van Harpen had
to drive to Boise in the middle
of winter.
Because her cancer is not
yet fully cured, she foresees
that it could come back, which
might require more chemo-
therapy.
Being able to get chemo-
therapy done in McCall would
not only relieve much stress
for herself, but she also would
not have to ask friends or fam-
ily to drive her.
"If mydaughterwastaking
me, she had to take off work
-that's time lost," Van Harpen.
"If it was up here, I would just
drive myself over."
Patients will continue to
have their first appointments
at MSTI in Boise, but as staff
experience increases and re-
lationships with the doctors
are established, new patients
will also be seen in McCall,
Robinson said.
The hospital also now has
a room dedicated solely to
infusion and chemotherapy
services that includes a place
for guests to sit with patients
while they receive their treat-
ments, she said.
Donations from commu-
nity members provided 100
percent of the costs for equip-
ping the room, she said.
V r r (/
Krahn named IHA 2014 Trustee of the Year
Dan Krahn, chairman of the board of directors for St. Luke's McCall, has been chosen to receive the
2011 Idaho Hospital Association's Trustee of the Year Award.
Krahn will be recognized at the 78th Annual IHA Convention Oct. 1 -4, at the Sun Valley Resort.
The award is presented to a hospital trustee who "has made exemplary contributions to improve his or
her hospital's service to its patients; has demonstrated outstanding leadership and contributed to the
continued viability of the organization; has been successful in arousing public concern for community
health -care needs, and enhancing the overall quality and scope of access to health -care services
provided to the community."
"I consider this very nice recognition as a reflection of the quality of our medical staff, dedication of our
employees along with the passion of our auxiliary and foundation, the sound judgment of fellow directors
and the strong support and confidence of our community," Krahn said.
The Idaho Hospital Association is a statewide, nonprofit trade association of 42 hospitals that brings
hospital and health care leaders together to identify topics of mutual concern.
Back To Index
d°
St. Luke's McCall employees given checks for staying
Hospital thanks workers for patience during transition
"We believe every employee influences patient outcomes and we want
to retain the best team possible. " —Lee Rhodes
BY CARISSA SINDON
for The Star -News
Tamara Kam, Tracy Broome and Deb Schirmeister are looking forward to Friday when they all get an
early Christmas present compliments of their employer, St. Luke's McCall.
Kam, Broome and Schirmeister are three of the 110
department heads and regular employees who will receive a
one -time payment. '
The checks to be issued range from $500 to slightly over
$5,000 and will be given to employees who stayed on their
jobs between Aug. 15, 2010 and Aug. 15 of this year.
That period was the first year following McCall Memorial
Hospital's merger with St. Luke's Health System.
The amount paid to each employee was determined by
their length of employment and whether they were full -time
or part-time, St. Luke's McCall CEO Lee Rhodes said.
The money comes out of the hospital's 2011 operating
budget, which was approved by McCall Memorial Hospital
trustees before the merger, Rhodes said.
r
�J
d�
M
l
r
Photo for The Sta -News by Cwissa Stndon
St. Luke's Alc(Al RN Del) Schn-meister assesses the
he ut:md Imigs of Jemifer D mum m the hos1xit d*s
ER ou Aiond<al-.
The decision to give the extra pay was made to retain quality employees during the transition, Rhodes
said.
Providing quality medical care in a rural setting depends on all hospital employees, not just doctors,
Rhodes said.
"We believe every employee influences patient outcomes and we want to retain the best team
i
St. Luke's PjIcCall to raise fees by 3 ,percent
Rate hike below national average, less than past years
BY CARISSA SINDON
for The Star -News
Patients at St. Luke's McCall will be paying an average of 3 percent more for services under the
hospital's 2012 budget that goes into effect on Saturday_
But the increase is far below the national average because of cost savings after McCall Memorial
Hospital merged with St. Luke's Health System a year ago, St. Luke's McCall CEO Lee Rhodes said.
One main reason the rate hike is needed is the escalating costs of medical equipment, Rhodes said.
The increase is expected to bring in $788,388 of the $21.15 million budget.
The hike is the lowest rate increase since 1996 when the rate was also raised 3 percent, according to
figures from hospital. Rates were raised an average of 5 percent during the current budget year, the
figures said.
Without joining St. Luke's, the rate hike would have been higher or the hospital would have been
forced to reduce employees or services, he said_
The savings from joining St. Luke's add up to $500,000 to $600,000 a year and include savings on
benefit programs, malpractice insurance and purchasing supplies, Rhodes said.
Property Taxes Help
Also keeping the rate hike low is $1.35 million in property taxes contributed by the McCall Memorial
Hospital District, which operated the hospital before the St. Luke's merger, Rhodes said.
The tax levy is used to pay bad debts, charity care, and to offset the difference between the amount
Medicare and Medicaid reimburse the hospital for services and the actual costs of those services, he
said.
All hospital revenue goes back into local medical services and facilities, and the increase supports the
hospital's capital improvement fund, which is $1.9 million for fiscal year 2012, Rhodes said.
In general patrons also pay slightly more for most services in McCall than Boise hospitals because
1L,o5 e USJ01 Y, ?/S p �r2 �c( 4e 5;
G r
Hospital staff swings into action as 7 wreck victims arrive
St. Luke's McCall invokes procedures for dealing with crises
"We had to perform numerous X -ray, CT, and ultrasound exams in the right priority, on the
right patient, in the right place. " —Bill Colpo
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
When the call came into the St. Luke's McCall emergency room last week that seven victims from an
auto accident near Riggins were on their way, the hospital was ready to respond.
Eight people from Potlatch in northern Idaho were injured in a one - vehicle accident six miles south of
Riggins on Oct. 12, Idaho County Sheriff's Office Deputy Fred Carey said.
Seven of the injured people, including two infants, were taken in three ambulances to St. Luke's
McCall and the eighth victim was flown by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in
Boise.
The driver, Brad Poe, 37, was cited for inattentive driving when he drove a 1998 Dodge Caravan off
the northbound lane of U.S. 95 about 12:50 p.m., Carey said.
The van drove 375 feet off the highway where it struck a driveway that was perpendicular to the
highway, which launched the van into the air, Carey said.
The vehicle was in the air for about 30 feet, then landed and rolled on its side, trapping three of the
passengers inside, Carey said.
Kristen Blevins, 21, was taken by air ambulance to St_ Alphonsus from the scene of the accident,
Carey said. Blevins was in stable condition Tuesday afternoon, a St. Alphonsus spokesperson said.
Ambulances from Riggins and Meadows Valley transported the other seven passengers to St. Luke's
McCall.
Radiology Was Busy
Outside of the emergency department, the hospital's medical imaging department was busiest, Nelson
said.
"We had to perform numerous X -ray, CT and ultrasound exams in the right priority, on the right patient,
in the right place," said Bill Colpo, the hospital's medical imaging director. "Constant communication with
the emergency room and calm thinking are key."
It took five hours for all patients to be fully diagnosed, treated, and provided with follow -up orders for
further care, Nelson said.
Only two of the seven patients required further treatment beyond the emergency response.
Poe, the driver, was transported from St. Luke's McCall by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus, where he
was in critical condition Tuesday A6moon.
Melissa Vance, 40, of Potlatch was admitted to St. Luke's McCall and was in fair condition on Tuesday
afternoon.
The accident victims treated and released from St. Luke's McCall were: Skylar Blevins, infant; Autum
Blevins, no age given; Brittany Poe, 9; Deshawn Poe, no age given; and Jessica Blevins, 19, all of
Potlatch.
"I was pleased with the overall performance of the entire team," Mucha said. "Providing emergency
medicine during a multi - person injury reauires a team annrnnrh and ,.1o.,..,.......__ _
u. A61 C le ct rC Cr 5& Ca V k ac-
This week's front page stories
St. Luke's McCall CEO heads to Boise
Lee Rhodes to take job at hospital 's finance department
BY CARISSA SINDON
for The Star-News
St. Luke's McCall CEO Lee Rhodes is leaving his position to take a job in the St. Luke's Health
System finance department in Boise.
"While Lee has been able to put us on strong financial footing, our future now rests in
new areas of improvement," St. Luke's Health System CEO Dr. David Pate said in an Oct.
19 letter to hospital staff.
"Therefore, Lee and the (SLM) Board agree that this move to Boise will work best for all,"
Pate said.
Lee ahMt Monday will be the last day at work in McCall for Rhodes. St. Luke's Vice President of
Regional Relations Rich Holm will serve as interim CEO of the McCall hospital.
Before becoming CEO in March 2009, Rhodes was the CEO of Roundup Memorial Healthcare in
Montana.
Rhodes said his position at SLM was a unique opportunity of which he is glad he was able to take
advantage.
"As most community members realize, this is an exceptional hospital staffed by devoted and talented
employees and physicians," Rhodes said .
"The events of the last year - joining St. Luke's Health System and introducing orthopedic surgery and
oncology services - give all of us many reasons to be proud of and confident in our hospital," he said.
Rhodes will miss the people with whom he had the opportunity to work at the McCall hospital and in
the community.
"At the same time I look forward to continuing to work for a great health system and to improving the
health of the people we serve," Rhodes said.
Page 1 of 1
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 10/29/2011
Star -News News Page_ Announcements
St. Luke's McCall nurses receive awards for excellence
Two registered nurses at St. Luke's McCall have received statewide awards for nursing excellence.
At a ceremony in Boise last week, Eve Riley and Dianne
Robinson received the March of Dimes 2011 Idaho Nursing
Excellence Award.
The award is presented to nurses whose leadership and
contributions have made an impact on their community and
the profession of nursing.
Riley is the emergency department manager at St. Luke's
McCall, and Robinson is the ambulatory care manager.
As rural nurses working in a critical access hospital, both
nurses must learn and apply a wide variety of nursing
expertise. In addition, Riley and Robinson have attended
medical competency and leadership training in their
specialties.
Eve Riles. Irsa Loouev, attd Dmme Rohutson
celebrate at the March of Orates soil lclatto
Niusutg Excellence award
"These awards are truly deserved," said Lisa Looney, St. Luke's chief nursing officer. "They reflect our
entire nursing team's collective goal to deliver compassionate, quality care and service to our patients"
Page 1 of 1
http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/announcements_page.php 11 /J 9/2011
Life Flight to close
McCall base Dec. 31
Lack of enough flights forces
shutdown after.seven years
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Life Flight Network will no longer base a heli-
copter ambulance in McCall after Dec. 31, shutting
down a service that had existed for seven years.
The decision was announced this week by Life
Flight Network, a not - for -profit air medical trans-
port provider
ess for the McCall based' Ore., due to lack of
"There would
have to be more "By the time we
than a 20 percent receive, examine;
increase in flights
originating from diagnose, and
the McCall base
to come close to stabilize patients, the
breaking eves" air ambulance service
said Michael
Griffiths, CEO of we request Can arrive
Life Flight Net- here and be waiting
work.
Griffiths and for patients:'
officials with St. —Dr. Todd Arndt
Luke's McCall said
shutting down the McCall base will not affect the
care of patients needing a quick transport to hos-
pitals in Boise and elsewhere.
"While Life Flight Network will not have a crew
and helicopter based in McCall, area members and
residents have the confidence of knowing future
operations will continue to deliver the high stan-
dard of quality care they have come to expect,"
Griffiths said.
The Life Flight Network base in Ontario; Ore.,
is the closest to McCall, and helicopters also can be
dispatched quickly from bases in Boise, LaGrande,
Ore., and Lewiston, he said.
(Continued from Page 1)
Dr. Todd Arndt, medical
director of the hospital's
by air by either Life Fight
or Air St. Luke's, Johnson
said. The rest were taken
by ambulance.
St. Luke's discussed
subsidizing the Life Flight
base in McCall, "but it was
emergency departmen , quickly recognized as not
agreed with Griffiths- being viable because the
"By the time we receive, total number of transfers
examine, diagnose, and via helicopter from McCall
stabilize patients, the air were too few," Johnson
ambulance service we re-
quest b
be waiting for patients,"
Arndt said.
About 4 percent of the
about 4,000 patients seen
inthe hospital's emergency
room each year need to be
flown out of the area, St.
Luke's Interim CEO Wade
Johnson said.
So far this year, 156
patients have been taken
to other hospitals. Of that
IF 'retaken
total, 55 percen
said.
The McCall base was
first established in 2004
by St. Alphonsus Regional
Medical Center. The opera -
tion was taken over by Life.
Flight Network in 2009.
Life Flight Network em-
ployees previously assigned
to McCall will continue to
work for the company
in other Idaho locations,
Griffiths said.
The company currently
operates a combined fleet
of 11 medical helicopters,
five fixed wing aircraft and
four ground ambulances.
The shutdown of the
McCall base will not affect
the finances at the McCall
Airport, manager John
Anderson said.
The service was exempt
from landing fees, and the
hangar housing the he-
licopter was leased from
McCall Aviation, he said.
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall names new interim CEO
BY t.'.ARISSA SINDON
for The Star -Ne�%s
St. Luke's McCall has named a new interim CEO to take over the leadership position of the hospital.
Wade Johnson, the previous CEO of Weiser Memorial Hospital, will replace current interim CEO, Rich
Holm.
Holm, St. Luke's Vice President of Regional Relations, took the interim position in October afterformer
hospital CEO Lee Rhodes left.
Rhodes, who had served as CEO since March 2009, took a job in the St. Luke's Health System
finance department in Boise.
Johnson has been a health system employee for 3 -1/2 years and is a highly regarded executive within
the system and Weiser, Holm said in a letter last week to hospital staff and others.
"I have worked closely with Wade for four years and I am highly confident he can keep us focused and
making progress on our 2012 organizational goals," the letter from Holm said.
The hospital will put together a search committee, to be chaired by Dean Martens, a current member
of the hospital's board of directors, to find a long -tens CEO for the hospital, Holm said.
The goal is to have a new CEO on board by next May, he said.
Johnson will likely leave the interim post before a new CEO is named, but the hospital will fill the gap
with someone within the St. Luke's organization, the letter from Holm said.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 12/8/2011
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall adds medication management system
A state -of -the -art automated medication management system has been installed at St. Luke's McCall.
The new system will enable the hospital to control which
a
medications a user can take.
r'
It will also allow nurses 24 -hour access to patient
medications without the need for a pharmacy, improve
M r
tracking of costs and create a more efficient approach to
Ir
providing patient medications.
"This is state -of- the -art technology that will help our
physicians, nurses, and pharmacists deliver the high level of
quality care our patients deserve," said Heidi Galyardt,
- k
directory of pharmacy for the hospital.
The system will also offer savings to the hospital over the
Y 9 P
P6KO murleay A Lukc'a McGill
Heidi amid (It. Clniaost Loinne ini at St % r 5
nt��: a1.: ��apt ,:vm:,n�rLo�,vex��t��g�r.v�
long run by eliminating certain tasks and automating others,
shoemth thehostntat's ia- medication
Galyardt said.
nnmagement s�sten,
The new equipment supplies drugs in a form in which they are ready to administer and ensures that
drugs are available only near the time they are given to patients.
The system creates a medication profile for each patient, and allows a pharmacist to review
medication orders before dispensing them.
The St. Luke's McCall Auxiliary contributed $96,500 toward the $200,000 cost of the new system,
which became operational on Dec 5.
http : / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /info _page.php 12/15/2011
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's appoints Reese director of cardiopulmonary
Travis Reese has been appointed the director of the Cardiopulmonary Department at St. Luke's
McCall.
Reese has been an employee of the St. Luke's Health system since 1989 when he was
hired as a respiratory therapist at the Boise campus. He has worked in the
cardiopulmonary department in McCall since 2002.
Reese began his cardiopulmonary career in the U.S. Air Force and received the Air
~� Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service upon completion of his four year term
of service. He was later recalled in support of Operation Desert Storm.
Tnms R-v
He is a registered respiratory therapist and a registered sleep tech as well as a certified
pulmonary function technologist.
"I look forward to my increased responsibilities while still providing plenty of direct patient care," Reese
said.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /info _page.php 1/7/2012
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall appoints new interim CEO
St. Luke's McCall has appointed a new interim CEO through June 1.
Mike Fenello, the previous CEO of Complex Care Hospital of Idaho in Meridian, has
replaced Wade Johnson as interim CEO.
Johnson took the interim position in late November and has taken a position as CEO of a
hospital network in Maine.
Nhke Fenello St. Luke's McCall has formed a search committee chaired by board member Dean
Martens to hire a permanent CEO position at the hospital.
Fortner CEO Lee Rhodes left his position in October after 2 -1/2 years to take a job in the finance
department of St. Luke's Health System. St. Luke's McCall is part of St. Luke's Health System.
Fenello has more than 25 years of health -care management experience at local, regional and national
levels.
He earned the coveted "Chairman's Award" for outstanding accomplishment. "What I love most about
being in a small hospital is the connectivity we can have with patients, their families, and each other,"
Fenello said.
Fenello is a member of the board of directors for the American Lung Association of the Mountain
Pacific, Friends of Nursing at Boise State University, and Board of Trustees for The CORE in Meridian.
He also serves on the President's Advisory Council for Idaho State University's College of Health
Sciences, and on the Southwest Regional Leadership Council for the Idaho Hospital Association.
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com /pages /info _page.php 1/19/2012
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
Patient levels, procedures stay the same at SLM in 2011
BY C.IRISSA SINDON
for The Star -News
With a few exceptions, the use of hospital and clinic services at St. Luke's McCall was consistent
between 2010 and 2011.
The total number of patients admitted to the hospital in 2011 stayed about the same at 459, compared
to 456 in 2010. The number of births was also stable at 81 compared to 83 the year before.
Total non - surgical medical procedures performed in the operating room increased only slightly from
375 to 378.
The figures are for the hospital's fiscal year which runs from Oct. 1, 2010 through Sept. 30, 2011.
A trend in the last five years has been a steady increase in outpatient services, hospital spokesperson
Lyle Nelson said.
The majority of outpatient services at the hospital are comprised of diagnostic testing by the
laboratory, cardiopulmonary, radiology and minor surgical procedures.
"This trend is consistent across America and is projected to continue," Nelson said. "It will guide future
hospital expansions and services."
Services with a large increase were physical therapy and operating room surgeries, which were both
due to the addition of orthopedic surgery.
Physical therapy visits increased by about 47 percent from 1,796 in 2010 to 3,415 in 2011, and
operating room surgeries increased by about 18 percent from 228 to 279.
Cardiac procedures increased by 27 percent from 1,300 to 1,779, which is due to more pre- operative
EKGs performed, the presence of St. Luke's Health System echocardiologist technicians and the
increased use of ambulatory outpatient cardiac monitors.
Services with only minor fluctuations include medical imaging, home heafth/hospice and laboratory.
Radiology exams saw an 8 percent increase from 8,106 in 2010 to 8,776 in 2011, which was also due
to the addition of orthopedic surgery.
The number of home health visits increased by 15 from 2,308 to 2,323, as did the number of hospice
visits which went from 927 to 9.
Laboratory patient visits saw an increase by about 4 percent from 15,145 to 15,815.
The number of inpatient days dipped only slightly from 989 in 2010 to 974 in 2011, while the average
length of a patient's stay increased from 2.32 to 2.40 days.
Also seeing about a 5 percent decrease was physician clinic visits which went from 25,724 in 2010 to
24,8 in 2011.
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 2/9/2012
Star -News News Page_Announcements
St. Luke's McCall names Miller rehab supervisor
Cindy Miller has been appointed clinical supervisor of Rehabilitation at St. Luke's McCall.
Miller will supervise St. Luke's McCall's inpatient and home health physical therapy, as
well as supervision of outpatient physical therapy at the St. Luke's Family Medicine Clinic
in Riggins.
a.
Miller is licensed physical therapist in Idaho for the past 22 years. She began her career
1. at the former McCall Memorial Hospital in 1997.
working an
In 2004 she be for the McCall branch of St. Luke's Idaho Elks. Since 2005
i'uulc tailler 9 9
she has worked for St. Luke's Home Health /Hospice.
"I am looking forward to providing quality physical therapy to our community with the assistance of our
amazing professional staff and physicians here at St Luke's McCall," Miller said.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and her first internship was at St. Luke's
Boise.
Miller's professional experience includes clinical, home health and hospice, pediatric and hospital staff
physical therapist and rehabilitation facility therapy supervisor.
She also specializes in sports medicine, orthopedics, and wound care.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /announcements _page.php 2/23/2012
Star -News News Page_Lead Story
St. Luke's McCall named Mike Fenello as new CEO
Health -care veteran has 25 years of experience
"7 get the best of both worlds by having the connection you feel in a small hospital and the
diversity that comes with being part ofa larger system. " —Mike Fenello
BY CARISSA SINDON
for The Star -News
Michael Fenello has been named as the new chief executive officer at St. Luke's McCall hospital.
Fenello, who has been serving as interim CEO since mid - January, replaces former CEO
Lee Rhodes who left in October to join the St. Luke's Health System finance department in
' Boise.
Vf�
Fenello, 49, has more than 25 years of health -care management experience at local,
regional and national levels.
el„1'•1
"(Fenello) andidate and became the unanimous recommendation from the
Mwllo ) was a strong
Search Committee and the St. Luke's McCall Board," said board member Dean Martens
who chaired the search committee.
Fenello declined to disclose his salary, saying he believed it is best for an organization if individual
salaries remain personal.
From 2009 to last December, Fenello was the CEO of Complex Care Hospital of Idaho in Meridian.
He was laid off from that post when the company went to a regional model of administration and
consolidated positions, he said.
Fenello's more recent positions also include CEO of Kindred Hospital Las Vegas – Flamingo in Las
Vegas from 2005 to 2009. Additionally, he was the Vice President of Business Development and
Outpatient Services at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Neb., from 2000 to 2005.
St. Luke's McCall, which has 15 beds, will be the smallest facility at which Fenello has worked. The
other facilities have ranged from 40 to 266 beds, but Fenello believes his experiences and personal
values fit his new role in McCall.
Best of Both Worlds
Administering a small hospital can be as sophisticated and challenging as a large hospital, including
requiring a head for strategic planning, finance, innovation, team - building and decision - making, he said.
"I get the best of both worlds by having the connection you feel in a small hospital and the diversity
that comes with being part of a larger system," he said.
Fenello's goal is to engage the community and the St. Luke's McCall team to create greater access to
more services while improving outcomes and the health of the people the hospital serves.
"I will enjoy listening to the community, our physicians and employees, and national leaders, about the
facilities and services we will need in five, 10 and 20 years," Fenello said.
"Then leading the planning and resource gathering processes to make the current and future visions a
reality," he said.
Fenello is board member for the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pack, Friends of
Nursing at Boise State University and Board of Trustees for The CORE in Meridian.
He also serves on the President's Advisory Council for Idaho State University's College of Health
Sciences and on the board of the Idaho Hospital Association.
While working as CEO of Healthsound Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson from 1993 to 1996, Fenello
earned the "Chairman's Award" for outstanding accomplishment.
He holds a master's degree in public administration with an emphasis in hospital and health services
from Pennsylvania State University.
Fenello and his wife, Patricia have been married for 24 years. They have three children, Taylor, 21,
Alyssa, 18, and Colin, 16.
St. Luke's McCall has 242 full -time and part-time employees, some who work only a few hours
annually.
The hospital brought in $39 million in revenues in the fiscal year that ended last Sept. 30.
The hospital became St. Luke's McCall in October 2010 after joining the St. Luke's Health System
based in Boise. The facility had been named McCall Memorial Hospital since opening in 1956.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages/lead _page.php
Page 1 of 1
3/1/2012
Star -News Features Page
Fixing Up The Joint
St. Luke's McCall adds hip and knee replacement to services
"He didn't mince words, and said, 'That's bone on bone. You can either try to live with the
pain, or fix d. "' — Mary Kay Netolick
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
When the pain in Mary Kay Netolick's hip began getting worse, she decided H was time to see a
doctor. Luckily for Netolick, the help she needed was close as St. Luke's McCall.
Netolick was one of the first people to undergo total joint
replacement at St. Luke's. Replacement of hips and knees
began at the beginning of the year under orthopedic surgeon
Dr. Greg Irvine.
Netolick, 65, of McCall, made an appointment with Irvine
when her chronic pain was stopping her from enjoying an
active fife.
"I took one look at the X -ray and knew it was bad," she
said. "He didn't mince words, and said, 'That's bone on
bone. You can either try to live with the pain, or fix it.'"
Before Irvine began doing the procedure, patients needing
joint replacements had to drive to a Boise hospital or clinic
for consultations, surgery and follow -up visits.
itr -reg h��nt•e�anw� :e KL,m, K Netohek of
MWA to htme replaced
Netohek "slnpat St Ltikesh1W.dl
Irvine is able to do all of his work at St. Luke's McCall and
the hospital follows up by providing physical therapy and even help with chores around a patient's home.
90- Minute Surgery
The surgery for a hip or knee replacement takes about 90 minutes, and a patient will typically remain
in the hospital for three days, Irvine said.
Patients can usually get up and walk with assistance the day after surgery and can walk without a
cane or crutch within three weeks, he said. Full recovery ranges from one to three months.
"At first I didn't think I would need the help, but it turned out to be so beneficial; Netolick said. "The
nurse even impressed my cat! This is hard to do."
Candidates for joint replacements are those with rheumatoid arthritis osteoarthritis severe enough to
cause people to reduce their normal activity, Irvine said.
Page 1 of 1
http:// www .mccallstarnews.com/pages/hcw feature page.php 3/1/2012
The Star News Groups Page
Lamm steps down from hospital district board
McCall Memorial Hospital District Board Chairman Rick Lamm has announced his retirement after 18
years of service.
Lamm has been the district board chair since 2010, when the hospital joined St. Luke's Health
System. Lamm has also served as the finance committee chair and treasurer /secretary.
"While it is the goal of the hospital to provide the best medical care to the community as possible, I feel
St. Luke's McCall also provides, through its staff and volunteers, a sense of peace and comfort," Lamm
said.
"It makes you feel good to know that you are treated as a valued individual before you are treated as a
patient," he said.
The hospital district board no longer supervises operations of St. Luke's McCall, but provides property
taxes each year to offset bad debts and payment shortfalls from federal health -care programs.
Jerry Jutting will replace Lamm as the chair of the hospital district board.
Jutting has been a member of the board since 2010. He is president of Idaho First Bank's McCall Area
and chief credit officer.
He is also the current president of the McCall Rotary Club and is active in the McCall Area Chamber of
Commerce.
Also, Dean Hovdey has resigned from the district board to become chair -elect of St. Luke's McCall
board of directors.
New member Travis Leonard will fill the remainder of Hovdey's term.
Leonard has extensive experience in property management and is currently serving as president -elect
for the McCall Rotary Club. A new member is being recruited to fill the remainder of Lamm's term.
Jill Calhoun is the new district board liaison to St. Luke's McCall Board.
Calhoun has a degree in business administration and is the chief financial officer and director of resort
administration for Private Residence Resorts.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com /pages /groups _page.php 3/15/2012
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
Acquisitions by St. Luke's Health S ✓stein tinder antitrust review
The Idaho attorney general's office and the Federal Trade Commission are investigating the
acquisitions of medical practices for possible violations of federal law and the Idaho Competition Act,
according to a report in Boise's The Idaho Statesman last week.
The health system is in talks that could lead to the purchase of another local practice, the Saltzer
Medical Grasp, based in Nampa.
The Boise -based health system has acquired a number of medical practices in the Treasure Valley
and southern Idaho, making it one of Idaho's largest employers.
Payette Lakes Medical Clinic in McCall become part of St. Luke's Health System starting Jan. 1, 2010.
The nine doctors and two dozen other staffers who work at the clinic became employees of St. Luke's.
The former McCall Memorial Hospital merged with St. Luke's Health System on Oct. 1, 2010, and the
hospital was renamed St. Luke's McCall.
A wave of physicians has moved into the health system since the federal health care reform law was
enacted it March 2010. At St Luke's, the physician staff grew by about 50 percent between June 2010
and July 2011 to nearly 300 doctors.
Both federal antitrust laws and the Idaho Competition Act promote free marketplaces to protect
consumers from higher costs, lower quality and fewer choices. The state law prohibits acquisitions that
substantially lessen competition or create monopolies.
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden disclosed the investigations last month in a letter to St.
Luke's. The Statesman obtained a copy of the letter from Wasden's office through a public records
request.
The letter did not indicate how broad the review will be or how many acquisitions it might examine.
St. Luke's has not yet been asked to hand over documents or provide any other information,
spokesman Ken Dey said.
'Quite frankly, we're not all that surprised by it," he said. That's because "we have no doubt we've
done everything right, so we're going to cooperate fully with everything they need," Dey said. "We
haven't done (acquisitions) for market share. This has nothing to do ... with becoming a monopoly.'
A substantial network of physicians is necessary to coordinate care throughout a vast geographic
area, St Luke's CEO Dr. David C. Pate said in his blog on Tuesday.
'Yes, St. Luke's, along with other hospitals and health systems, has hired a lot of physicians," Pate
said. 'We believe it is in our communities' best interests and that it we did not, it would impact the health
and well-being of Idahoans'
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 3/22/2012
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's recer, 'I for rnommograms
St. Luke's McCall's Breast Care Clinic has been awarded a grant of $10,000 from the Boise Affiliate of
the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure.
For twelve consecutive years, the Komen Foundation has awarded funds to the St. Luke's McCall
Breast Care Clinic for their "Annual Mammograms: No Woman Left Unscreened' program.
Funds go toward the cost of screening mammograms for women age 40 and older, as well as any
indicated diagnostic mammograms and ultrasounds for women of all ages who demonstrate financial
need.
"Our goal is to help all women understand the benefits of regular screening mammograms,' said
Medical Imaging Director Bill Colpo. 'We also hope to provide access to regular screening or diagnostic
procedures, regardless of her financial situation.'
Call 634 -4061, ext. 146 to schedule a mammogram or inquire about the use of Komen Foundation
funds-
http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/info_page.php 3/29/2012
Star -News News Page—Announcements
St. Luke's McCall Yearns vrith Fromfiei to imtxove Internet
A faster Internet connection between McCall and the Treasure Valley is the result of a partnership of
Frontier Communications, Cambridge Telephone, Syringa Networks, and St. Luke's McCall.
Frontier has installed a state- of- the-art fiber -optic running parallel to U.S. 95 and interconnecting with
Cambridge Telephone and Syringe Networks.
The new circuit transmits information at a rate of one gigabit per second compared to Frontier's
residential broadband connection speeds of three to six megabits per second.
St. Luke's McCall will anchor the new service by contracting for 10 percent of the available space, said
Richard Jayo, Frontier general manager.
"Going forward, we can make a compelling argument to anyone who would like to bring their company
to our area, due to an altemate path to the Treasure Valley,' Jayo said.
The new circuit joins a similar fiber-optic service running along Idaho 55 to provide a backup in case of
disruptions, he said.
"It is especially attractive to service providers, government agencies, financial institutions, call centers,
and educational institutions," Jayo said.
St. Luke's McCall benefits by allowing faster access to medical images and secure health information
and improved communication between coordinating physicians, said Chris Curtin, St. Luke's McCall's
systems engineer.
"This circuit acts as if we are communicating with someone in the same building who is actually in
Boise," Curtin said.
The new circuit 'adds one more arrov, to our quiver when it comes to economic development," Jayo
said.
Page 1 of 1
cements ,page.php 3/29/2012
The Star News Groups Page Page 1 of l
Hospital receives healthy dose of generosity from foundation
St Luke's McCall Foundation has made a donation of $141,049 to St. Luke's McCall.
"This money is donations from generous people who want
to have the best medical care possible here for everyone,"
y�
Foundation President Verna Allen Vanis said.
The money is designated for purchasing new bili lights to
treat jaundiced newborns fora new infant
or replacing
incubator ($47,000), and for replacing the nurse call system
incubator ($4
($72,000), CEO Mike Fenello said.
`
'StLuke's
"Every year the hospital identifies our priority needs for
,1
new equipment and technology," Fenello said. "The hospital
simply doesn't have the resources to acquire all our
identified needs."
* •_••^ �a �' =M =�W
St. Luke's rd CAU CEO hhke Feuello xcepts
$t41.o49 from St Luke s McCall Fouud:ihou
The foundation's donations makes it possible to buy crucial
presrdeut Ceres Ueu Cams
medical equipment and upgrades that would otherwise be
pushed back a year or two due to lack of funds, he said.
Jaundice is caused by an excess of bilirublo in the blood and can lead to life -long neurological
impairment if untreated.
Yellow skin and eyes are a symptom of jaundice. Bill lights expose infants to a blue light wave which
breaks down bilirubin.
Incubators help newborns, especially premature babies, adjust to life by controlling air pressure,
oxygen content, temperature, humidity, fight exposure, and limiting germ exposure.
The nurse call system will improve patient safety, care and satisfaction. The system streamlines direct
communication between patients and their caregivers and enables a quieter hospital environment.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/Mes/groups_page -php 4/19/2012
This week's front page stories
St. Luke's McCall eliminates 2 high -level positions
Finance jobs ended in consolidation with health system
"Some level ofconsolidation made sense to better support the community in a more cost -
effective way. " —Mike Fenello
BY CARISSA SINDON
for The Star-News
St. Luke's McCall has eliminated two top level positions in its finance department as part of a
consolidation with the St. Luke's Health System finance department in Boise.
This is the first significant employee staffing change directly resulting from the McCall
hospital's October 2010 merger with the health system.
The positions eliminated were vice - president of finance and director of accounting, said
St. Luke's McCall's CEO Mike Fenello.
i ttke Feuego Fenello would not identify the employees who held those positions or describe any
severance package offered, saying it was a private personnel matter.
However, The Star -News learned from other sources that the employees were Matt Groenig, who held
the position of vice - president of finance, and Holly McDonald, the previous director of accounting.
Groenig could not be reached for comment and McDonald did not respond to requests for comment.
The purpose of the change was 'to align with the health system's extensive financial management
capacity which wiN increase operational efficiencies, cost savings and improve the quality of service,"
said Fenello, who was named interim CEO in January and later hired permanently.
Part of the original intention of the merger was to benefit from the resources of the St. Luke's Health
System wherever possible, Fenello said.
"The commitment that was made was that to the extent possible, both the health system and the local
board wanted to preserve as much in the community as possible,' he said.
"But understanding that over tene there may be opportunities where some level of consolidation made
sense to better support the community in a more cost - effective way; Fenello said.
Finance was one of the areas that was identified early on where consolidation could be beneficial, he
said.
Same At Other Hospitals
Hospitals that had joined the system earlier than McCall, including Magic Valley in Twin Falls and
Wood River Valley in Ketchum, had gone through similar integration, he said
The system has put together a group of 73 people that handles financial management, accounting,
and tracks expenses and revenues, Fenello said.
The ability to get the best of this talent makes sense for the hospital, he said
"There's no way that two individuals here it McCall could replicate the depth and skill, talent and
resources that exist at the system level,' Fenello said.
Fenello said he made the decision to consolidate in February shortly after he took over as CEO.
He made a recommendation to the St. Luke's McCall board of directors, which supported the move.
"My assessment was that this was clearly in the best interest of the hospital and the community for us
to be able to bring that scope of service here," he said.
There are no other anticipated staff reductions in the foreseeable future and patient customer service,
billing and accounting will remain the same, Fenello said.
'It will remain our goal to try and preserve as many jobs as we can locally while also trying to
maximize the opportunity of being part of a larger system and bring that advantage to the community,"
he said.
Page I of I
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/page&4 stories_page.php 5/17/2012
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall promotes wellness among its employees
"We have a special opportmity to act as role models in the communities we serve-
-Tiffany Dobbs
BY CARISSA SINDON
for The Star -News
Carol Shaw closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air. Alter exhaling, she felt a
kale lighter as her worries and concerns seemed to disappear.
Shaw, who works in the administrative services
department at St. Luke's McCall, was teaming relaxation
techniques as part of a program at the hospital called "Best
U."
The program is part of a larger initiative within the St.
1.
P
Luke's Health System called "Healthy U" which is designed
to provide awareness, education, support and incentives for
employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles, said
Beth Gray who is the system's director of employee health
solutions.
The goals are to help employees adopt healthy habits, quit
tobacco use, and maintain a healthy blood pressure and
blood glucose level, Gray said.
Best U is a 12 -week holistic approach to healthy weight
management offered across the system and is based on a
program developed by St. Luke's McCall's Center for Health
Promotion, she said.
`
Education & Excercise
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Tiff -A IH,l,bs. Irtt, a St Luke's DIN :.& best O
I'oach.:md St Lulu's DIN'aD earplo}rrJenuden
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Participants meet weekly with a team of specialists for 40
w the histot a t_weeek Best Useiestorl mgon
minutes of nutrition education, five minutes of relaxation
—In »Iw,geagAoy rhe.,hhmdweUnm
techniques, and 30 minutes of exercise like strength training,
yoga and core conditioning, said Tiffany Dobbs, a Healthy U coach with St. Luke's McCall's Integrative
Medicine Clinic.
"The instructors were great, the group was supportive and it was fun!" she said
Other classes and services offered to employees at St. Luke's McCall include, tobacco cessation,
yoga, massage, acupuncture and cooking demonstrations. Screenings are also offered for diabetes,
skin cancer, prostate cancer and blood pressure.
Since last October, 62 percent of employees have participated in a Center for Health Promotion or
Healthy U program, according to information provided by the hospital.
"As employees of Idaho's largest healthcare system, we have a special opportunity to act as role
models in the communities we serve," Dobbs said.
SL Luke's is not immune to rising health -care costs for its employees, she said
'Thus, wellness must be a priority for us all - not only as individuals, but also as an organization,' she
sad.
St. Luke's provides health plan premium discounts to its employees, and classes are offered at a
reduced cost, Gray said.
Health coaching is also provided to help employees overcome personal barriers they may face while
achieving better health, Dobbs said.
The success of Healthy U is measured annually by screening employees and improvements in blood
pressure, glucose control and tobacco cessation.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fip_stories _page.php 5/3/2012
Star -News News Page—Announcements
St. Luke's tech pa "v honored by BSU
Mike McKinney, a radiologic technician with St. Luke's McCall's Medical Imaging Department, has
been awarded a certificate of appreciation by the Boise State University Radiologic Sciences Gass of
2012.
McKinney was honored for his professionalism in mentoring BSU radiology students. He was
nominated for the award by graduating students who felt he had played an integral part in their personal
success.
Page 1 of 1
http : / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /announcements _page.php 5/24/2012
Star -News News Page—Announcements Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's Miller honored as 'Everyday Angel'
SL Luke's McCall physical therapist Cindy Miller was honored as an Everyday Angel by a grateful
patient
The Everyday Angel program allows patients or their family
members to recognize exceptional care by either writing a
message to their caregiver or making a contribution to honor
their work.
The caregiver receives public acknowledgement in their
department for their efforts and an Everyday Angel lapel pin.
"As we work to achieve our mission of improving the health
of people in our region, it is truly people like Cindy who make rc `
it possible," CEO Mike Fenello said.
ro..a+�ra�ma<
"We hope the Everyday Angel program makes it easier for Q. MUer''MP1 h,, E,-en-dec Angd pm fion
Jerem, patients to share their gratitude with St. Luke's McCall staff Hospice �Supe, sr Luke'si\tcCa➢HonxHeakh : wd
Ho��re SupeiLtinr
members who have made a difference in their experience
with healthcare," St. Luke's McCall Foundation Executive Director Jenny Ruemmele said.
"Everyday angels provides a nice way to say thanks and ensure your favorite caregiver receives the
recognition they deserve," Ruemmele said.
Brochures are located throughout the hospital, in clinics and in patient rooms, or may be requested by
calling Jenny Ruemmele at 63x2200.
http : / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /announcements _page.php 6/7/2012
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's saFks donations for digital mammography
About $210,000 in donations is still needed to purchase a state -of -the -art digital mammography
system for St. Luke's McCall.
The fundraising drive by the St Luke's McCall Foundation has secured $377,000 in donations, but is
still short of its goal of $587,000.
The equipment is being sought after 98 percent of respondents in a survey earlier this year said
having digital mammography available in McCall is important, said John Westwater, a foundation board
member.
The $377,000 has been raised from individual donors, the St. Luke's McCall Auxiliary, and regional
foundations, Westwater said.
Digital mammography provides better detection for women with dense breasts and reduces radiation
exposure by 22 percent, he said
The equipment also gives radiologists the ability to manipulate digital images, and enables electronic
transmission and storage of images.
This means fewer patient callbacks, which greatly reduces anxiety for patients, foundation director
Jenny Ruemmele said.
'This early investment in the project recognizes St. Luke's McCall's tradition of service to our
community, the value of health care in our rural setting, and the importance of bringing state of the art
digital technology to our region," Ruemmele said.
Donations are being sought for the equipment due to what Ruemmele called "the very modest cash
margins' of the hospital.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women. More than a third of Idaho women
over age 40 did not receive screening in the last two years, making Idaho last in the country.
The nearest digital breast care center is in Boise.
Individuals, corporations and family foundations can contribute to the St. Luke's McCall Foundation or
participate in a number of events to support the fundraising.
For more information, contact Ruemmele at 630 -2200 or jruemmele@slhs.org.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 6/14/2012
The Star News Groups Page Page 1 of 1
Misty Davis receives $1,500 PEO grant
Misty Davis of McCall has been awarded a $1,500 PEO grant.
The McCall PEO chapter sponsored and endorsed Davis for the national grant award through PEO's
"Program for Continuing Education!
Davis is enrolled In an associate degree respiratory therapy program through Independence University
and is employed by St. Luke's McCall.
PEO is a philanthropic organization that focuses on providing educational opportunities for women.
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /groups_page.php 9/20/2012
This week's front page stories Page 1 of I
Three .vhooping cough cases found at St. Luke's McCall
Three cases of whooping cough have been recently diagnosed at St. Luke's McCall, a hospital
spokesperson said.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a respiratory disease caused by the highly contagious
pertussis bacterium.
The symptoms for pertussis can be deceptively mild in the first stages, manifesting as a mild cough,
sneezing and runny nose. Left untreated, it typically leads to violent fits of coughing that can last for
months.
Residents would be mindful of the seriousness of whooping cough, said Kathy Gregory, clinical
educator at St. Luke's McCall.
"Whooping cough presents a life- threatening risk to infants' Gregory said. "Half of children under one -
year -old with whooping cough will need to be hospitalized."
Adults and teenagers with cold -like symptoms are the typical source of transmission to infants,
Gregory said.
"We encourage parents to follow recommended vaccinations for their babies and young children, and
all caregivers of infants should he sure they have previously been vaccinated and have up -to -date Tdap
boosters," she said.
Pregnant women need the vaccination as well and should check with their primary care physician to
insure vaccinations are up to date, Gregory said.
The federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends most teens and
adults get a single dose of the Tdap booster vaccine - which protects against pertussis, tetanus and
diphtheria - if they have not been previously vaccinated, or if their shots are not up to date.
St. Luke's McCall's clinics for family medicine and internal medicine can provide Tdap vaccinations for
all ages. Call 634 -2225 for an appointment.
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 9/27/2012
Star -News News Page_ Announcements
Krahn steps down after 28 years as hospital chair
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Monday will be the first day in 28 years that someone named Dan Krahn has not been at the helm of
the area's hospital board of directors.
Krahn will step down on Monday as chair of the St. Luke's McCall board of directors. He
W
as chair the entire time the hospital was operated by the McCall Memorial Hospital
District plus the first two years following the hospital's merger with St. Luke's Health
System.
Krahn will remain on the board but the chairman's gavel will be passed to Dean Hovdey.
[pan K,al.n Krahn, 56, co -owner of Krahn's Home Furnishing in McCall, became the first and only
chairman of the hospital district board when the district was formed by voter in the McCall
and Donnelly areas in 1984.
The district board took over control of the financially struggling McCall Memorial Hospital from Valley
County, which had owned the hospital located at State and Forest streets.
Krahn presided over several facelifts and wholesale renovations as well as the expansion of the
hospital campus to include several satellite buildings.
He also oversaw negotiations to merge the hospital with St. Luke's when it appeared the future was
bleak for independent hospitals in rural areas.
The merger was completed two years ago Monday, and Krahn has seen many positive results.
"People say it feels different, but not in a bad way," he said
The vision of St. Luke's has matched well with that of the local community, he said.
"Their view is the same, which is patient centered," he said. "When you stay focused that way, it's not
hard to make good decisions."
Hovdey, 61, co -owner of Home Town Sports in McCall, will preside for the next two years over the 14-
member board.
He said there is still a strong sense of local control after merging operations with St. Luke's.
"St. Lukes Health System leadership does not dictate things to St Luke's McCall," he said. "Our voice
is definitely heard and we continue to be responsible for what happens here."
The St. Luke's McCall board does not have a member on the St. Luke's Health System board of
directors, but McCall board members attend St. Luke's board meetings and regularly speak up on
topics, Krahn said.
In addition, McCall board members sit on advisory committees to the St. Luke's board that make
recommendations on changes in operations, he said.
Being part of St. Luke's has allowed the hospital to offer more services, such as orthopedic surgery
and cancer treatments, Krahn said.
"We also have a bigger support team - Dean calls it a bench - not only for the board but for the staff,
and that is a huge payoff for a small community," he said.
Page 1 of 1
http : / /www.mccallstamews.eom/pages /announcements _page.php 9/27/2012
Star -News News Page—Announcements
St. Luke's CrI551er receives certification in hospice
Home Care and Hospice Nurse Nancy Cussler of St. Luke's McCall has received certification as a
hospice and palliative care nurse accredited by the American Board of Nursing Specialists.
Cussler has spent 34 years as a registered nurse, the last 12 years caring for patients for home care
and hospice.
Cussler said she was motivated to receive the certification to ensure she had the most effective and
recent knowledge to care for patients and families as they prepare for end of life or face a terminal
illness.
"This certification in nursing is highly valued and provides formal recognition of having achieved a
standard of knowledge in the specialty hospice and palliative care," St. Luke's CEO Mike Fenello said.
"It not only provides an additional level of expertise, it also reflects Nancy's commitment to quality
healthcare provided to the patients and families served by St. Luke's Home Care and Hospice," Fenello
said.
Page I of I
http: / /www.mccallstamews. com/pages /announcements _page.php 9/27/2012
Information and Health The StarNews
St. Luke's clinics to convert to electronic records
St. Luke's McCall medical clinics will implement an electronic medical record system beginning
Monday.
The system will allow physicians and caregivers at all St. Luke's Health System locations to access a
patient's medication, current health problems, diagnostic tests, allergies, and other vital information.
"Transforming our bulky paper medical records is a gigantic endeavor and our staff has made a
herculean effort to be ready," clinics manager Don McKenzie said.
"On top of that, our physicians, medical assistance and office personnel have had to learn a very
intricate and complex software system," McKenzie said.
The clinics will need to register patients in both the new system and old system for a while, he said.
That means some patient inconvenience in longer registration and times to make an appointment.
Also, there will be a few changes to the way the clinic collect and store patient information during
phone calls, examinations, and registration.
The benefits to patients include an integrated medical record with a single chart that will lead to
improved coordination or care, a reduction of unnecessary or duplicate lab and radiology tests, and the
potential to reduce errors across the continuum of care, McKenzie said.
"We ask that patients arrive 15 minutes early for appointments and bring their insurance card,
personal ID and co -pay," he said. "Ultimately, this change will allow us to continue providing the best
customer service and patient care."
The federal government has mandated that health -care providers move to electronic medical records
and insure that only those with a need to know can read the information.
http: / /www.mccallstarnews .com/pages /info _page.php
Page 1 of 1
10/25/2012
Star -News News Page—Announcements
Ostermiller receives St. Luke's President's Award
Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall physician Dan Ostermiller has been selected for the President's Award for his
contributions in promoting community health
This award was presented to 13 of St. Luke's 10,000 employees who have made
significant contributions to improve the quality of services St. Luke's delivers.
"Dan has been visionary and tireless in leading and designing innovative programs to
` help individuals of all ages achieve an optimal level of health for their lifestyles," said St.
Luke's McCall CEO Mike Fenello.
"These programs include weight management, cancer and chronic disease screenings,
youth fitness, nutrition, and stress reduction," Fenello said. "Dr. Ostermiller embodies St
Luke's mission to improve the health of all people in our service area."
Ostermiller is board certified in family medicine, medical acupuncture, and completed a fellowship in
integrative medicine. He has practiced medicine in McCall for 26 years.
"I am honored to receive this award, however. I want to acknowledge the talented team who
contributed to this award," Ostermiller said.
Dr. Ed Hershgold, former hospital CEO Karen Kellie, and Reenie Ramos were visionary in founding
the hospital's Center for Health Promotion 20 years ago and recognizing the community value of
promoting healthier lifestyles and preventative health measures, he said.
Ostermiller also cited others who have helped him in the design and implementation of the hospital's
better health initiatives.
Thise people include exercise physiologist and massage therapist Tiffany Dobbs, nutritionist Rachel
Arndt, acupuncturist Lisa Ostermiller, who is also Ostermiller's wife, wellness coaches Connie McClaren
and Jodie Lea, health educator Liz Jones, and continued support for program development from Lyle
Nelson.
Back
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com /pages /announcements _page.php 10/25/2012
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's foundation nets arant for dental care
The St. Luke's McCall Foundation has received a grant of $17,080 to improve access to dental care
for low- income patients.
The Brighter Smiles Project will be a collaboration between St. Luke's McCall and the Adams County
Health Centers dental clinic in Council.
"St. Luke's McCall's mission of improving the health of people in our region is strengthened by
partnering with neighboring organizations," St. Luke's CEO Mike Fenello said. "Brighter Smiles is an
effective way to provide sustainable and affordable dental care to low- income patients."
The grant was provided by the Rural Healthcare Access Program of the Idaho State Office of Rural
Health and Primary Care
The need for better access to dental services has been seen by physicians working at St. Luke's
McCall," said Dr. Jennifer Gray, St. Luke's chief of staff.
"We frequently see dental cases in the emergency department which require follow up care with a
dentist for definitive treatment," Gray said.
"Without appropriate dental follow up, infections can recur and the patient's health is further
compromised," she said.
St. Luke's McCall treats an average of 13 low- income dental patients each month, Gray said.
The grant will be used to offer vouchers to cover co -pays for dental services, prescriptions, and gas
cards to help offset the travel expense to Council. Families of four earning $34,575 or less annually are
eligible to receive vouchers for care.
"We are excited to partner with St. Luke's McCall in this program to provide access to dental care for
low income residents of our region, said Denise Groves, executive director of Adams County Health
Center.
For more information about the voucher program, call St. Luke's McCall Social Work at 630 -2303.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /infopage.php 11/1/2012
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
St. AI's sues St. Luke's over Nampa clinic acquisition
St. Luke's denies preference in patient referrals
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
The St. Alphonsus hospital group this week asked a federal court to block the acquisition of Nampa's
Saltzer Medical Group by St. Luke's Health System, which operates St. Luke's McCall and Payette
Lakes Medical Clinic.
St. AI's claims the acquisition will create a monopoly of primary care physicians in Nampa, where it
operates a hospital.
A St. Luke's spokesman said on Monday the claims in the lawsuit were groundless.
Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Idaho Attorney General's Office began an investigation
into St. Luke's actions under federal antitrust laws and Idaho's Competition Act late last year.
St. Luke's has a "demonstrated pattern" of cutting off referrals to nearby hospitals after it purchases
physician groups like Saltier Medical Group, the court filing said.
The loss of referrals due to a St. Luke's acquisition would seriously damage the ability of St. Ars
hospital in Nampa to continue to act as a safety net for the community, the hospital claims.
"We did not arrive at this action without a lot of thought and reflection," said Sally Jeffcoat, president
and CEO of St. Alphonsus Heath System. "But because we believe strongly in our mission and our
legacy of healing the body, mind and spirit of our patients, we are compelled to act."
The St. Alphonsus accusations are inaccurate and groundless, said Ken Day, media manager for St.
Luke's Heafth System.
The acquisition of Saltier Medical Group is designed to decrease costs and improve access to health
care in Canyon County and not stifle competition, Day said.
No Referral Policy
St. Luke's does not tell its physicians to refer patients to St. Luke's facilities for additional exams and
procedures, he said.
"Physicians use their best medical judgment for referrals based on whatever is best for their patients,"
Day said.
St. Luke's Health System acquired Payette Lakes Medical Clinic in January 2010 and merged with
McCall Memorial Hospital in October 2010.
"St. Luke's would not pursue any path that we did not think was proper, legal, and in the best interests
of the communities we serve," St. Luke's CEO Dr. David Pate said in his online blog.
"Wouldn't it be amazing it we all came together to work on a solution to fix health care instead of
attacking those who come up with plans to do so?' Pate said.
Saint Alphonsus Health System consists of hospitals in Boise, Nampa, Ontario, Ore., and Baker City,
Ore., as well as St. Alphonsus Medical Group, composed of 35 medical clinics.
St. Luke's owns medical and cancer centers in Boise, Jerome, Twin Falls, Meridian, Ketchum and
Eagle, in addition to McCall.
The organization also manages clinics in Challis, Mountain Home, Salmon, Gooding and Weiser, in
addition to McCall.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 11/15/2012
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall orders digital mammography
Fundraising continues for cost ofequipment
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
St. Luke's McCall has raised enough money to order advanced digital mammography equipment to
screen for breast cancer.
All but $58,000 of the total price tag of $587,000 for the equipment has been raised, allowing the
hospital to make a down payment, St. Luke's McCall CEO Mike Fenello said.
"We have a long history for making breast care services a priority," Fenello said. "This equipment
makes d possible for us to continue providing the highest quality services, outcomes, and patient
experiences."
The new equipment is scheduled to arrive in late January. About 900 women receive mammograms
annually at St. Luke's McCall.
The hospital's Breast Care Clinic will not be accepting mammography patients during January to
accommodate renovation, equipment installation, and mammography technologist and radiologist
training.
The digital mammography equipment is expected to test its first patient Jan. 31, with advanced three -
dimensional software online in mid - February.
The St. Luke's McCall Auxiliary made the first donation of $66,250 toward the equipment to the St.
Luke's McCall Foundation, which is heading up the fundraising drive.
Hospital officials hope to complete the fundraising through year -end appeals to the community and
hospital employees, Fenello said.
"So many community amenities, such as the hospital, would simply not exist without the generous and
sustained support we receive from individuals who care enough to give our community exceptional
resources not usually found in towns of our size," foundation manager Jenny Ruemmele said.
A ribbon cutting for the new equipment is tentative set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 12/13/2012
The Star News Groups Page
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http : / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /groups _page.php 1/10/2013
The Star News Groups Page
St. Luke's, Adams clinic offer dental care vouchers
St. Luke's McCall's Brighter Smiles Program continues to offer free dental care to lower income
patients through a partnership with Adams County Health Center in Council.
Vouchers are available to pay for dental services, prescriptions relating to dental care, and gas cards
to help offset the expense of travel to Council.
Eligibility limits have been expanded to include patients who meet the 2012 Federal Poverty Level
guidelines of 200 percent or less. Families of four earning $46,101 or less annually are eligible.
The Adams County Health Center Dental Clinic operates in three dental exam rooms, employs
dentists, hygienists, and assistants, and is open two to three days a week.
The St Luke's McCall Foundation received a grant of $17,080 from the Rural Healthcare Access
Program of the Idaho State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care to improve access to dental care for
low- income patients.
Patients who would like to know more about the voucher program, can call St. Luke's McCall Social
Services department at (208) 630 -2301
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /groups _page.php 1/17/2013
This week's front page stories
Comfort Food
St Luke's McCall chefsays hospital food doesn't have to be boring
"The meals we serve here can be the healing touch for a patient looking for a comforting
moment " Jason Taylor
BY LYLE NELSON
for The Star-News
Those who cringe at the popular notion of hospital food should check out this recent lunch menu at St.
Luke's McCall: Glazed salmon with mango chutney and pork loin with raspberry sauce.
It is the advocation of Jason Taylor to make such meals
standard fare at St. Luke's McCall. As the hospital's director
of food and nutrition, Taylor dismisses the notion that
healthy food can't be gourmet.
"Food preparation is my life's calling, my art, my
profession, and my passion," he said. "At this point in my
career, serving patients and employees at our hospital is a
perfect fit for me."
Taylor, 44, has had his share of cooking experience. He
graduated from the California Culinary Academy and worked
in some of Europe's finest hotels.
He also served meals while he was a student at a Buddhist
meditation center, and he cooked for crews on fishing boats
in Alaska.
But Taylor prefers the slower pace and what he considers
the special mission of being a chef at a hospital.
Not surprisingly, the food at St. Luke's almost always
exceed the patient's expectations, even though the hospital
does not use hydrogenated fats and high - fructose com
syrup, he said.
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"I think of food as having a taste element, a mood - evoking element, an entertainment element, and a
nutrition element," he said.
Taylor was raised in Salt Lake City and Park City in Utah. He began working for St. Luke's Meridian in
2007 and moved to McCall last year.
Many patients at St. Luke's have restricted diets, so the need to think through the ingredients for every
patient is new to Taylor.
"A renowned philosopher said, 'God lives in the details," he said. "This is true also for food
preparation. And I would add, 'A cookie, prepared with care for the consumer, is more than a cookie.' '
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mecallstarnews.eom/pages /fp_stories_page.php 1/24/2013
The Star News Groups Page
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http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /groups _page.php 1/31/2013
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall begins chemotherapy for cancer patients
RY LYLE NELSEN
for The Star-Ndm
Patients with certain types of cancers can now receive chemotherapy treatments at St. Luke's McCall.
Cancer patients will have their first chemotherapy
treatment at a facility where oncologists can monitor their
reaction to the medications, said Heidi Galyardt, the director
of pharmacy at St. Luke's McCall.
Subsequent treatments, which could last for months, can r
be delivered in McCall, Galyardt said.
"The primary reason to provide this service locally is for
convenience to patients who otherwise must go through lid ch ;ah:vch. clir etor at t,lc rumM ar Sr Luk s
repeated and prolonged trips to Boise or elsewhere," St. atn';dl. <kwouahar rolw.r pLunu <utn rur
Luke's McCall CEO Mike Fenello said. t��r^ nsrgb nronus <twnrhaaty <higrnw,m
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Galyardt and two additional pharmacists mix the chemicals
used in the therapy, and three registered nurses in McCall have been trained to administer the
medications.
The charge for the medications in McCall will be the same as at St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor
Institute in Boise, Galyardt said.
St. Luke's oncologists regularly travel from Boise and see 10 to 15 patients in McCall who need
routine follow -up appointments.
"Cancer is becoming a chronic disease which patients live with for a long time," Fenello said. "We want
to ease the burden."
http://www.mccallstarnews.com/pages/fp_stories_page.php 2/21/2013
Information and Health The StarNews
Healing Old Wounds
When Terry Dorris needs treatment for painful foot ulcers, she is happy she can make a short trip to
St. Luke's McCall's Wound Care Clinic.
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Additional clinic days with Calkins are held weekly on Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings. When
Madsen is needed while not in McCall, a telecommunications hook -up is used for real -time
consultations.
"Every member of the team, including the physician, nurses, medical assistant, and office staff are
critical to the patient's care; she said.
Physical therapy, an important component to wound care, will be added soon.
Dorris is pleased with the professional level of care she receives at the wound clinic.
`if a treatment isn't working, the staff will re- evaluate and try an alternative therapy,` she said.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccalistamews.com /pages /info _page.php 5/30/2013
mmation and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall to become tobacco -free campus
St. Luke's McCall will become a tobacco free campus starting on June 17, a news release said.
Patients, employees, and visitors will be requested to refrain from using tobacco products on all the
grounds owned by the hospital.
"It is our mission to improve the health of people in our region; hospital spokesperson Lyle Nelson
said. "Medical studies confirm that tobacco -free policies on public grounds have a positive health
impact."
The hospital's Center for Health Promotion provides a free stop - smoking program for employees and
the public.
"We believe anyone who wants to can quit, and we will help them," Nelson said.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /info _page.php 6/6/2013
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's starts lending library for patients
Deb Staup's battle with bile duct cancer has inspired her to help other patients and families facing
serious medical problem.
Through a fundraising birthday party Staup, of McCall, 1316& Adhb�
raised funds to provide a free lending library to patients at
St. Luke's McCall.
Patients now have access to books, DVDs, and CDs on �►
nutrition, exercise, spirituality, and mental health, DVD and
CD players and a juicer.
The St. Luke's McCall Social Work team operates the
t
lending library and can provide suggestions on materials that
can make a really difficult journey a little easier, said Jenny
l
Ruemmele of the St. Luke's McCall Foundation.
resources proved very valuable to Deb, and we
. r"These
believe they will bring peace, comfort, and knowledge to the
° ✓�
people in our community who must next face these serious
health challenges," Ruemmele said
Contact the St. Luke's McCall Social Work Department at
tr
630 -2303 for more information on the library or the St.
:~ -
Luke's McCall Foundation at 630 -2200 to contribute to the
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http : / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /info _page.php 6/27/2013
Star -News News Page—Announcements
McCall hospital taxing district board adds members
Jim Bates and Derek Williamson have been declared the winners in unopposed elections for two open
seats on the board of the McCall Memorial Hospital District.
Bates fills the seat vacated by Jonas Bean and Williamson takes the seat previously held by Scott
Erekson.
Bates is vice president of First American Title Company in McCall. He is also on the board of directors
for the McCall Rotary Club and McCall Area Chamber of Commerce.
Williamson is retired from an executive career in process improvement and information technology in
northern California. His last position was at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif.
Other board members are Chair Gerald Jutting, Jill Calhoun, Andy Laidlaw, Travis Leonard and Mike
Vineyard.
The McCall Memorial Hospital District board previously administered what was then known as McCall
Memorial Hospital until 2010, when the hospital merged with St. Luke's Health Systems and was
renamed St. Luke's McCall. A separate St. Luke's McCall board oversees management of the hospital.
The taxing district has a contract with St. Luke's to provide property taxes to support hospital
operations collected from district patrons. That commitment amounted to about $1.5 million this year.
The district boundaries generally take in the northern part of Valley County and extend to south of
Donnelly
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews. com/pages /announcements _page.php 7/11/2013
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /groups _page.php
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Page 1 of 1
7/18/2013
Star -News News Page—Announcements
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VOLUNTEERS HONORED - St Luke s McCahh
honored hospital voluuhets atthe recent:luuusl
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Each had a star named m their holm
Page 1 of 1
http:// www. mccallstarnews .com/pages /archive_2013 /05 23_13 webedition/Copy %20oflYo... 5/3W2013
Information and Health The StarNews
New St. Luke's McCall service provides
convenient testing for patients on anticoagulants
BY LAURA CRAW FORD
for The Star-News
Beverly Garland is happy there is an easy and convenient way to monitor her medication she needs
for her heart condition.
Garland is one of the first patients to participate in St.
Luke's McCall's new anticoagulation clinic.
The clinic helps patients manage their dosage of blood -
thinning drugs without the need for frequent laboratory blood
tests.
At the clinic, Garland undergoes a simple finger stick to
produce immediate blood level readings. The staff can
adjust medication right away, if needed, instead of having
patients wait for test results and a follow -up visit with a
physician.
Garland started taking anticoagulants two years ago when
she was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular and
often rapid heart rate that commonly causes poor blood flow
to the body.
Be%wb- GarLwd, night, Sets a swple tiger sick
blood testf via Director of Phv mey Held'
Galyardt at the new auncoaguLlnou dui at St .
iAke's b1cCaB
Garland has been spending the summers in McCall since 1961. This year, she received a lab order
from her doctor in California who wanted to make sure she had her dosage checked upon her arrival.
But when she visited St. Luke's Clinic - Payette Lakes Family Medicine, she found out pharmacist
Heidi Galyardt was able to take a blood sample, review the results and adjust her medication on the
spot.
The anticoagulation clinic sees patients, with a physician referral, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays.
In addition to medication management the anticoagulation clinic offers education on diet and healthy
lifestyle to patients, Galyardt said.
"Anticoagulation clinics across the country have demonstrated that patients enrolled in these clinics
have improved outcomes and reduced health risks," she said.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /info _page.php 8/8/2013
The Star News Groups Page
roao 000aon a. ub wocn
BUSY DAY AT ST. LUKE'S - Dr C'aidm Gasttdson
of St LukesMcCaU had abus \•day last week,
delwerW three umb ormm a bows. At S 45 a m
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hospital also saw m patients atthe pliymcum
clmure aid 138 lab patieuts, performed 42 imaging
exams, treated 23 patients m the emegeuct•
deptul meut, and pefanned faun surgei e
Pictured, from left, are Gvistafamr, the Ranrmez
fanulp, the Mikkebm famdv' the th9er farad}-, and
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aid carol of C'aiffith.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /groups _page.php 8/15/2013
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall to move orthopedic surgery center
The St. Luke's Clinic Orthopedic Surgery is moving to a new location In the Allen -Nukes Center, 200
Forest Street, on the St. Luke's McCall Medical Center campus.
Dr. Greg Irvine and Physician Assistant Bill Stahlberg will begin seeing patients at the clinic's new
location beginning Monday. The clinic's new telephone number is 630 -2470.
The new space for the clinic was necessary due to the increased volume of orthopedic services
offered at St. Luke's McCall and the addition of Stahlberg, a news release said.
Orthopedics has been sharing space with the family medicine clinic at Payette Lakes Medical since
Irvine's arrival in 2011.
Freeing up space at the clinic was necessary due to the addition of four new family medicine
providers, the release said.
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages/info _page.php 8/22/2013
Information and Health The StarNews Page I of 1
Breast Buddies encourages women to get mammograms
A new program called Breast Buddies is trying to get women from Adams and Idaho counties to get
screened for breast cancer.
The program, sponsored by the St. Luke's McCall Foundation, wants to help women in those counties
to learn more about the benefits of screening and early detection and the availability of free services for
low- income women.
Adams and Idaho counties were selected for the Breast Buddies project because they have some of
the lowest screening rates in Idaho, foundation director Jenny Ruemmele said.
"We provide our Breast Buddies with information on breast health and introduce them to imaging
department staff during a tour of our facility," St. Luke's McCall nurse Connie McClaran said.
"This helps everyone feel more knowledgeable and confident in sending friends and neighbors to be
screened," McClaran said.
Recently, Breast Buddies shared information at community ice cream socials in Council and Riggins.
Many attendees have experienced how breast cancer can change lives, McClaran said.
"When you see the devastating toll of breast cancer, it is easy to become passionate about early
detection," said Patty Solberg, a Breast Buddy from Council.
"While it is hard to carve out the time to get a mammogram, finding the time for early detection truly is
the best way to take care of those you love,' Solberg said.
The earlier a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, the better her chances of survival, said Patti
Moran, who heads up the cancer program at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
"Mammography screening is an important tool in making early diagnosis of breast cancer and saving
lives," Moran said.
For more information on Breast Buddies, call the St. Luke's McCall Foundation at 630 -2200.
http : / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /info _page.php 9/12/2013
Star -News News Page—Announcements
St. Luke's McCall protects patient safety with new procedures on drugs
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star-News
St. Luke's McCall has implemented two new safety procedures to help protect patients against
medication errors.
The bedside medication verification system implemented
earlier this year relies on computer technology to ensure
patients receive the right medications at the right
time. "Reducing even the possibility of a medication error is
a hospital priority," Director of Pharmacy Heidi Gatyardt said.
"We are constantly looking at ways to improve patient care
and safety."
The patient's wristband is scanned before any patient
receives medications, and then the medications to be
administered will be scanned. A computer checks to make
sure that the medication is right for the patient and is the
correct dose, at the correct time, delivered the proper way,
and has been reviewed by the pharmacy.
"We are excited that a majority of patient medications are
being delivered under this safety net," said Cindy Mosier,
patient safety and quality manager.
1
PYem h La. C.e.6vi
Reis f Nmse Mollie Flan er sews patient
Belt Bane's trust bwd before admunstenng
The second safety process is the Omnicell system, a mechcattow
medication and supply dispensing automation system in the
operating room. The system includes a mobile anesthesia cart that is used in the operating room,
emergency department, and labor and delivery rooms by certified registered nurse anesthetists.
The benefits of this system are increased medication safety for patients, increased internal control for
narcotics, and accurate pricing.
"Improving quality of care and patient safety supports St. Luke's guiding principle to deliver
accountable care, better health, better care, and lower cost," said Mike Fenello, St. Luke's McCall chief
executive officer.
The bedside medication verification system cost more than $100,000 and was funded by St. Luke's
Health System's effort to standardize patient safety for medication administration at all of its clinics and
hospitals.
L'asl
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com /pages /announcements _page.php 11/7/2013
Star -News News Page—Announcements
McCall's Krahn named to St. Luke's Health System board
Dan Krahn will join the St. Luke's Health System board of Directors next week.
Krahn joins 13 other Idaho community leaders who serve voluntarily as St. Luke's Health
System directors.
The directors oversee coordination of care among the seven medical centers within the
St. Luke's system.
The board also monitors quality of patient outcomes, approves the budget, and
determines how revenues for the not- for -profit organization will be reinvested into local
Diu) FdAui health care services and facilities.
Krahn is president of Krahn's Home Furnishings in McCall and past chairman of St. Luke's McCall
board of directors,
"It is a pleasure to welcome Dan to the board," said current board chair Tom Saldin.
"His experience and leadership in rural healthcare brings an invaluable contribution to the board as we
continue our efforts to transform St. Luke's Health System to deliver integrated, seamless and patient -
centered quality care," Saldin said.
Krahn's history in health care goes back to 1981 when he was selected to serve on the board of
trustees for McCall and Cascade hospitals, then owned by Valley County.
In 1984 two separate hospital districts were formed and Krahn was elected as chairman of the McCall
Memorial Hospital and later St. Luke's McCall board from 1984 through 2012.
Krahn was named Trustee of the Year by the Idaho Hospital Association in 2011.
"Dan's experience and insights enable him to be a valuable member of the governance structure of the
Health System," said Dean Hovdey, chairman of St. Luke's McCall board of directors.
McCall Memorial Hospital joined St. Luke's Health System in 2010 and the name was changed to St.
Luke's McCall.
The McCall Memorial Hospital District provides about $1.45 million per year in local taxes to the
hospital, which is used for charity care, to offset bad debt, make up for shortfalls in Medicare and
Medicaid payments and to buy equipment.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com /pages /announcements _page.php 11/14/2013
Information and Health The StarNews Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall adds advisor to help with medical bills
Lindy Carr has joined St_ Luke's McCall as the hospital's New Patient Access Navigator
Carr's role is to assist patients and families to pay for their healthcare costs. She gives
guidance to patients who may qualify for assistance through local, county, state, and
.� federal programs as well as St. Luke's Financial Care.
I have always had an interest in helping others overcome challenges and difficulties, and
empowering individuals for success," Carr said.
L„ ti- ,•�,,: "My goal is to ensure that our patients have access to medically necessary healthcare
that they deserve," she said.
Carr is also supports patients and families through the complex application process and is able to
screen patients for financial assistance programs. She also assists in completing and filing applications,
as well as providing follow -up.
Programs included in Carr's role include Medicaid, Emergency Medicaid, County Indigent Services,
Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, St. Luke's Financial Care,
medication assistance, insurance premium assistance, and the Idaho Health Exchange.
Contact Carr at 630 -2334 or camnel @slhs.org.
http:// www. mccalistamews .com/pagcs /info_page.php 12/5/2013
Events and Arts The StarNews
4r ,
Mft W.Ths M, Neva by MW Mode
iFEELING IN ARIIIER'7- Bobbie ktdv nfiom
Boise, Jan Morrison from Cascade and Chu& Eimv
from Eagle pLay as the Uk@-A- Ladies for \ .aa",
Leonard and lilanhm Kralm ai Satmdac at the
hfcCaB Golf Corse clubhouse Tlie event was pat
of the annual Hoh(L v Happem 4 ftmdrmei for the
j St. L&e's McCall Amalmn'.
Page I of I
http: / /www.mccallstarneNvs.com /pages /cvcnts_arts_pagc.php 12/12/2013
s, ficw4 ,,. jiq �/3
St. Luke's Hope and
Healing Project aids
cancer patients
St. Luke's McCall Foun-
dation has started the Hope
and Healing Project to make
a difference in how cancer
patients walk their difficult
road to healing.
The Hope and Heal-
ing Project has formed
partnerships with medi-
cal professionals, social
workers, support service
providers, and community
volunteers.
"Imagine hearing the
words, `you have cancer,' "
said Jenny Ruemmele, St.
Luke's McCall Foundation
director.
After that scary diag-
nosis come the treatments:
chemotherapy, surgery or
radiation, which can be a
lengthy, solitary, and lonely
process," Ruemmele said.
The Hope and Heal-
ing Project offers a menu
of services for massage,
acupuncture, nutritional
consultations, yoga, coun-
seling and coaching, an
home support services tha
include house cleaning an
healthy take -home meals.
Patients referred to th
program by their physi
cian or a social worker wil
receive a $300 credit, and i
able to choose which servic
is most important to the
Assistance will be given t
schedule appointments and
receive services.
Patients also have access
to alending resource library
that includes books, DVDs
and CDs on nutrition, exer-
cise, spirituality, healing,
and mental health. Juicers
and DVD and CD players are
available as well.
"We recognize that the
healing process is multi-
dimensional and that people
are more likely to heal if
they have hope," Ruemmele
said.
Inspiration for the proj-
ect came from community
members who fought cancer.
The lending library was
created after cancer survi-
vor Deb Staup hosted a "60
Again" birthday celebration
and asked guests to make
donations in lieu of birth-
day gifts.
"Having a choice in some
aspects of treatment is em-
powering at a time when life
is outof control," Staup said.
"I see this program as a way
to take what L experienced
and increase those blessings
to help people in other ways
d on this journey."
t The project also was sup-
ported Bet Barn Sale of "Biggest te Sum-
mer" held in June by Denise
- Novoselski of McCall, who
1 lost her husband, Tim, to
s cancer shortly afterwards.
e For more information,
m. contacttheSt. Luke 'sMccall
o Foundation at 630 -2200.
S14h / "g lglgli3
St. Luke's names
Mosier director of
patient care, nursing
St. Luke's McCall has
named Cindy Mosier as the
hospital's new director of pa-
tient care services, nursing,
safety, and quality. Mosier
most recently served as the
quality and patient safety
manager in McCall.
Mosi-
er's duties
include
directing,
support - ;
ing, and '
facilitat-
ing the
provision
of qual-
ity patient
care, treat -.
ment, and
services. Cindy Mosier
"Some
of the best
nurses are in rural areas due
to the multiple qualifications
they need to have to provide
a wide spectrum of care,"
Mosier said. "
McCall is currentlylead-
ing a program for St. Luke's
Health System to define
rural nurse job descriptions
that incentivizes nurses to
develop multiple competen-
cies," she said.
Mosier has an extensive
career in nursing, beginning
as a staff nurse at St. John's
Regional Medical Center in
Joplin, Mo.
She went on to become
a nursing leader, first as a
charge nurse. That led to
roles as a clinicalnurse man-
ager in several capacities
including nursing services,
emergency department,
intensive care unit, and
cardiothoracic intensive -
care unit.
In addition to being a
registered nurse, Mosier
holds abachelor's of science
in computer information
systems from Missouri
Southern State University
and a master's of nursing
with a concentration innurs-
ingleadershipfrom Gonzaga
University
2f14 sArUq
Bandages & A Clean Shirt: St. Luke's McCall
makes sure ER patients get laundered clothes
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
When accident victims
are treated in the emergency
room at St. Luke's McCall,
they get their wounds closed
and their broken bones set,
but they also get their clothes
back clean.
St. Luke's processes more
than 183,000 pound of sheets,
gowns, towels and other items,
but it is a few pounds of laun-
dry that gets special attention.
The clothes of patients who
have been treated for an emer-
gency illness or injury can
be laundered and returned
by the time they are ready to
go home.
"When someone comes
in off the ski hill and their
coat and suits are wet, we
can throw them in the dryer
and they will be done when
they need them," said Gina
Mencer, the hospital's man-
ager of environmental and
linen services.
Soiled or bloody clothes
can be quickly retrieved from
the emergency room, carried
to the hospital's laundry just
down State Street, washed and
returned to the patient.
Clothes that are cut away
by emergency room atten-
dants cannot be repaired,
but Mencer keeps a supply of
sweat pants andother clothes
for men, women and children
that she has gathered from the
hospital auxiliary thrift shop.
"They won't be pretty, but
atleastthey will have clothes,"
she said.
The emergency laundry
service is available from 8 a.m.
to 6 p.m. every day.
See LAUNDRY, Page 2
"It is what we can do as
part of patient care."
— Gina Mencer
Laundry
(Continued from Page 1)
Special Attachment
Many patients have a spe-
cial attachment to a shirt or
other piece of clothing and
they appreciate getting them
returned, said Angie Moore,
who helps Mencer with the
laundry.
Star -News Photo by Tom Grote
Gena Mencer, left, and Angie Moore fold a freshly- laundered
blanket to be returned to a patient at St. Luke's McCall.
Special care is also taken
with clothing of patients
who have died at the hospital.
Those items arelaundered and
returned to family members.
The emergency laundry
service is something the
hospital has done for as long
as anyone can remember,
public relations director Lyle
Nelson said.
The McCall hospital is the
only facility in the St. Luke's
Health System that does its
laundry on site, Nelson said.
Other locations send their
laundry to a central facility
in Boise, and McCall hospital
administrators have thought
about doing the same, he said.
Moore and Mencer hopes
that never happens, because
it would end the ability to
provide personal service to
patients.
"Other places don't want
to be bothered with it, but to
me it is what we can do as part
of patient care," Mencer said.
"We don't think we're go-
ing out of our way," Moore
said. "It is just who we are and
what we do."
Mencer has worked for
the hospital for 20 years and
Moore has been with St. Luke's
McCall three years. Both live
in New Meadows and serve
together on the New Meadows
City Council.
6 t4A hl4t,_4 V � /Y �
Photos by Tom Grote, The Star -News (boy) and Laura Crawford, St. Luke's McCall (girl)
FIRST BABIES OF 2014 - The first male and female babies
of 2014 have been born at St. Luke's McCall. At top, Jared
"Micah" Wells, born on Jan. 1, is shown with his parents,
Ginger and Jared Wells of Donnelly. At left is attending
physician Dr. David Hall. The family received a gift basket
from the St. Luke's McCall Auxiliary. Above, Karizma Joyce
Beaty, born Jan. 6, is shown with her parents, Dewayne and
Jessica Beaty of Donnelly, and brothers Zander and Daylan.
At right is Dr. Julie Welty of St. Luke's Clinic- Payette Lakes
Family Medicine. At left is obstetric registered nurse Mandi
Bolopue. Not pictured is attending obstetric registered nurse
Danae Robinson. The family received a gift basket from an
anonymous donor.
This week's front page stories Page I of I
Anti -trust ruling will not affect St. Luke's McCall
Hospital CEO says local patients will not see changes
BY TOM GROTE
The Star-News
Patients of St. Luke's McCall will see no changes as the result of last week's antimtrust ruling against
the hospital's parent company, the hospital's chief executive officer said.
The ruling against St. Luke's Health System in a lawsuit brought by rival St. Alphonsus
Health System will not affect health care in McCall, St. Luke's McCall CEO Mike Fenello
said.
�3
We're not deterred from our strategy here, to continue to find ways to improve care,
improve patient health and lower cost," Fenello said on Monday.
Nhkr Faxes° There have been no instructions from St. Luke's Health System to change operations at
McCall as a result of the judge's ruling, he said.
"St. Luke's McCall is proud to be a part of St. Luke's Health System, a non - profit Idaho system that is
willing to step outside the traditional health -care services box and find new ways to deliver better care
and tower cost to patients," Fenello said.
The former McCall Memorial Hospital merged with St. Luke's Health System in 2010 and changed its
name to St. Luke's McCall.
Fenello said he agreed with the reaction on the ruling from St. Luke's Health System president and
CEO Dr. David Pate.
'In the long run, winning or losing this case is not the measure of our success,' Pate said in a
statement.
"The measure of our success is the extent to which we improve the health of the communities we
serve, provide patients with the best possible outcomes and lower the cost of care for the people of
Idaho,' he said.
Judge Orders Split
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill said St. Luke's Health System broke federal and state
antitrust laws last winter when it bought Nampa's Seltzer Medical, the largest independent physicians
practice in the state, according to a report in The Idaho Statesman.
The purchase gave St. Luke's 80 percent of the primary care doctors in Nampa and would have
brought it "significant bargaining leverage" over health insurers, Winmill said.
But he praised St. Luke's for trying to reform a broken health care industry.
"The acquisition was intended by St. Luke's and Salzer primarily to improve patient outcomes," he
wrote. "The court is convinced that it would have that effect it left intact, and St. Luke's is to be
applauded for its efforts to improve the delivery of health care in the Treasure Valley."
Winmill said the fast - growing health system - the biggest in Idaho and the state's largest private
employer - didn't have to buy Seltzer to achieve its goals. If the deal were allowed to stand, it likely
would drive up costs for patients and insurers, The Idaho Statesman story reported.
Four -Weak Trial
During a four -week trial last fall, St. Luke's biggest competitors, St. At's and the smaller Treasure
Valley Hospital in Boise, argued that St. Luke's would steer patients away from them if it were allowed to
keep Seltzer.
They said records show referrals from independent doctors plummet after St. Luke's buys their
practices. The Sakzer deal would cost them business and force them to cut services and jobs, they
claimed.
The Federal Trade Commission and Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden joined the lawsuit last
spring.
St. Luke's and Seltzer defended their merger as crucial for the successful launch of a new payment
scheme in which health care providers are rewarded for high - quality work.
They said the deal would help stabilize insurance rates in Idaho and allow more poor patients in the
Treasure Valley to get medical care, according to The Idaho Statesman story.
St. Luke's said it expects to appeal Winmill's ruling
http: / /www.mccallstarnews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 1/30/2014
Star -News News Page_ Announcements
St. Luke's McCall Auxiliary awards $153,000 in grants
The St. Luke's McCall's Auxiliary has awarded $153,000 in grants to local heath- minded
organizations, including St. Luke's McCall.
"Our auxiliary's hard work and commitment to improving
the lives and health of the people in our communities
g
determines our ability to make these generous grants
possible," auxiliary president Kathleen Hancock said.
$
P
Awards included:
Phm" cawYry St. Luke'v McCdl
Representatives of local groups drat reeeivM grants
• The Community Care Clinic, which provides free medical
finw St Lukas hIeCallAumIua are. frouLleft. Don.
care for those without financial means, received $25,000.
Jaspeson. hlccau Sewor ltuen.s Cen.rer and
Pa5- etteLakes (.. "ownrwiK.�asoaauou.Ih' Sw'ah
Jessup, Comunuuty t :aie Chtue, Bill Thom.,
• The Community Medical Fund received $19,310 to help
Couuuuwtc hledreal Ftn & Lewauu Ball.
adults with dental, psychiatric, and medical care,
'O11D1°u^''-lnkh'eifs Mea",t Raul, H °m'
11ii asll..iimhwl Cwuwwnh' til:ln.t Cllau', wld
LyfeNelson. St Ldces McCall
• The Community Children's Medical Fund, which helps
families with children in need of medical care, received
$12,000.
• Another $15,310 was awarded to die Psychiatric Patient Assistance Program at St. Luke s McCall
Mental Health Clinic that provides needed care for mental health patients without the means to pay.
• The McCall Senior Citizens Center received $2,800 to support their Meals on Wheels program.
• The Payette Lakes Community Association received $2,000 to aid their etementaty after - school
nutrition program.
• The Payette Lakes Ski Patrol received $580 to aid in the purchase of professional AED training
equipment.
"There are so many worthy causes in our communities, but we believe that by funding organizations
that address health issues close to home, we can do the most good," said Holly Thresh, auxiliary grant
committee chair.
The hospital received $76,000, including $8,000 for a fluid and blanket wanner, $10,000 to remodel
the labor and delivery patient rooms, and $68,000 for seven new hospital patient beds.
Since 2002 the Auxiliary has awarded $1.9 mitliun to local contraunity organizations aitd the hospital
through the grant program. The auxiliary grant program is entirely funded by proceeds raised through
the auxiliary's thrift shop in downtown McCall.
All local non - profit organizations with a health - related mission are eligible to apply for the grants.
Applications are due by Sept. 30 with funds awarded in January.
Page I of I
http://-,NON ,NNr.mccallstarrnews.com /pages /announcements _page.php 1/30/2014
This week's front page stories Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's forms regional boards to oversee hospitals
McCall hospital to be governed in same region as Boise
BY TOM URUTE
The Star -News
St. Luke's Health System is forming regional boards of directors that the CEO of St. Luke's McCall
said will help provide better health care.
On April 1, St. Luke's McCall will become part of the western region of St. Luke's Health System along
with medical facilities in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle and Mountain Home.
A new eastern region will be made up of St. Luke's hospitals in Twin Falls, Ketchum and Jerome.
New regional boards of directors will be formed that will set the budgets and conduct general oversight
of the hospitals and clinics in those regions, St. Luke's McCall CEO Mike Fenello said.
Nominated to serve on the western regional board are incoming St. Luke's McCall Chair Carol Feider,
a retired Forest Service employee, and outgoing chair Dean Hovdey, owner of Home Town Sports.
The McCall board also will have representatives on the regional board's committees on planning,
finance and quality.
The St. Luke's Health System board will continue to have the final say on all actions. Former St.
Luke's McCall board member Dan Krahn, owner of Krahn's Home Furnishings, is a member of the
system board.
Under the new structure, the local St. Luke's board will focus less on budgeting and finances and more
on planning new services and facilities for the hospital's patients, Fenello said.
The regional concept also will see hospitals within the region sharing specialists and doing more joint
planning, he said.
"The whole intention of the restructuring is to provide a greater depth of resources and an ability to
sustain a unique asset for a community of this size in a difficult and changing environment," Fenello
said.
Since it joined St. Luke's Health System in 2010, St. Luke's McCall already has seen benefits from
being part of a larger organization that has resulted in savings, he said.
The new regional concept will continue that efficiency by helping patients who find themselves using
more than one hospital.
"The majority of our patients that seek advance care, like major surgery or advance diagnostics, go to
the Boise Valley,' Fenello said. "Conversely, we serve the need of the Treasure Valley patients who
come here to recreate or visit their second homes."
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 2/6/2014
Information and Health The StarNews
St. Luke's McCall accredited as Certified PAammoclraphy Facilit,,,
St. Luke's McCall's medical imaging department has been accredited by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration as a Certified Mammography Facility for digital mammography.
"We previously were a Certified Mammography Facility," said Bill Colpo, manager of the hospital's
imaging department.
"But with our addition of Idaho's only 30 digital mammography equipment, this certification confirms a
level of excellence in equipment and expertise for a new technology,' Colpo said.
To maintain this certification, the mammography equipment must be calibrated every week by the
department's mammography technologist, every six months by manufacturer representatives, and every
year by a FDA licensed physicist.
"We must be certain that the radiation dose emitted by the equipment is precisely what is required by
national standards," Coipo said. "This is a patient safety issue, and this is also imperative to get the
clearest images of breast tissue as possible."
In additional to equipment calibration, the FDA inspects department's records, tracks patient
outcomes, tests technologists' skills and knowledge, and insures a qualified physician interprets the
images.
: /info _page.php
Page I of I
2/20,2014
Star -News News Page—Announcements Page I of I
Batchelor, Lamm, named to McCall hospital district board
Cathy Batchelor and Barrett Lamm have been appointed to the seven -member McCall Memorial
Hospital District board of directors.
Batchelor fills the position vacated by Jerry Jutting, who retired. She is a
Realtor and co-owner of REIMAX Resort Really.
, Batchelor's professional background is in marketing communications,
where she worked as a consultant and manager for companies developing
advanced semiconductor technology.
Bartel Evrett 1.1111111 She is a board member of McCall College, Payette Lakes Ski Club, and
McCall Tennis Association, and is an active member of the Payette Lakes Progressive
Club.
Lamm fills the position vacated by Jill Calhoun, who has been appointed to the St. Luke's McCall
Board of Directors.
He is a certified public accountant working for Rick Lamm, CPA, and previously worked as an in -house
accountant for a real estate development company. Lamm has a long history volunteering for his church.
Lamm is the son of Rick Lamm, who served on the hospital district board for 18 years.
The hospital district gave up operational control of the former McCall Memorial Hospital when the
hospital merged with St. Luke's Health System in 2010 and was renamed St. Luke's McCall.
Under the merger agreement, the district contributes about $1.5 million in property taxes per year to
support operations at St. Luke's McCall. The district extends from McCall to south of Donnelly.
http : /h " "v.mccallstarnews.com/pages /announcements _page.php 2/27/2014
Star -News News Page_ Announcements
St. Luke's McCall's medical imaging department has been accredited by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration as a Certified Mammography Facility for digital mammography.
"With our addition of Idaho's only 3D digital mammography equipment, this certification confirms a
level of excellence in equipment and expertise for a new technology," said Bill Colpo, manager of the
hospital's imaging department.
To maintain this certification, the mammography equipment must be calibrated every week by the
department's mammography technologist, every six months by manufacturer representatives, and every
year by a FDA licensed physicist.
"We must be certain that the radiation dose emitted by the equipment is precisely what is required by
national standards," Colpe said. "This is a patient safety issue, and this is also imperative to get the
clearest images of breast tissue as possible."
In additional to equipment calibration, the FDA inspects department's records, tracks patient
outcomes, tests technologists' skills and knowledge, and insures a qualified physician interprets the
images
Page I of 1
,.com /pages /announcements _page.php 2/27/2014
Information and Health The StarNews
Brighter Smiles program gets grant from state agency
The St. Luke's McCall Foundation has received a $24,750 grant from the Idaho State Office of Rural
Health and Primary Care to improve access to dental care for low- income patients.
The Brighter Smiles Project is a collaboration between St. Luke's McCall Medical Center and the
Adams County Health Center's Dental Clinic in Council.
"St. Luke's McCall Foundation is pleased to partner with Adams County Health Center for the second
year of this dental project," said Jenny Ruemmele, executive director of the St. Luke's McCall
Foundation.
'Brighter Smiles provides dental care to patients so they don't require emergency care at St. Luke's
McCall,' Ruemmele said. "It makes sense for us to work together to leverage resources."
A 2008 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that although oral health has long been
acknowledged as a critical component of overall health and well- being, millions of Americans lack
access to affordable dental health services.
Oral health problems can be early signs of and even lead to other types of serious diseases, the study
said.
The grant will allow vouchers to be issued to cover co-pays for dental services, prescriptions relating
to dental care, and gas cards to travel to Council. Families of four earning $47,100 or less annually are
eligible to receive vouchers.
For more information, call the St. Luke's McCall Patient Access Specialist at 630 -2215.
http://vA"v.mccallstarnews.com/pages/in.fo_page.php
Page I of 1
This week's front page stories
More women get mammograms at St. Luke's after 3D upgrade
"It was evident that everyone involved in each step of the process cared about me as a
person." — Rebecca Hurd
BY IA URA CRAWFORD
_itn The Star-News
Rebecca Hurd used to travel to Boise to get health care, including her annual mammogram. But the
McCall resident switched to St. Luke's McCall after learning of the hospital's new 30 digital
mammography.
Hurd isn't alone in making this switch. After the hospital's
upgrade to 3D mammography last year, 206 other women
chose to have their mammogram exams locally, a 26
percent increase over 2012. Screening mammograms alone
have increased by 35 percent.
"It's convenient, but what struck me was how I felt
throughout my visit," Hurd said "It was evident that everyone
involved in each step of the process cared about me as a
person."
St. Luke's McCall has offered breast care services since
1988, including education, clinical exam, and now 3D
mammography screening.
"Idaho ranks last among all states in cancer screening
mammogram rates, "said Bill Colpo, medical imaging manager.
Frnni Ica are Dr. Tom Bwdenck,,% Luke's.lWai
radiologist, Debbie BillmOey, mmnm091-apliy
tedwologist, Rebecca Nurd. patient, Brooke
Duncan, R3, breast care nurse mid pahrnt
n v,gator, mid 1.riene Barley, brerstMI chine
robutteer
One way to bring up that rate is through the St. Luke's McCall's Breast Imaging Fund, which is
supported by the hospital auxiliary and foundation, proceeds from the annual Pink at the Rink women's
hockey tournament, and individual donations.
The 3D equipment was purchased after the hospital foundation and auxiliary raised more than
$580,000.
St Luke's McCall's Breast Care Clinic provides women access to screening and diagnostic
mammography, breast ultrasound and other services.
Patient Nurse Navigator Brooke Duncan provides education, emotional counseling, and assistance in
navigating the sometimes complicated health care system.
"Staying healthy is important to me and my husband, "Hurd said. "But if something does happen, its
comforting to know we'll receive compassionate and comprehensive care from fellow community
members."
To loam more about St. Luke's McCall's breast care services, call 630 -2260 or visit stlukesonline.org.
$17,000 grant goes to St. Luke's for mammography
St Luke's McCall Foundation has received a $17, 000 grant from the Idaho Affiliate of Susan G.
Komen for mammography services.
The money will be used to pay for screening and diagnostic services for uninsured patients and
financial support for breast cancer patients, said Jenny Ruemmele, director of St Luke's Foundation.
"Our Breast Buddies outreach program is working to inform women in rural communities about the life-
saving benefits of mammography and the availability of screening resources, "Ruemmele said.
The Komen Idaho Affiliate is one of 123 Komen affiliates worldwide pledging to relieve suffering from
the disease and to end breast cancer.
Last year, Susan G. Komen Affiliates awarded more than $93 million in community grants.
http:// www. mccalistarnews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php
Page
4/3/2014
This week's front page stories
Mother Mentors note 15 years of aiding young parents
BT CILWNTIB GROB
fin- the star-No,
When Joy Weller Miller visits a young mother, she brings food, supplies and, most importantly, a
sympathetic ear.
For the last 15 years, Miller and the Heartland Mother
Mentors have provided mothers with young children with
*'
necessities and the basic parenting skills.
When Miller or another mothering mentor makes a
visitation, they arrive with a bag filled with items for the child
items
1
as well as for the mother herself. The bag contains
specific to the family's needs as well as program literature.
The program can also supplies other necessities, such as
a crib or even a set of snow Gres or auto repairs, Miller said.y*
"We have had great programs that give information on
immunizations, how to have a family picnic and what to do
with children on a rainy day to name a few," she said.
Joy UiAe otxemrinl,d:vorher 1lenrors. Ihtt,
presents Jounto. caple a cer t1heate of
Outsta,uhof`iel,lel•ementtor• mother nlelttori ng
The Heartland Mother Mentors program covers an area
du, nlp a reeel,r ,ncenng of me tt crake 5 ir<can
from Cascade to Indian Valley and Riggins.
.-t,lmb-y
The mentoring program started when former St. Luke's McCall administrator Karen Kellie asked Sheila
Gunther and Miller to provide a program to help teen mothers. Miller was named Idaho Mother of the
Year in 1998 and served as national president of American Mothers Inc., from 2003 to 2005.
Sometimes the needs of young mothers are basic. When asked what was her greatest need, one
mother said simply, "I need love." "That is what the mentoring program is about " Miller said.
The program is not just for mothers, but has also helped fathers who find themselves raising children
alone as well as teen mothers.
Operating under strict anonymity, ft mentors with the help from donors do whatever is possible to
help mothers and fathers. Since its beginning, Miller estimates the program has helped well over 1,500
people.
In 2003, the program joined with St. Luke's McCall. "Having the program is a huge asset," St. Luke's
social worker Jennifer Caple said.
What makes the program especially valuable is the fact the volunteers agree to help any mother in
need without making judgments, Caple said.
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Page 1 of 1
4/3/2014
Star -News News Page—Announcements
St. Luke's named one of nation's 15 top health systems
Truven Health Anaytics has named St. Luke's Health System as one of the nation's Top 15 Health
Systems. St. Luke's McCall is part of St. Luke's Health System.
This is the first year St. Luke's has achieved this recognition, which is based on an evaluation of key
performance and safety measures.
St. Luke's is the only Idaho health system included on the Top 15 list, which includes other notable
health systems such as the Mayo Clinic and Advocate Health.
"To be included in this highest tier of hospital systems is a monumental achievement and validates the
exceptional hard work our physicians, staff, volunteers, foundation, and auxiliary commit to bettering
patient care," St. Luke's McCall's Senior Administrator Mike Fenello said.
"Continuous improvement, elevating the standard of care year after year is our hospital's culture,"
Fenello said.
The Truven Health 15 Top Health Systems study evaluates performance mortality, medical
complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate,
adherence to clinical standards of care and patient survey score.
Page 1 of 1
es /announcements _page.php 5/I'6/2014
Information and Health The StarNews
Time To Get Coordinated
St. Luke's McCall begins new program for patient care
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star-News
A newly insured patient, concerned about an outstanding medical bill incurred before obtaining
coverage, is one of the first to benefit from a new service provided by St. Luke's McCall.
Such patients are referred to Lindy Carr, the hospital's
patient navigator, who can steer them in the right direction.
The program helps patients identify their goals and gives
them tools, patient coordinator Shannon Nelson said.
"Already this has led to a much improved visit for a patient
with their doctor," Nelson said.
The new program is designed to help patients who
previously went to the free Community Care Clinic or the
hospital's emergency room for medical care.
The goal is for patients to be in control of managing their
health, Nelson said.
Candidates for the care coordination program are patients
with complex medical needs who recently have become
insured through Your Health Idaho, the new health
insurance exchange. For some patients, this is the first time
they have had health insurance.
Nelson modeled the McCall program after a similar
program at St. Luke's Clinic — Eastern Oregon Medical
Associates' family medicine clinic in Baker City, Ore.
St Luke's McCall registered nurse care
coordinators Shannon Nelson and Angela
Richardson.
"Building a program from the bottom up and being able to
have meaningful patient interactions feels like building a Lego model," she said.
"There are so many combinations, sizes, shapes, and colors of bricks, but each is so important to
making a lasting, sustainable structure," Nelson said.
Taking over for Nelson as the full -time care coordinator is Angela Richardson.
"This model of care coordination will aid in improving our community members' health and supports
lowering costs," Richardson said.
Dr. Jon Currey of St. Luke's Clinic — Payette Lakes Family Medicine, will work with the nurse care
coordinators as needed.
This concept of care coordination has been championed by Dr. Jennifer Gray, with the current effort
funded by a $46,500 grant to St. Luke's McCall Foundation from Cambia Health Foundation.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /info _page.php 6/26/2014
age.php
� 77J
t i
l
QIHCK AND HEALTHY - Susau McCandless, a
reWered dietician with St. Lake's lategmtive
Medicine Clinic m McCall, shows onlookers how to
create a quick and easy meal during the Alternative
Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday aftemoon at
Depot Park in McCall. The fair showcased a wide
range of alternative health and wellness providers
with classes and demonstrations held throughout
the day.
Page 1 of 1
7/17/2014
Information and Health The StarNews
St. Luke's Kid's Camp teaches youths about healthier eating
Catie McCarthy of Donnelly is making sure she and her family eats healthier after attending the first St.
Luke's McCall Kid's Camp this summer.
"Catie has been fixing us oatmeal with steel cut oats and
berries since she learned how a healthy breakfast can help
us all get our days off to a good start," said her mother, Vic
McCarthy.
St. Luke's McCall joined with the University of Idaho Valley
County Extension to offers youths a fun and interactive way
to learn and practice healthy lifestyle choices.
"The goal is for kids to increase their knowledge about the
benefits of good nutrition and exercise, and positively
influence their peers and families to embrace healthier
lifestyle choices," said Liz Jones, St. Luke's McCall
community education coordinator.
J,
i by!.hn MuM Pb 77 Y
Sara Duncan, Jack Duncan, and Trey Medel from
McCall and lael Blasi from Kansas Qty, Kan., are
shoum at the McCall's Farmers Market as part of
the first Kid's Camp on healthier eating.
St. Luke's McCall held a three -week camp, with nine
sessions, for youths ages 7 to 11, including three family days. Each day's program included a fitness
adventure, nutrition lesson, and hands -on healthy meal creation.
The fitness adventures were led by Jones and guest exercise enthusiasts to introduce youths to
different types of fun and beneficial exercise. Activities included including tennis, stress and relaxation
exercises, Zumba, walks, and exercises family members can do together.
St. Luke's McCall Registered Dietitian Susan McCandless led activities on how to incorporate more
fruits and vegetables into youth's diets.
McCandless provided easy -to- prepare recipes that most youngsters can make on their own, including
fruit kebabs, crunchy vegetable burritos, power smoothies, banana dogs, and breakfast tacos.
"I learned to cook," camper Larrissa Rude of McCall said. "It's better to eat more nutrition than sugar.
A lot of cereal has too much sugar."
Along with the recipes, McCandless encouraged youths to "eat from the rainbow" by learning how
different colors of produce can lead to a healthy heart, eyes, and bones, and prevent colds and flu.
She also took the youths on a "Sugar Sleuth" exercise to help them learn that sugar isn't only in
cookies and cake, and how to find "sugar hide -outs" by reading labels.
Monthly after - school programs along the same themes will be held at elementary schools in Donnelly,
McCall, and Cascade during the next school year.
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Page 1 of 1
7/3/2014
The Star News Groups Page
Ready for Anything
St. Luke's McCall, local EMS train for serious injuries
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
It is midnight and there has been an accident involving multiple vehicles 22 miles south of McCall. The
St. Luke's McCall emergency department team is told three people are being taken to the hospital.
This time, the call was a drill, but the training is all part of
preparing the hospital's staff for the real thing.
"It is this type of high -level education that improves our
skills and keeps the team prepared," said Kate Dealaman,
outpatient service line manager.
St. Luke's recently hosted the Rural Trauma Team
Development Course offered by the American College of
Surgeons.
Attending were St. Luke's physicians and nurses as well
as paramedics and EMS staff from McCall, Donnelly,
Cascade, New Meadows, and Riggins.
a by— Mad" rh 1m by
St. Luke's McCall nurses treat a patient dummy as
part of training. Fmm left am Carol Griffin, Denise
Jantzer, and Dee Kirkland.
Although 25 percent of Americans live in rural regions,
more than 60 percent of accidental deaths occur in remote area, according to the course trainers.
The key to success is quick assessment of patients who have been in an accident on the highway or
mountain trail, according to trainers.
Last year, 49 patients seen at St. Luke's emergency room had suffered severe injuries.
"Where the real benefit comes from a course like this is getting everyone involved," said Dr. Todd
Arndt, St. Luke's emergency department medical director.
The all -day program included drills for a multiple -car accident and an ATV accident.
A $20,000 grant from the State Office of Rural Health funded the course as well as two pieces of
equipment.
A plasma water bath thawer purchased with the grant allows laboratory staff to quickly thaw blood for
transfusions.
A mobile trauma cart bought with the grant contains equipment and supplies needed when an accident
victim is brought into the hospital. The cart can be used anywhere in the hospital.
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Page 1 of 1
8/14/2014
Star -News News Page—Announcements
St. Luke's McCall cited for patient satisfaction levels
St. Luke's McCall has received recognition for being among the top 25 percent of acute care hospitals
in the nation when it comes to quality, outcomes, and patient satisfaction.
The ranking looked at 30-day readmission rates, patient safety indicators, and Hospital Consumer
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey results.
The recognition comes from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health and iVantage
Health Analytics.
iVantage Health Anatytics is a health -care business intelligence and technology company that
developed the Hospital Strength Index, based on 66 different indicators primarily available through the
federal government.
A total of 22 Idaho rural hospitals received recognition, including St. Luke's Wood River and St. Luke's
Magic Valley.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews. com/pages /announcements _page.php 11/26/2014
Information and Health The StarNews
New kidney clinic offered each month at St. Luke's McCall
St. Luke's McCall has added monthly visits from Dr. Liang Wu, who is board certified in internal
medicine and nephrology.
Wu's services include chronic kidney disease care, consultation, screening, and
rleducation of the adult nephrology, internal medicine, and hypertension patient. He sees
patients the third Tuesday of every month at Payette Lakes Medical, McCall.
Wu earned his medical degree from Shandong Medical University in China and
.� completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Toledo Medical Center and
Mountainside Hospital.
Dr. Lung ,U He served as assistant professor and as an internist specializing in hospital medicine at
University of Toledo, where he also completed his nephrology fellowship, training in broad
spectrum kidney disease and kidney transplant.
Referrals can be made by a primary care physician or direct appointment can be made buy calling
(208) 381 -9026.
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Page 1 of 1
1/15/2015
The Star News Groups Page
Transit company to start bus service from Riggins
Free bus service will be started next week between Riggins and McCall with the announcement of the
U- McCall route.
Salmon River Transit, in collaboration with St. Luke's McCall. The service will start on Friday, Feb. 6.
The bus will leave from the Riggins Community Center at 8:30 a.m. with a brief stop at The
Connection Cafe parking lot in New Meadows at 9:30 a.m. The bus will return to Riggins at 3:15 p.m.
Connecting U- McCall will provide transportation to St. Luke's McCall, McCall Public Library,
pharmacies, Manchester Ice and Event Centre and thrift stores, a news release said.
Connecting U- McCall is sponsored by the St. Luke's Community Health Improvement Fund, which
was established to help groups improve the health of people in the communities that St. Luke's serves.
"Our objective in assisting with this worthy project is to help people with any health care need they
have, or any other purpose, that is available in McCall," St. Luke's spokesperson Lyle Nelson said.
Those with medical appointments have first priority if the bus should reach capacity, Nelson said.
The bus is wheelchair accessible and pickup from a rider's residence can be scheduled 48 hours in
advance by contacting Nightfeather Bogan with Salmon River Transit at 628 -2394.
To reserve a seat on the bus, call Bogen no later than 24 hours prior to the departure time.
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Page 1 of 1
1/29/2015
Star -News News Page—Lead Story
State claims St. Luke's McCall pact illegal
McCall officials say hospital agreement was necessary, proper
BY TOM GROTE
The Stay-News
The Idaho Attorney General's Office thinks the 2010 agreement that led to the creation of St. Luke's
McCall hospital is illegal.
The claims are contained in a draft lawsuit drawn up by the attorney general's Consumer Protection
Division. The lawsuit has not been filed, but release of its contents have representatives of St. Luke's
McCall scrambling to justify the agreement.
The draft complaint focuses on the agreement signed by the McCall Memorial Hospital District and St.
Luke's Health System that allowed St. Luke's to take over the hospital.
The agreement also said the district would pay St. Luke's property taxes collected for support of the
hospital. Those taxes have totaled $5.5 million since the agreement was signed.
The attorney general's draft complaint would ask a judge to throw out the agreement, have St. Luke's
give back the McCall hospital and pay back the taxes already paid.
The measure was prompted by a similar agreement pending between St. Luke's and the taxing district
that operates Weiser Memorial Hospital in Weiser, said Brett DeLange, chief of the consumer protection
division.
"We saw some documents that led us to question it," DeLange said.
The draft lawsuit would also void the pending agreement in Weiser and a similar agreement in place
since 2013 between St. Luke's and the taxing district that operates St. Luke's Elmore in Mountain Home.
Discussions Underway
Discussions on the draft complaint are now underway between the state and attorneys for St. Luke's,
DeLange said. He would not say if there was a deadline for a decision whether or not to file the lawsuit.
The draft lawsuit says the agreements violate sections of the Idaho Constitution, including a section
that forbids long -term debt without voter approval.
The daims were refuted by McCall Attorney Steve Miflemann on behalf of the McCall Memorial
Hospital District in a memo to the attorney general's office.
"The courts have consistently recognized and respected the discretion possessed by public hospital
boards as they struggle with the increasingly difficult task of providing quality medical and hospital
services to their communities," Millemann's memo said.
The hospital district did not incur debt when it agreed to provide property taxes to St. Luke's,
Millemann's memo said. Rather, the district is merely paying the taxes each year to St. Luke's to operate
the McCall hospital rather than spending the taxes directly.
"The district has elected to contract with a third party to provide the services, which it is entirely entitled
to do," the memo said.
Public Support Cited
The merger was subjected to more than 20 public meetings before it was approved, and an advisory
vote was 86 percent in favor of the change, Millemann's memo said.
The agreement saved the McCall hospital from an uncertain future, McCall taxing district chair Derek
Williamson said.
"This agreement is, from a consumer standpoint, a win -win for the people in this community,"
Williamson said.
The merger has allowed the McCall hospital to use the buying power of the larger St. Luke's Health
System and to use St. Luke's electronic medical records system, he said.
"There are also the intangibles, such as being able to attract high - quality medical professionals to our
hospital because of our relationship with the larger St Luke's system," Williamson said.
St. Luke's McCall Administrator Mike Fenello said the 2010 agreement was "legal and appropriate."
"We expect a positive outcome after the attorney general's review of the draft complaint," Fenello said.
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Page 1 of 1
2/26/2015
Star -News News Groups Page
Growth of St. Luke's McCall Wound Healing
Center beyond expectation
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
Patrick Phillips didn't think too much about his aching feet. He's worked in construction for 35 years
and has spent his career on his feet.
That changed when an ulcer on the pad of his right foot
ruptured and he ended up at the St. Luke's McCall Wound
Healing Center.
The center uses the latest therapies and a team of experts
to treat acute and chronic wounds caused by diabetes, poor
circulation, injury, surgery, or other conditions.
The Wound Healing Center began seeing patients two
days a week in 2012. Dr. Raymond Otto travels to McCall
once a month and he monitors his patients' progress when
he is not in town via telemedicine.
The service has grown much faster than expected. The
2012, there were 130 visits, while last year the center had
852 visits.
Ph)scian Assistant Heather Dads examines the
foot of Patrick Phillips at the St. Luke's McCall
Wound Healing Center.
It turned out Phillips's ulcer was the result of a complication from an existing condition and it had
become infected, Physician Assistant Heather Davis said.
Treatment was prescribed and he now wears custom footwear that relieves pressure on his wound
and feet. He has also chosen to work on improving his overall health, and has lost 63 pounds.
"It would have been a huge burden to have to travel to Boise every week this winter for treatment,"
Phillips said.
To find out more about St. Luke's McCall's Wound Healing Center, call 634 -1776.
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Page 1 of 1
3/5/2015
Star -News News Info Desk Page
Brighter Smiles grant provides
dental care for adults, children
The St. Luke's McCall Foundation has received a $23,575 Brighter Smiles Project grant to improve
access to dental care for adults and children.
The Brighter Smiles Project will cover co -pays for dental services and prescriptions plus provide
gasoline cards to lower the cost of travel to Council for patients who meet federal poverty guidelines.
The Brighter Smiles Project is a collaboration between St. Luke's McCall Medical Center and the
Adams County Health Center's Dental Clinic in Council.
"Brighter Smiles provides dental care to treat existing problems and preventative care to help patients
avoid painful, complicated and expensive dental conditions," foundation director Jenny Ruemmele said.
Brighter Smiles funding will be available through June 6. The grant came from the Idaho State Office
of Rural Health and Primary Care
For more information about the voucher program, call a St. Luke's McCall Patient Access Specialist at
630 -2215.
Former river guides
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3/5/2015
Star -News News Groups Page Page 1 of 1
Hank the therapy dog to retire from St. Luke's after 8 years
For the last eight years, physical, occupational and speech therapy patients at
St. Luke's McCall Therapy Services have benefited from the positive atmosphere
created by Hank, the therapy dog.
Last Thursday, Hank celebrated his refirement with owner and handler Don
Sanda, his "mom," Pam Sande, and the therapy staff.
Therapy dogs are animals who are well- trained and purposed to provide
assistance for health -care practitioners to quicken the healing process.
Aam by R.od� Bah APo,aM+m
The positive atmosphere created by petting and working with a therapy dog Hank the therapy dog
reduces anxiety, can diminish overall physical pain, lowers blood pressure and seems -cited about the
retirement cake held by
can improve participation of shy and frightened patients. his handler, Don Sanda,
Hank's plans for retirement include spending time at home with his border collie buddy Jack, sleeping
by the fire and lying belly up in the sunshine waiting for his tummy to get rubbed.
http : / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /groups _page.php 3/19/2015
Star -News News Groups Page
Ham operators improve emergency
radio at St. Luke's
Patients at St. Luke's McCall Medical Center now have an added level of security during emergency or
disaster events.
Members of the Central Idaho Amateur Radio Club and the
Valley County Amateur Radio Emergency Services group
Provided equipment and technical support to upgrade the
capacity of the hospital's ham radio.
In addition, the groups volunteered to assist in operating
the radio when normal means of communication are
disrupted.
As part of its commitment to providing a "conduit for
communication" during emergencies, the Valley County
group purchased a high - powered antenna to extend reach of
the hospital's radio to repeaters as far down as the Treasure
Valley.
uneci ng out the upgraded emergency radio at St.
Lisa Spanberger, who works in Public Health Luke's McCall are, seated, Robert Renn; and
standing, Richard Wagner, Larry Stokes and David
Preparedness for Central District Health Department, helped Sorensen.
to obtain the radio through a grant from the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response Government Agency.
The Central Idaho Amateur Radio Club has assisted Valley County Search and Rescue and provides
services at events including snowmobile races and the McCall Trail Running Classic.
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Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1
Community Care Clinic to close; St. Luke's to take over patient care
Free clinic operated since 2008 for those without insurance
"They just feel so much gratitude for their care. " - Dr. Jennifer Gray
BY LAURA CRAWFORD and MARY MOREAUX
for The Star -News
The Community Care Clinic, which has provided free health care to those who could not afford
medical care since 2008, will close May 1.
But patients of the free clinic will not lose access to health
care, as St. Luke's McCall has geared up to handle them.
=r
'
Clinic founder Dr. Sarah Jessup saw the need for a free
clinic in 2007, when the area was hit hard by the economic
Ll
downturn.
At the time, unemployment surged close to 20 percent,
and the number of people who were unable to afford medical
care also rose.
Dr. Sarah Jessup a aivates a
patient at the
Jessup, Dr. Maggie Rosenthal, and others operated the
Community Care Clinic.
clinic entirely with volunteer professionals and support staff.
When the clinic opened, it served patients one evening a week, first -come, first - served. Appointments
had to be started to accommodate the more than 20 people who sought care each week.
Physicians volunteered extra hours on a second day to see patients whose needed longer
consultations.
"Working with the patients at the Community Care Clinic has been such a joy," said Dr. Jennifer Gray,
who volunteered at the clinic and served as a liaison between St. Luke's and the clinic. "They just feel so
much gratitude for their care."
Many patients who had been receiving regular care at the free clinic have acquired health insurance
through Your Health Idaho, the health insurance exchange. The exchange has reduced the number of
patients being served at the free clinic.
"We knew that we'd be seeing a lot of newly insured people who might be unfamiliar with the
physicians and clinics throughout the area," said Don McKenzie, St. Luke's clinic manager. "We wanted
their transition to be as smooth as possible."
Payette Lake's Family Medicine added two physicians, Drs. Jon Currey and Patrick Kinney, and three
permanent physician assistants, Rich McChrystal, Anna Kinney, and Jessi Smith. This allowed the clinic
to extend its hours to include evenings and Saturdays, and to offer more same -day appointments.
St. Luke's McCall also hired Lindy Carr as a full -time patient navigator to connect patients with ways to
help get the care and prescriptions they need.
St. Luke's also added a care-coordination program last year through a grant from the Cambia Health
Foundation. The program is directed at patients who typically have sought medical care through the free
clinic or the hospital emergency room.
"Since we opened, we've been able to ease people's transition into traditional health care and provide
support in any way we can," said Shannon Nelson, a nurse who shares the care coordinator role with
fellow nurse Jan Stahlberg.
The support the Community Care Clinic received has been gratifying, Jessup said.
"We started the free clinic because we care about people's health, and we'll miss seeing the patients,"
she said. "But we're happy they now have access to full -time medical care"
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 4/23/2015
Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's volunteer Kathy Dines
Receives presidential award for service
New Meadows resident Cathy Dines has received the President's Volunteer Lifetime Achievement
Award at an annual ceremony honoring volunteers at St. Luke's McCall Medical Center.
The award recognized more than 4,850 hours of service
Dines has to St. Luke's McCall.
contributed
The President's Volunteer Service Award is the premier
Aiv
volunteer awards program, encouraging citizens to live a life
of service through presidential gratitude and national
recognition.
'
r
Dines has been a volunteer for the hospital since 1994.
FAA, i
Her roles over the years include assisting nursing staff
St. Luke's McCall Administrator Mike Fenello,
Garin for outpatient sure patients, supporting the month
9 P surgery P ppo 9 monthly
right, presents Cathy Dines with a personalized
foot clinic in New Meadows, and helping with community
certificate and a congratulatory letter from
health screening and events. Dines also volunteers at the St.
President obama.
Luke's McCall Auxiliary Thrift Shop and serves on the store's
board.
"We wanted to acknowledge her tremendous efforts," St. Luke's McCall Volunteer Coordinator Jennffa
d'arcRaven said.
"Her volunteerism delivers a powerful message of care and it encourages others to share their time
and talents," d'arcRaven said
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter sent a note of congratulations to Dine. "You represent the spirit of Idaho with
your lifetime of volunteer work and giving back," Otter said.
Ninety volunteers assist St. Luke's Medical Center each year. Like Dines, some volunteers work
directly with patients throughout the hospital and in the breast care clinic.
Others provide support behind the scenes by assisting with fundraising and administrative duties.
Volunteer chaplains provide important care to patients and their families.
"Our volunteers are essential," d'arcRaven said. "We depend on them for so many things, and they're
an inspiration to physicians, staff, and our patients."
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Star -News News Announcements Page
Fereday named to McCall hospital district board
The McCall Memorial Hospital District has named Scott Faraday to its board of directors.
Faraday fills the position vacated by Jim Bates, who now serves on the St. Luke's McCall Community
Board. Faraday is a McCall native whose last name is synonymous with May Hardware, a local family -
owned business that Fereday now manages.
Faraday has a wide range of experience, including employment in retail, as a land
surveyor, and at the University of Idaho Taylor Wilderness Station.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife resources and biology from the
University of Idaho and has volunteered for McCall Fire & EMS since 2003.
"Serving on the hospital district board is a way I can contribute to the health of our
Smtt Feredav community and be of service to the hospital that has done so much for me and my family,"
Faraday said.
The hospital district merged with St. Luke's Health System in 2010 and the name of McCall Memorial
Hospital was changed to St. Luke's McCall. The district board has no operational control over St. Luke's
McCall.
As part of the merger agreement, the hospital district provides about $1.5 million per year in property
taxes to offset losses from uninsured patients and shortfalls in reimbursements from federal programs.
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St. Luke's McCall gets $600,000 grant to streamline services to patients
BY MARY MOREAUX
for The Star -News
St. Luke's McCall has received a $600,000 federal grant for a program that hospital officials hope will
see better health, better care, and lower costs for patients with chronic illnesses.
The Federal Health Resources and Services Administration will give the money over three years to
support what the hospital is calling "team -based care."
In the approach, care coordinators, health workers, and behavioral health counselors connect with
patients before, after, and between doctor's appointments.
The goal is to eliminate barriers so patients living with chronic conditions can obtain the care they
need, when they need it.
By working with a team, the patient receives more timely and consistent individual care, leading to
better outcomes and fewer visits to the emergency room.
The hospital will spend the first phase of the project working out details and hiring staff.
Part of the money will be used to hire a behavioral health specialist who will be available see clinic
patients within minutes of a physician's referral.
Half the counselor's time will be spent providing this type of on-call service, with the balance allocated
to patients who schedule appointments.
The grant also will enable St. Luke's McCall to expand its care coordination program and add a full -
time community health worker to will help patients find the care they need.
The grant application was based on a similar program in Baker City, Ore., that was designed and
managed by St. Luke's Care Program Manager Jennifer Yturriondobeitia.
Yturriondobeitia worked with St. Luke's McCall Foundation Director Jenny Ruemmele and McCall
Clinic Practice Manager Don McKenzie in preparing the McCall proposal and will direct the project.
http: / /www.mccalistarnews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 5/14/2015
Star -News News Info Desk Page
St. Luke's McCall helps patients
with diabetes take charge
Pilot project focuses on those behind in testing
"We find that providing just a little education can make a huge difference. "
— Rhonda Church
BY MARY MARFAUX
for The Star-News
For patients diagnosed with diabetes, good self- management is critical, and a pilot project at St.
Luke's McCall aims to help patients achieve that goal. So far, the results are promising.
Drs. Dave Burica, Sarah Curtin, and Jon Currey are participating In a pilot project to work with patients
who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes to improve their management of the disease and their overall
health.
The pilot project focuses on patients who were behind on testing or whose blood sugar levels
indicated they were at risk for the disease, said Registered Nurse Rhonda Church, who handles day -by-
day operations of the project.
Church works directly with patients, providing education and encouraging them to get required lab
tests and schedule follow -up appointments with their physicians.
During those appointments, doctors create individual patient care plans and Church can assist
patients in implementing their plans.
1 -0n -1 Meetings
Physicians sometimes also refer patients for one-on-one meetings with Diabetes Educator Gail
Verschoor and Registered Dietician Susan McCandless. Each has extensive experience in advising
patients on ways to manage diabetes.
"Some patients knew their blood sugar levels were off but didn't realize that could result in such
serious consequences," Church said. "We find that providing just a little education can make a huge
difference."
Poorly managed diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney
failure, nerve damage and amputations.
The pilot project is just one part of an effort by St. Luke's Health System to address the rising
incidence of diabetes.
In 2013, St. Luke's McCall an assessment of community health needs found the number of people
living with diabetes increased by about 50 percent in the past decade.
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Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's McCall employees raise more than $45,000
St. Luke's McCall Foundation's annual employee giving campaign, the "Payette Plunge," far exceeded
its goal by raising $45,000.
The campaign set an overall goal of 40 percent employee
participation this year. A total of 60 percent of St. Luke's
--
McCall employees, including physicians, hospital, and clinic
staff, made donations to support health care in the area.
.✓'�
To encourage participation, representatives from each
:.damsa
department volunteered to brave the chilly temperatures of
""'°� n°' °
Employees at St Luke's McCall take the Pay tte
Payette Lake if 50 percent or more of their department
Plunge after reaching their fundraising goal. From
employees donated.
left are Tamara Kam, We Nelson, Michelle Harris,
Cindy Mosier, Wendy Patterson, Angie Moser, Meg
Twelve staff members, representing 23 departments, lived
FazMaurice, Don McKenzie, Mike Fenello, Gina
Mencer and Dr. Patrick Kinney .
up to their promise and took the "Payette Plunge" last
Friday.
"The staffs support this year is incredible; foundation Director Jenny Ruemmele said. "It's another
expression of the dedication our physicians and staff have for our patients
Payette Plunge jumpers were Dr. Jon Currey, family medicine; Mike Fenello, administrator; Meg
FitzMaurice, RN, nursing; Michelle Harris, RN, surgical services manager; Tamara Kam, operations
director; Dr. Paddy Kinney, family medicine; Don McKenzie, clinic practice manager; Gina Mencer,
environmental linen services manager; Angie Moser, IT site liaison; Cindy Mosier, patient care and
quality director; Lyle Nelson, community relations and health promotion director; and Wendy Patterson,
accounting.
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Star -News News Groups Page
St Luke's, Adams County center
ends Brighter Smiles Program
The Brighter Smiles program has ended after three years of assisting patients obta
Brighter Smiles was a collaboration of St. Luke's McCall Medical Center and Adam
Center in Council, where the dental work was performed.
The program was funded through grants awarded to St. Luke's McCall Foundation
State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care.
"The program resulted in serving hundreds of patients in need of dental care," St. Luke's McCall
Foundation Director Jenny Ruemmele said.
The grant funded 711 dental visits starting in October 2012. In its final year, the $23,575 grant support
funded $84,899 of dental services.
The bulk of grant funds were used to pay for dental services, with additional support for necessary
prescriptions and gas cards to help patients offset the expense of traveling to Council.
Participating patients came from Adams and Valley counties, either through self - referral or after being
referred by physicians at St. Luke's McCall emergency department and clinics
Several participants had not received dental care in years. One patient said she was able to receive
necessary dental care before she was able to undergo a kidney transplant, Ruemmele said.,
Adams County Health Center continues to offer dental care on a sliding fee scale. For more
information call (208) 253 -4242.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /groups _page.php 5/21/2015
Star -News News Groups Page
Ibom fa lbe Sur -Neon by Guy Fitle,
HOWDY, MAX -Tatum Knox, 2, of McCall, throws
a high -five at Maxwell Moose, the mascot of St.
Luke's Health System, during Saturday's Resource
Fair held at Alpine Village in downtown McCall.
More than 25 local agencies and groups offered
information on their services.
Page 1 of 1
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Star -News News Info Desk Page
St. Luke's McCall expands diagnostic
care around the clock
All diagnostic service departments at St. Luke's McCall now have on -site coverage around the clock.
The new model was started after the nursing staff become increasingly busy caring for patients, a
news release said.
In 2013, the cardiopulmonary department moved to 24 -hour coverage. The department not only
expanded its hours, but also expanded the departments roles and responsibilities.
In addition to providing respiratory care and testing, staffers assist nurses with order entry,
phlebotomy, patient registration, supply management, and other duties.
The physicians followed suit and now stay at the hospital when providing emergency coverage. The
laboratory soon followed.
The final department to move to the new model is medical imaging, with extended hours starting this
month, the news release said.
St. Luke's McCall has always had nurses on staff 24 hours a day, but the doctors and technologists in
the laboratory, cardiopulmonary, and medical imaging departments worked on -call, the release said.
That changed partly due to the increase in surgical procedures requiring patients to stay overnight and
with emergency room visits on the rise, St. Luke's McCall Administrator Mike Fenello said.
"In the past, the doctors and technologists were arriving at the same time or after the patient," Fenello
said. "in order to provide better care, we wanted to increase our responsiveness to serve our patients."
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7/2/2015
Star -News News Groups Page
Futare Graduate
A GOOD START - Chad and Celestial Sellers of
McCall hold their new baby boy, Evan Patrick, who
was born at St. Luke's McCall on June 6. Since
Evan was the first baby born in McCall after May
29, the Idaho 529 College Savings Program set up
an IDeal college saving account in his name and
deposited $529. May 29 was 529 College Savings
Day, designed to promote the tas- deferred
accounts to save for college expenses.
Page 1 of 1
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Star -News News Main News Page
i
St. Luke's helps III Cascade man get to daughter's wedding
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
It appeared Cascade resident Gary Young wasn't going to be able to attend his daughters wedding.
But efforts by staffers at St. Luke's McCall made sure Young was able to give the bride away.
Young suffers from necrotizing pancreatitis and has spent
the past 14 months in several of hospitals.
Young has been in and out of intensive care, including five
stays in the critical care unit at St. Luke's Boise and
recuperating at Cascade Medical Center.
Young developed respiratory problems and a swallowing
disorder, so he was transferred to St. Luke's McCall in June
to undergo therapy from speech language pathologist Carrie
Kyrias.
Young was admitted to the "swing bed" program at St.
Luke's, which is designed for patients who are recovering
from surgery or an illness. A swing bed is short-term option
that allows patients to heal and regain strength for a safe
return home.
As the wedding date for his daughter, Angie, approached,
Young wasn't feeling well. So his family made arrangements
so he could view the ceremony via Skype at The Arling
Center Chapel at Tamarack Resort.
Gary Young with his daughter, Angie.
But on the day of the wedding, July 3, Young had a burst of energy. He called his daughter and told
her he wanted to attend in person.
After he told Registered Nurse Christy Woneberg that he was going to the wedding, Woneberg jumped
into action.
"At first we thought something was wrong," Registered Nurse Camerin Saleen said. "When Christy
returned from his room, she was bustling about the nurses' station. When she told us Gary was going to
the wedding, there was no hesitation, we all jumped in to help."
Dr. Dave Hall was called to get approval, the necessary paperwork was prepared, and the medical
equipment and needed supplies were readied.
The only thing left was what to wear. A family member that was going to help with the Skype
connection had an extra dress shirt in his car and off they went.
"It was great to see my daughter get married and visit with family and friends," Young said. He also
attended the open house and reception the following day.
Young has since returned home. "It's been hard being away from home and work," said Young, whose
family has run Cascade Auto for 70 years. "I'm anxious to get back and have contact with the customers
again."
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Star -News News Announcements Page
Nelson receives President's Award
from St. Luke's Health System
Lyle Nelson of St. Luke's McCall was among 11 physicians, nurses, and other employees of St. Luke's
Health System recognized at the system's recent President's Award banquet and party.
St. Luke's CEO Dr. David Pate annually recognizes St.
Luke's employees nominated by colleagues for their
exemplary demonstration of the organization's values and
their commitment to the organization's mission to improve
the health of people in the region.
Nelson, who is director of community relations at St.
Luke's McCall, was nominated by McCall Administrator Mike
Fenello.
"Daily, his actions exemplify hopefulness, purpose,
innovation, and compassion," Fenello said.
Nelson has improved the quality of processes and
information throughout St. Luke's Health System by looking
into how things might be improved close to home, Fenello
said.
Pone cwnny Sv. Lute'v M
Lyle Nelson, right, is congratulated by Dr. David
Pate as he receiv the President's Auard from St.
Luke's Health System.
In one example cited by Fenello, Nelson identified the need for better data on the populations St.
Luke's McCall serves. That led to a community health needs assessments that can be viewed on the St.
Luke's website.
"The community assessments are now integral to the way we do business at St. Luke's," Fenello said.
"If St. Luke's had an official cheerleader, Lyle would land the position, no question."
Nelson has worked for St. Luke's McCall since 2006. He competed in four Winter Olympic Games as a
member of the U.S. Biathlon Team.
His last Olympics were in 1988 in Calgary, Canada, where he was elected by his fellow team
members to carry the U.S. flag during the parade of athletics as part of the opening ceremonies.
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Star -News News Main News Page
New service by St. Luke's treats the mental side of Illness
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
If a person with diabetes tell his or her doctor at St. Luke's Clinic in McCall that he is feeling
depressed, the doctor can now immediately arrange for a counselor to meet with the patient.
� A new program at St. Luke's McCall allows patients who suffer from
v�1 emotional distress as the result of injury or illness to receive quick attention
0 0. rIRnR
The program, called team -based care, introduced the behavioral health
services piece last month at St. Luke's Clinics - Payette Lakes Family
Medicine and McCall Internal Medicine, located on the St. Luke's McCall
campus. The new service is available for adults as well as children.
Jake Ash]ey
Wds n Robinson
Licensed clinical social workers Ashley Robinson and Jake Wilson share
the new full -time position in the clinics, in addition to their duties at St. Luke's Clinic - Behavioral Health
on Deinhard Lane.
In the case of the diabetes patient, the physician can contact Robinson or Wilson and an initial
consultation can be set up within minutes. That avoids having to refer a patient to a counselor and
schedule an appointment, which can delay treatment.
Early Treatment
"If an adolescent suffers a concussion while playing soccer, they may encounter behavioral health
Issues, Wilson said. "Now we'll be able to identify and provide treatment early, avoiding long -term
problems."
"The goal is early identification, quick resolution, long -tern prevention, and wellness for as many
patients as possible," he said.
The same goes for patients suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, where
emotional problems can hamper a patient's ability to manage their disease.
"Having behavioral health professionals within our clinic will drastically improve our patients' access
and our ability to provide comprehensive care," said Dr. Dave Hall, a family medicine physician at
Payette Lakes.
"Behavioral and mental health care has always been an issue in rural Idaho and this is definitely a step
in the right direction," Hall said.
The new service is part of a three -year $600,000 Rural Outpatient Care Coordination Collaborative
grant received by the St. Luke's McCall Foundation from the Federal Health Resources and Services
Administration.
"The grant will give the clinics time to set up a system that will continue after the grant runs out," said
Don McKenzie, clinic practice manager.
As a not - for -profit organization, St. Luke's McCall can accept a wider variety of insurance plans,
including Medicaid or Medicare.
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Star -News News Main News Page
St. Luke's McCall administrator tapped to run Twin Fails hospital
Mike Fenello guided "wilion of former McCall Memorial
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Mike Fenello, administrator of St. Luke's McCall's for the past four years, has been named
administrator for St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center in Twin Falls.
Fenello will split his time during the next month between McCall and Twin Falls until an
interim administrator is hired. Recruitment for a permanent replacement has begun, a
news release said.
Fenello took over the helm at St. Luke's just over a year after the former McCall
Memorial Hospital merged with St. Luke's Health System in 2010 and changed its name to
Mike Fenello St. Luke's McCall.
Accomplishments during Fenello's tenure at St. Luke's McCall include:
• A 5-Star patient satisfaction rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• Top 20 ranking nationally for quality in critical access hospitals.
The highest teamwork ratings in St. Luke's Health System's Culture of Safety survey.
"It has been a privilege to work with such an amazing group of staff, medical staff and board
members," Fenello said.
"Leaving St. Luke's McCall and this community is a very difficult decision for me," he said. "This
community should rightly be proud of our hospital and the great team that works tirelessly on their
behalf. I know that I am."
Before coming to McCall in early 2012, Fenello was the CEO of Complex Care Hospital of Idaho in
Meridian.
Previously, he was CEO of Kindred Hospital Las Vegas — Flamingo in Las Vegas and vice president of
business development and outpatient services at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Neb.
St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center has 224 patient beds compared with 15 bed at St.
Luke's McCall.
The Twin Falls hospital has about 2,400 employees while the McCall hospital has about 300
employees.
A total of 50,827 outpatient visits were recorded at St. Luke's McCall in 2014 that did not require an
overnight say, while a total of 1,263 inpatient days were recorded last year.
A total of 84 babies were born at the McCall hospital in 2014.
In McCall, St. Luke's Health System owns or leases about 63,000 square feet of buildings.
Buildings owned by St. Luke's include the main hospital building at 1000 State St., the Allen -Nokes
Center, the Lake Street Center, the Forest Street Center, the McCall Medical Clinic and the integrative
Clinic.
Buildings leased by St. Luke's include the Long Valley Clinic on Deinhard Lane and Payette Lakes
Medical Clinic.
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Page 1 of 1
10/15/2015
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ABOUTTOWN
ammr iro.sw
SHARE WALK - Larissa Rude of McCall makes a
craft to note the Sham Walk that she and others
just completed Tuesday night. The walk, from At
Roberts Park to St. Luke's McCall, was held in
memory of children who have been lost through
miscarriages or stillbirths.
Page 1 of 1
10/22/2015
Star -News News Lead Story Page
St. Luke's unveils $35 million expansion plan
No local funds would be used to enlarge facilities on State Street
BY CHRISTIE GROB
for The Star -News
Mike Fenello left little to question about the need for modernization and expansion at St. Luke's of
McCall at an open house last Thursday.
"Virtually every system we have is outdated," Fenello, the
outgoing administrator at St. Luke's, told about 15 people in
the hospital conference room. pw,
Fenello presented a conceptual plan for a new building ! yi P :5� j.
that would increase the existing 30,000 square feet of space f
to 51,000 square feet. ..,�
sk.�n omu.r s�. t.d.t nfr..0
Sketch shows the th�ce -story expansion planned
A new three -story building would cost as much $35 million for St. Lukes McCall. Enlarge image
and require up to five years to complete, he said.
The money for the expansion would be provided by the St. Luke's Health Systems and repaid from
hospital's revenue.
Local taxpayers would not be asked to approve bonds for the expansion, and no new money would be
required from the McCall Memorial Hospital District, Fenello said.
The hospital district now provides St. Luke's $1.5 million per year in property taxes under an
agreement with St. Luke's when the two hospitals merged in 2010.
A study conducted by Wipfli Consultants of Wisconsin found that the current hospital on State Street is
undersized for current operations by 40 percent, Fenello said.
Emergency room visits increased 19 percent between 2010 and 2014, and visits to the clinics on the
campus increased by 37 percent over the same period, according to figures provided by St. Luke's.
Visits for X -rays and other medical imaging increased 23 percent in four years, and total surgeries
increased by 143 percent, the figures said,
The original portion of the hospital was built in 1956, and Fenello said he doesn't expect it to "last
much longer."
Renovating the 1956 portion of the hospital was not recommended due to the prohibitive cost, he said.
Four Phases
What was recommended was a project that would be conducted in four phases. The first phase would
be the addition of the new three -story wing on the north side of the current hospital. That work is
proposed to begin in the spring of 2018.
The second and third phases would demolish the original wing and build a two -story enclosed parking
garage. The fourth and final phase would renovate the addition built in 1994.
Wipfli recommend that the hospital increase the size of its campus from 5.5 acres now to 20 acres in
order to accommodate the new facility.
However, McCall city officials have expressed their desire for the hospital to remain In its current
location, Fenello said.
Demographic studies by Wipfli also showed an aging population served by the hospital, with residents
age 65 years and older expected to increase by 18 to 25 percent by 2025. That is greater than the rest
of Idaho and national averages, meaning an increased use of the hospital facilities, he said.
The next step is for engineering studies to be done of the site to be sure it can support a three -story
structure, Fenello said.
Back
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http : / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /lead _page.php 10/29/2015
Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's McCall recognized among top 20 for quality, safety
St. Luke's McCall has been recognized by the National Rural Health Association as one of the top 20
critical- access hospitals in the country for quality treatment.
St. Luke's was honored during an awards ceremony at the association's recent annual conference in
Kansas City, Mo.
The McCall hospital and St. Luke's Wood River in Ketchum were among the top 20 for best practice
for quality. St. Luke's Elmore in Mountain Home was among the best 20 for financial stability.
The top 20 are among the 100 best critical- access hospitals, as determined by iVantage Health
Anatylics.
"I'm so proud of our team. This is a very significant award that is earned by our staffs daily diligence to
quality and safety," said Cindy Mosier, St. Luke's McCall senior director of nursing, patient care, safety,
and quality.
Page 1 of 1
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Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's McCall names Gary Fletcher as interim site administrator
Gary Fletcher, a former St. Luke's Health System chief operating officer, will serve as interim
administrator of St. Luke's McCall, the hospital has announced.
Fletcher retired in December 2014 but has agreed to return to St. Luke's to support
McCall during the transition period, a news release said.
t Fletcher will fill the position previously hell by Mike Fenello, who was administrator of St.
Luke's McCall's for past four years.
Fenello was named administrator for St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center in
Twin Falls.
Gary Fletcher
Fletcher has a 26 -year track record with St. Luke's and has worked closely with Fenello,
the community board and the medical staff in McCall. He will live in McCall full -time while serving as
interim administrator.
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Cominq Clean: 'care team' inspires McCall man to quit drinking. live bette•
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
Dan Vargas celebrated one year of sobriety in October, and he credits his success to the care team at
St. Luke's McCall.
"1 spent most of my life running from my past and in fear,"
said Vargas, 51, of McCall, noting he was suffering from
undiagnosed post- traumatic stress disorder.
"I was drinking a lot, which led to getting in fights, two
DUls, trouble with the police, and a strained relationship with ti
my kids," he said. f -,"
Vargas was in the St. Luke's McCall emergency room
many times. At one of those visits, Dr. Sarah Curtin told him
his blood pressure was too high. She didn't hold back as she
explained how his drinking was impacting his health and life.
"She told me, 'If you keep doing this, you will die,'" Vargas
said. .�
After that conversation, he took a walk and thought about 44 j
his friends and family. "I just got tired," he said. "It took me p J
years to realize I just can't keep drinking." RAJ
!
Once Vargas decided to stem his alcohol abuse, he had a
health -care team ready to partner with him to improve his
health. Through St. Luke's Clinics in McCall, he worked with
a team of providers to identify next steps based on his Dr. Greg Irvine, orthotxchc surgeon at St. Luke's
personal health goals. McCall, examines Dan Vargas following knee
replacement surgery
That team includes Curtin, Registered Nurse Care
Coordinators Shannon Nelson and Dianne Robinson, and Patient Navigator Lindy Carr.
"It's the first time anyone treated me like a person without judging me," Vargas said.
Carr was able to assist him in signing up for healthcare coverage, while Nelson and Robinson helped
coordinate the necessary appointments and resources.
"My role is part nursing, part social work, and part detective work," Nelson said. "You have to be
persistent and treat patients with respect."
The care coordination program started after the St. Luke's McCall Foundation received a grant from
the Cambia Health Foundation in 2014. The program is currently funded by both St. Luke's McCall and
funds from a new grant from the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration.
"Now that we have more resources, we have been able to assist more people," Nelson said.
Referrals are received mostly from doctors in the clinics and emergency department, in addition to
social workers, counselors, McCall EMS, drug store pharmacists, and St. Luke's home health.
A lot has happened this past year for Vargas. He quit drinking, had knee replacement surgery, and
had major dental work. The care team helped him find a dentist who would do some much - needed
dental work at a reduced cost.
He credits Nelson and the other team members with his transformation. "She gave me the
encouragement and compassion I needed."
http: / /www.mccal istarnews.comlpagesl archive_ 2015/ 12_03_ 15_webeditionlfp_stories_p... 12/28/2015
Star -News News Main News Page
Vargas is a landscaper and an artist who builds custom furniture out of recycled furniture and
household items. His improved health has given him more energy to do his work and his art. He is also
rebuilding his relationships with his adult children.
Vargas' advice to people is, "Don't be scared to ask for help, it's out there, and there's a lot of it."
pack To index/Mern•
® Copyright 200 9-2015 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved
Page 4 of 4
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Healthier Lives: New coalition aims to promote wellness
"Our conversation quickly turned lo, 'Who else needs to be at the mhle?
kyle Nelson
BY LAURA CRAWPORD
for The Star -News
As Kate Farmer led a group of Cascade residents on a recent walk, she was also helping a new effort
to promote healthy lifestyles in Valley and Adams counties.
Farmer, a physical therapist at Cascade Medical Center,
handed out walking poles for her patients to use to aid in �l
their recovery.
The medical center's physical therapy department realized
patients could benefit from using walking poles after Robert r
Sweetgall of McCall presented a walking and wellness _
program.
r '
The sharing of health information is part of the mission of _
the Valley -Adams Health Improvement Coalition.
The coalition has been gaining steam since 2013, when
health organizations first surveyed community health needs :` 4A& t
as part of the federal Affordable Care Act. '� i •�
St. Luke's studied the health of the people in all the „
communities it serves, including McCall. Lyle Nelson, St. Kate Farmer, it physical therapist at Caseade
Luke's director of community relations and the Center for Medical Center, leads a group using walking poles.
Health Promotion, began to develop a plan for the McCall
area, and it became obvious to him that broader community involvement would be needed.
"I quickly came to the realization that to improve community health, it will take many stakeholders
pooling our limited resources to have a greater affect," Nelson said.
Nelson met with Jaime Harding, program manager at Central District Health Department.
"Our conversation quickly turned to, 'Who else needs to be at the table ? "' he said.
Meetings Held
Nelson and Harding began identifying other groups with similar goals, including health -care
organizations, schools, government agencies, businesses, and community groups.
A meeting was held to explore the idea of working together. In 2014, the Valley -Adams Health
Improvement Coalition was formed.
Laurel York Odell, a strategic planner, was hired to guide the coalition's structure and help the group
get out of the starting block.
The coalition decided to focus on four health problems - youth tobacco prevention, nutrition, domestic
abuse, and creating walking friendly communities. A work group was formed for each topic.
Based on the success of the walking poles in Cascade, the city of McCall and St. Luke's McCall will
make walking poles available this winter on the McCall Golf Course's trails
"The trails have been really popular and get a lot of use, but the paths can get icy," s
McCall's recreation supervisor. "We hope the poles will encourage more community m
paths by providing an extra measure of stability and safety."
For more information on the Valley -Adams Health Improvement Coalition, contact Ne
V
Star -News News Info Desk Page Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall offers childbirth education series
St. Luke's McCall is offering a six -week series of childbirth education classes beginning on
Wednesday.
The Gasses will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the hospital conference room
for expectant mothers and their coaches.
Topics include labor and delivery, breathing and relaxation, post -partum care, nutrition and
breastfeeding. They are taught by nurses in childbirth care.
The fee for the series is $25 and scholarships are available. Call 630 -2420 to register. Childbirth
education is available several times each year. Call for future dates.
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /info _page.php 12/31/2015
Star -News News Info Desk Page Page 1 of 1
Health -care workers sharpen labor and delivery skills at St. Luke's course
Expecting parents anxiously awaiting the arrival of their baby have a team of dedicated care givers
ready to make their experience as smooth as possible.
A Basic Life Support Obstetrics course was held recently
at St. Luke's McCall and nurses, emergency medical
technicians, paramedics, and respiratory therapists #
throughout the area attended.0
F
The course was designed to improve the management of —
normal deliveries, as well as obstetric emergencies by
standardizing the skill of first responders, emergency
personnel, and labor and delivery registered nurses. 7
The instructors for the one -day course were St. Luke's
Dr. Patrick Kinney family medicine and obstetric
Clinic — Payette Lakes Family Medicine doctors Caftl n
Him at St- Luke's McCall, demonstrates
Gustafson, Patrick Kinney, and Mo Ferguson. All are board techniques for a safe delivery ofa baby.
certified family medicine physicians and obstetric fellows.
Additional presenters were Dr. Justin Glass, director of Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, and St.
Luke's McCall registered nurse Kathy Gregory.
The day offered hands -on workshops and discussions of actual cases to promote teamwork.
This course was funded by the St. Luke's McCall Foundation's Education Fund, which supports
physicians, staff, and EMS workers in broadening clinical skills to improve patient care.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /info _page.php 12/31/2015
Star -News News Groups Page
FIRST BOY BABY OF 2016 -St. Luke's McCall's
first boy baby of 2o16 is Elias Stonebreaker. He was
bom at the hospital on Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 4:04
p.m. and weighed 7 pounds, q ounces. Pictured
with Elias are his parents, Andrew and Melanie
Stonebmaker (min New Meadows; attending
physician Dr. Patrick Kinney of St. Lukes Clinic -
Payette Ickes Family Medicine; attending obstetric
registered nurse Danae Robinson; and Roz
Campbell of the St. Luke's McCall Ammaryy, who
gale a gift basket to the family.
Page 1 of 1
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Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's McCall receives
five -star rating in report
St. Luke's McCall has maintained its five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, according to a recent report.
More than 3,500 hospitals were rated with findings released in December, and St. Luke's McCall was
one of 155 Medicare-certified hospitals that received a five -star rating based on patients' pre
experiences. The McCall hospital received its first five -star rating last April.
'The physicians, nurses, and staff are a group of dedicated professionals who take great pride in
caring for patients," St. Luke's Interim Hospital Administrator Gary Fletcher said. "I'm proud of this team,
they are exceptional at what they do."
The report data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
Survey to determine the star ratings. The 32- question survey asks patients about their overall hospital
experience, Interactions with doctors and nurses, and standard of care.
The surveys are administered to all adults who have been admitted to the hospital and stayed at least
one night. Surveys are sent to patients after they have been discharged from the hospital within 48
hours and up to six weeks.
"You are all a beautiful testimony to what one would hope for in a hospital setting," said one excerpt
from a thank -you card received from a patient.
St. Luke's hospitals in Wood River, Treasure Valley, and Magic Valley all received four stars in the
review.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstarnews. com/pages /announcements _page.php 1/21/2016
Star -News News Lead Story Page
Pacts return control of St. Luke's McCall
Hospital settles challenge by state allomey general
BY TOM GROTE
for The Star -News
Ownership of St. Luke's McCall hospital will return to local hands as part of agreements signed last
week to satisfy the Idaho Attorney General's Office.
The agreements, signed on Friday, say that St. Luke's Health System will return the land, buildings
and equipment that it acquired when St. Luke's and McCall Memorial Hospital merged in 2010.
St. Luke's Health Systems is now a tenant of the McCall Memorial Hospital District, which operated
the hospital until the merger and which has annually provided property taxes toward its operation. This
year's contribution is $1.5 million.
The agreements mean the attorney general's office will drop a threat it made a year ago to go to court
to invalidate agreements where St. Luke's Health System has received tax dollars to operate hospitals in
McCall as well as in Mountain Home.
Those agreements violated the Idaho Constitution because tax dollars were supporting a privates
business, the AG's office said. Attorneys for the hospital districts and St. Luke's defended the
agreements as legal.
Under the new 25 -year agreement, St. Luke's will lease the land and buildings on the hospital campus
located along Forest Street and pay for all expenses and maintenance as rent.
The hospital district board will now approve all purchases of equipment to be paid with tax dollars will
retain ownership of that equipment, under the new pacts.
St. Luke's and the district also must agree on where the tax money will be spent each year and "its
anticipated impacts on heath -care services," under the new agreements. Previously, the tax money was
provided with no conditions.
The taxing district board also will have general oversight of the hospital by making recommendations
on operations, something that did not occur under previous agreements. However, the board cannot
require St. Luke's to add, remove or change a service.
In October, St. Luke's unveiled a planned five -year $35 million expansion to replace the current one -
story hospital with a three -story building.
Buy -Out Clause
Under the new agreements, the local board must approve any expansion plans, as long as the district
continues to own the buildings and equipment.
That requirement would change If St. Luke's exercises a buy -out clause in the new agreement which
says the current buildings are worth $15 million.
In any case, the McCall Memorial Hospital District will retain ownership of the land under the hospital
buildings and lease the ground to St. Luke's.
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said the settlement works in favor of all those involved.
"My goal was to find a way that a private healthcare provider and a public hospital district could work
cooperatively under the law and still deliver quality, affordable healthcare," Wasden said. "I believe
weYe achieved that goal."
"It's always a good day in my book when opposing sides can solve complex problems without having
to litigate in court," he said.
Taxing district chair Derek Williamson said he was pleased the matter was kept out of the courts.
"Maintaining our relationship with St. Luke's is key to providing the highest standard of health care to
the public In our area," Williamson said. "Anyone using the hospital will continue to receive great care
and attention while St. Luke's continues to be committed to invest even further in our community."
St. Luke's and the districts proposed the new agreements even though they were convinced the
previous agreements were legal, said Christine Neuhoff, vice president and chief legal officer for St.
Luke's Health System.
"This agreement allows us to continue to partner with the hospital districts, and we look forward to
continuing our commitment to providing quality healthcare services to people in these communities,"
Neuhoff said.
Page 1 of 1
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Star -News News Info Desk Page Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's Brighter Smiles program offers dental care
The St. Luke's McCall Brighter Smiles program provides free or reduced cost dental care for patients
who would not otherwise be able to afford it.
The project is a collaboration between St. Luke's and Adams County Health Centers Dental Clinic in
Council.
The program treats existing dental conditions or provides preventative so patients avoid serious
infections which might require emergency hospital treatment.
St. Luke's has funds to help cover dental co -pays for patients who meet the federal poverty level
guidelines. For example, families of four earning $36,375 or less annually are eligible.
To apply, contact Adams County Health Center at (208) 253 -6447 or the St. Luke's McCall patient
access specialist at 630 -2215.
The St. Luke's McCall Auxiliary provided a $10,000 grant and the program is administered by the St.
Luke's McCall Foundation.
http: / /www.mccalistamews .com/pages /info _page.php 2/11/2016
Star -News News Info Desk Page
McCall clinics selected for statewide
healthcare innovation plan
Payette Lakes Family Medicine and McCall Internal Medicine in McCall have been selected by the
Idaho Statewide Healthcare Innovation Plan to participate in converting to a patient centered medical
home clinic. A total of 55 clinics were selected statewide.
A patient- centered medical home is based on the philosophy that relationships between patient and
provider results in better care when the provider Is able to help the patient in all of life's stages, a news
release from St. Like's McCall said.
The relationship takes into account the patient's current health and the their goals and values, and
involves family members in decision- making.
Through comprehensive, coordinated care, various providers are incorporated into the patient's care
based on current needs, the news release said.
St. Luke's McCall has been working toward implementing the program since 2014, when nurse care
coordinators were first Integrated in the physician clinics.
The program was expanded in 2015 with the addition of behavioral health licensed clinical social
workers in the clinics.
Idaho Statewide Healthcare Innovation Plan and the Idaho Healthcare Coalition is a statewide initiative
to improve the health of Idahoans though a patient - centered focus.
The project is funded by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare from the Centers of Medicare
and Medicaid Innovation Center-
http://www.mccallstamews.com/pages/info_page.php
Page 1 of 1
2/18/2016
Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1
Alaskan named as new administrator of St. Luke's McCall hospital
Seam McCallister will start his jab on March 28
BY TOM GROTE
for The Star-News
Sean McCallister, previously of Providence Health & Services Alaska, has been selected as the new
site administrator at St. Luke's McCall. His first day on the job will be March 28.
McCallister replaces former site administrator Mike Fenello, who was named last October
as administrator for SL Luke's Magic Valley in Twin Falls.
"
I He served as hospital administrator for Providence Valdez Medical Center and most
recently as region critical access hospital administrator, overseeing four affiliated rural
li�� I
Providence hospitals.
Sean While serving in Valdez, he received Alaska's Top Forty Under 40 award, which
McCallister recognizes business professionals under age 40 who demonstrate excellence and
commitment to community.
McCaOister received a bachelor of science degree in communications and public relations from Weber
State University in Ogden, Utah, and earned his master's degree in health policy and administration
from Washington State University in Spokane.
"I love all aspects of health care, especially the opportunity to work with wonderful, passionate people
and to make difference," he said.
Worked In Valdez
After receiving his masters degree, McCallister earned an administrative fellowship with Providence
Health & Services Alaska. That one -year stint became the launching pad for his career and led to the
hospital administrator position in Valdez, a remote community of 4,000 people.
"This is where I developed my passion for living in a small community and serving a small hospital," he
said. "You're not providing health care to just anybody. it's your neighbors, your kids' teachers, the
people you attend church with."
McCallister and his wife, Lisa, have five children ranging in age from kindergarten to high school, are
avid outdoor enthusiasts and love skiing, mountain biking, hiking, camping and water sports.
"During our visits, everyone made us feel so welcome," he said. "It's going to be a great place for Lisa
and me to raise our kids and settle down."
St. Luke's McCall is operated by St. Luke's Health System, which took over operations of the former
McCall Memorial Hospital in 2010.
Last October, St. Luke's unveiled plans for a $35 million expansion that would build a new three -story
building on the hospital's Forest Street campus. That work is proposed to begin in 2018.
303 Employees
The hospital has 303 employees and checked in 1,279 overnight patients during the budget year that
ended Oct. 1, 2015, according to figures provided by St. Luke's McCall.
During the same period, the hospital recorded 5,384 emergency room visits, 33,382 outpatient visits,
1,201 surgeries performed and 74 babies delivered.
The clinics operated by St. Luke's saw 26,232 patients during the year, and 21,629 patients were seen
for various therapy services, the hospital's figures said.
The hospital provides a variety of other services, including breast care, health education, home care
and hospice, chemotherapy, medical imaging and a sleep lab.
In addition to its staff in McCall, the hospital also hosts as variety of visiting specialists in fields such as
cardiology, dermatology, orthopedics, psychiatry, urology and wound care.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 3/10/2016
Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's McCall recognized for
outstanding patient experience
St. Luke's McCall has been given the Healthgrades 2016 Outstanding Patient Experience Award for
providing positive experiences for patients during their hospital stay.
St. Luke's McCall's performance placed the hospital among the top 10 percent in the nation, a news
release said.
Healthgrades evaluated 3,858 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient surveys to the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services from April 2014 to March 2015-
Healthgrades evaluated performance using data from the 32 -question patient survey that asked
questions ranging from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to pain management and
responsiveness. The measures also included whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends
or family.
'This is a wonderful award that reflects the unique and individualized patient experience afforded in a
small hospital," St. Luke's McCall Administrator Sean McCallister said.
"Every member of the St. Luke's McCall team contributes to patient experience and should be very
proud of this recognition," McCallister said.
This is the first year St. Luke's McCall has received the award. St. Luke's Boise also achieved the
Healthgrades 2016 Outstanding Patient Experience Award, the third consecutive year the Boise center
has received the designation.
Healthgrades is the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and
hospitals.
Page 1 of 1
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Star -News News Main News Page
St. Luke's McCall finds new homes for under -used equipment
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
Caring for people who suffer a heart attack or are injured on the ski hill has gotten easier thanks to
donations from St. Luke's McCall.
St. Luke's has donated a Zoll AutoPulse to Cascade Fire &
EMS.
An AutoPulse performs CPR mechanically by providing
consistent, continuous chest compressions, maximizing
blood flow for a patient suffering a cardiac event.
"Time is of the essence when someone is experiencing a
cardiac event," said Brent Hinck, Cascade FirefightedA-
EMT. "This equipment allows continuous compressions
during times when previously we had to temporarily stop for
patient transfers."
St. Luke's purchased AutoPulse units last year for
intensive care units and emergency departments in Twin
Falls and the Treasure Valley, but they weren't being used in
the larger hospitals, which have more staff on hand.
"They're a perfect fit for rural areas," said Mike Birkinbine,
St. Luke's McCall materials management manager.
16a" by Cade Fu. anal 1 \I�
Cascade Fire @ EMS members train xith the
St. Luke's McCall's emergency department received one AutoPuLse donated by St. Luke's McCall.
end Birkinbine was able to gather up two more. Donnelly
and Cascade both expressed interest and received the equipment.
St. Luke's also recently donated an adjustable hospital bed for use by the Payette Lakes Ski Patrol.
The bed was placed at the Little Ski Hill near McCall to serve injured skiers during examinations by the
ski patrol.
St. Luke's Sport Medicine project manager Dan Henderson helped get the hospital bed after the ski
patrol contacted him.
Henderson has worked closely with Payette Lake Ski Patrol members for the past two seasons as
they have worked to implement the St. Luke's Ski Injury Prevention program.
That program uses software that was co- developed by Henderson to track skier injuries at ski resorts
Page 1 of 1
http:// www. mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 4/21/2016
Star -News News Announcements Page
Lyle Nelson receives award
as long -time champion for health
Lyle Nelson of McCall was given the Leadership in Community Health award on Friday by the Central
District Health Department.
Nelson, director of community relations and health
promotions for St. Luke's McCall, was given the surprise
award during a meeting of the health department board and
Valley County commissioners at The Ashley Inn in Cascade.
The Leadership in Community Health award recognizes
community champions who promote and uphold the health
department's vision, District Director Russ Duke said.
"We applaud Mr. Nelson for his vision and the work he
does each day in the community to bring the right people
together for the shared goal of'Heafthy People in Healthy
Communities,'" Duke said.
.1
Y
is-
w r �sw -N by c.r
Central District Health Department board chair
Steve Scanlin, left, presents Leadership in
Community Health award to Lyle Nelson.
The award credits Nelson with helping Valley County
achieve the designation as the healthiest county in Idaho in the 2016 County Health Rankings published
by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
In 2012, Valley County was ranked fifth for health outcomes but ranked 25th for health factors, Duke
said.
"We remember Mr. Nelson declaring a vision at that time, which he helped make a reality, and that
was to make Valley County the top healthiest county in the state of Idaho," he said.
While at St. Luke's, Nelson has developed a "Life 101" initiative to help people achieve healthier and
more joyful Irving. Recently, he worked alongside a health department staffer to deliver a tobacco
prevention message during the McCall- Donnelly schools' Extreme Challenge.
Nelson competed in four consecutive Winter Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. biathlon team.
During his final event, at Calgary, Canada, in 1988, he was selected to carry the American flag in front
of the entire U.S. delegation during the opening ceremonies of the games.
He also served as a national TV analyst for Nordic events at the 1994 and 1998 Olympic Winter
Games, and the Tamarack Resort Nordic and snowshoe Vail system near Donnelly bears his name
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstarnews. com/pages /announcements _page.php 5/26/2016
Star -News News Announcements Page
3t. Luke's Kam receives certification as patient experience professional
Tamara Kam of St. Luke's McCall recently achieved the designation as certified patient experience
professional.
Kam, director of operations at St. Luke's McCall, joins an elite group of healthcare
professionals committed to ensuring the best in experience for all they care for and serve,
a St. Luke's news release said.
The certification, awarded by Patient Experience Institute, signifies that recipients
+e possess the qualifies of a leader who influences the systems, processes, and behaviors
k- that cultivate consistently positive patient experiences.
Tamara Kam The certification also highlights a commitment to the profession and to maintaining
current skills and knowledge, the news release said.
"This designation is significant as it underscores and reinforces the critical focus on the patient and
family experience in today's healthcare environment," said Jason A. Wolf, president of Patient
Experience Institute.
Page 1 of 1
http : / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /announcements _page.php 5/26/2016
-s/groups _page.php
ABOUT TOWN
s
}!om Ey lam trwfoid, Si. LWx'o.
McCall's 2016 Meal baby, Sawyer Nichole Nolder,
poses with mother ShawvDale Howard and,
clockwise from bottom, older brother Wyatt
Flandin, father Chase Nolder, obstetric nurse
Heather Coyle, Idaho State University physician
assistant student Ben Nicbols and delivering
physician Dr. Patrick Kinney.
Page 1 of 1
6/16/2016
Star -News News Groups Page Page 1 of 1
Couple gives birth to (Deal baby, gets $529
Sawyer Nichole Nolder was named the 2016 IDeal baby at St. Luke's McCall.
Nolder was born on June 9 to Chase Nolder and ShawnDale Howard of New Meadows. The family
received a gift of $529 in an IDeal, which is an Idaho 529 College Savings Program account.
Sawyer was chosen to receive the scholarship because she was the first baby born at St. Luke's
McCall on or after May 29, which was 529 College Savings Day.
The scholarships are a national effort to encourage college savings as a means of enabling post-
secondary education. 529 is the IRS Tax Code for college savings plans.
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /groups _page.php 6/16/2016
Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's to buy MRI scanner, build a building for It
New unit will replace mobile device used since 1998
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
St. Luke's McCall has started construction on a building that will house an onsite magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) device this fall.
The new building and device are expected to be finished
this fall and will cost a total of $2 million. T
Since 1998, patients needing MRI scans have had to use a
mobile unit brought into the hospital's parking lot.
The new unit and building will Improve patient comfort and
experience, as well as enable more patients to receive
needed diagnostic imaging studies close to home, _
radiologist Dr. Adam Weller said. «
"Not only will the technology be better, we will be able to -
do more advance diagnostic tests, and the comfort of the
bent is enhanced," Weller said. a kind to be i
I� Photo shows MRI device of the kind to be installed
in a penuanent building at St. Luke's McCall.
Demand for MRI testing has steadily increased due in
large part to the expansion of surgical services offered at the hospital, administrator Sean McCallister
said.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Greg Irvine arrived in 2011 and general surgeon Dr. Amy Ocmand was added
in 2014.
"We currently refer approximately 20 percent of patients requiring an MRI to Boise due to limitations of
advanced testing and space with the mobile unit," McCallister said.
Once installed, the new MRI will be available five days a week during regular business hours, doubling
the current capacity, he said.
Critical Testing
An MRI scan is critical for diagnosing and developing a treatment plan, Irvine said. The MRI is used in
conjunction with X -rays to diagnose many bone and joint disorders, as well as diagnose issues with
cartilage, tom ligaments and tendons, he said.
Not only does MRI testing benefit patients with orthopedic issues, it is also used to examine issues in
the head and brain, chest, abdomen and pelvis, and spine to identify problems such as tumors,
bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases or infection Irvine said.
The new MRI will be owned by the McCall Memorial Hospital District, which will provide $1.6 million of
the total $2 million project in district property taxes.
St. Luke's McCall submitted a request to the hospital district board for the funding as part of the new
health services agreement between the district and St. Luke's signed earlier this year.
The new building to house the MRI will be attached to the existing hospital and located where the
mobile MRI is now placed.
During construction, the mobile MRI trailer will be placed further west of the hospital.
The new MRI building will fit in with expansion plans by the hospital, McCallister said. The three -story
expansion project is expected to start in 2018.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 7/7/2016
Star -News News Info Desk Page
Meds Minder
St. Luke's McCall clinics add pharmacist to make sure patients take, understand medications
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
The clinics at St. Luke's McCall have added a pharmacist to make sure patients understand the
medicines they are prescribed and that they take them as directed.
Karl Johnson, who has worked for St. Luke's McCall since
2012, has been hired for the job as clinical pharmacist.
Johnson will explain medications, dosages and drug
interactions, and answer questions from patients referred to
him by doctors at the clinics.
An informal survey of local providers said an estimated 40
to 60 percent of patients do not take their medication
correctly.
"With some patients, we are addressing the same issue
about medications month after month," one provider noted in
comments submitted with the survey. "We need a new
model to break the cycle."
Johnson will know a patient's medical history and
diagnosis, which is important when evaluating medication
therapy.
_yo,�
Kart Jol uson has been hired as the clinical
pharmacist for St. Luke's McCall to help patients
"Many barriers can exist that cause people to take their with their medications.
medication incorrectly," he said. "Many times, it's cost or not
understanding the timing, dosing and how frequently to take the medication"
Another problem is when patients use a large number of prescriptions, typically five or more," Johnson
said.
"Some patients may suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and depression, all requiring different
medications," he said. "I can evaluate the prescriptions and work with the patient and team to advice on
the safe, appropriate and cost- effective use of the medications."
Addition of a clinic pharmacist is the latest step in the team -based model of care that St. Luke's clinics
started in 2014.
Previous moves included adding a patient access navigator to help connect patients with resources
and financial aid.
Nurse care coordinators soon followed to help organize patient's care in what is often a complicated
process. And last year, behavioral health professionals joined the team to screen for mental health
problems.
- Traditionally, when you make an appointment at the clinic, you would see only your physician," Clinic
Manager Don McKenzie said.
"This is still the case, but now you have a whole team of healthcare professionals collaborating with
your physician in support of your care and available to meet with you if needed," McKenzie said.
Johnson's position was funded by a two-year, $160,000 grant received by the St. Luke's McCall
Foundation from the Cambia Health Foundation.
In 2014, Cambia provided start-up funding for the nurse care coordination program with a $46,500
grant
Page I of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /info _page.php 8/18/2016
Star -News News Main News Page
McCall hospital district gives
$1.6 million to St. Luke's
Payment is first under new agreement brokered by AG
BY TOM GROTE
for The Star -News
Maintenance of important services and addition of new services was promised on Tuesday as the
McCall Memorial Hospital District pledged $1.6 million in property taxes to St. Lukes' McCall.
The hospital district has given a similar amount to St. Luke's since the Boise based health system took
over management of the hospital in 2010, but Tuesday's action was the first since a new agreement
took effect in February.
Hospital administrator Sean McCallister asked the district board for $600,000 to fund physicians in the
emergency room and $1 million to operate the clinics on the hospital campus on Forest Street also
operated by St. Luke's.
District funding will help ensure people get the right care, in the right place with the appropriate
practitioner, McCallister said.
He noted that revenues generated in the emergency room do not offset salary expenses for the
trained physicians.
"It is critical that we retain competent and committed medical providers who are trained and prepared
to handle all types of emergencies," McCallister said in his written presentation.
The district's share to the clinics will ensure current services are maintained and would encourage St.
Luke's to add new services, such as ear, nose and throat clinic and a clinic for rheumatism, arthritis, and
other disorders of the joints.
If the district did not provide the requested funds, the hospital would "need to review and reevaluate all
services and positions, including ER and primary care services," McCallister's presentation said.
The new clinics might not be funded, clinic hours might be reduced and a new program that guides
patients through various services at the hospital might be curtailed, he told board members.
Use Questioned
Board member Mike Vineyard asked McCallister why St. Luke's was asking for money for operating
funds and not for equipment purchases or to help fund a planned hospital expansion.
There are no major equipment purchases planned this year, McCallister said. District money may be
used to help fund the planned $35 million expansion, but that remains to be determined, he said.
McCallister showed board member a summary of St. Luke's McCall's annual budget. The hospital
expects to charge nearly $56 million in services next year, but only expects to collect about $36 million,
or 64.2 percent.
The nonpaid portions are charity care and bad debts as well as lower reimbursements from insurance
companies as well as federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, he said.
The district funds are vital to protect the hospital if the collection rate goes down, McCallister said.
McCallister's request was the first under the new agreements signed in February between the hospital
district and St. Luke's to satisfy the Idaho Attorney General's Office.
The agreements saws St. Luke's Health System return the land, buildings and equipment that it
acquired when St. Luke's and McCall Memorial Hospital merged in 2010.
St. Luke's Health Systems is now a tenant of the McCall Memorial Hospital District.
With the agreements, the attorney general's dropped a threat to go to court to invalidate agreements
where St. Luke's Health System has received tax dollars to operate hospitals in McCall as well as in
Mountain Home.
Those agreements violated the Idaho Constitution because tax dollars were supporting a privates
business, the AG's office said. Attorneys for the hospital districts and St. Luke's defended the
agreements as legal.
St. Luke's and the district also must agree on where the tax money will be spent each year under the
new agreements. Previously, the tax money was provided with no review or conditions.
The new agreement also says the hospital board is under no obligation to pay any tax dollars to St.
Luke's, and that the board may agree to provide less than the amount requested.
The total amount of property taxes collected by the hospital district this year is expected to be $1.7
million. The district will hold back $100,000 for administrative expenses such as legal and accounting
fees and insurance.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 9/1/2016
Star -News News Main News Page
St. Luke's McCall prepares to install new low -dose CT scanner
Mobile scanner will be used during transition to new device
St. Luke's McCall is clearing the way for advanced new
computed tomography equipment, more commonly known
as a CT or CAT scan.
The new Toshiba Aquilion Prime 80 multi -slice CT scanner
will replace the 64 multi -slice CT, purchased in 2005.
Preparing for the CT installation will require remodeling the
space, beginning on Wednesday.
Updates will be made to the humidification, heating,
ventilation and cooling systems, electrical capacity will be
increased and new wiring and flooring will be installed. The
new CT is scheduled to be operational on Sept. 23.
F bf'ZRepo
ist M
Dr. Adam Weller, a radiolog at St. Luke's cCall,
views images from the CT scanner to replaced with
To provide the necessary diagnostic technology for a newer scanner this month.
physicians to best serve and treat patients during the
remodel needed to accommodate the new equipment, St. Luke's McCall is contracting with Catalina
Imaging, a mobile CT service from California.
The new CT provides industry- leading patient care and incorporates cutting -edge technologies that
make possible high - quality clinical images.
"Not only will the new CT produce higher quality images, it Will accelerate the process of providing the
information needed to make treatment decisions while reducing the radiation exposure to the patient up
to 75 percent," said Dr. Adam Weller, radiologist.
CT exams are a powerful diagnostic tool used by physicians to show organ tear or injury quickly and
efficiently. They are also a preferred test for cancer, pneumonia, abnormal chest X -rays and brain injury.
The cost of the equipment is approximately $730,000.
"St. Luke's investment in new equipment like the CT, increases the quality of service to those who
come through our doors seeking care and reduces the need to travel outside of the area for necessary
diagnostic testing," said Sean McCallister, St. Luke's McCall administrator.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 9/1/2016
star -News News Uroups Page
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NEW Cr SC-kIWER AT Sr. LUKE'S - St. Luke's
McCall radiographers Angela Miller and Jill
Wheeler left, recehe training from Ram• Clot of
Tumker Medical on the new Cr scanner installed
last nvek at the hospital. The ne v So multi -slice Cr
scanner incorporates new technologies that
produce high-quality images while reducing the
radiation exposure to patients by up to 75 percent.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /groups _page.php 9/29/2016
Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's McCall's Mosier named
Outstanding Nurse Leader
Cindy Mosier, St. Luke's McCall senior director of patient care services, was named Outstanding
Nurse Leader of the Year by the Nurse Leaders of Idaho organization at their annual Celebrate Nursing
dinner.
"Cindy has consistently exhibited a profound commitment
to patient safety and clinical excellence through her own
personal sacrifice, persistence and loyalty to the patients we
serve," said Cy Gearhard, St. Luke's West Region Chief
Nursing Officer.
"Specifically, the leadership she provided with regard to
medication safety for St. Luke's Magic Valley, which then
supported the development of standards of medication
delivery across all St. Luke's sites," Gearhard said
The Outstanding Nurse Leader award goes to a
distinguished leader who exemplifies strong characteristics
in nursing and has made a proven difference in their role.
"This is a well - deserved award and recognition for Cindy,"
said Sean McCallister, St. Luke's McCall administrator. "1'm
grateful for her dedication to the nursing profession and
advocacy for patient - centered care."
Cindy Mosier lends a hand to registered muse Jana
Kimble in preparation on St. Luke's oew electronic
health record mvStLuke's.
Nurse Leaders of Idaho is a nursing membership organization which advances nursing leadership,
practice and education through networking, workforce development and health policy advocacy.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews. com/pages /announcements _page.php 10/6/2016
Star -News News Info Desk Page Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's Life and Loss Support Group Series to start Nov. 2
St. Luke's McCall is starting a free five -week support group series titled "Life and Loss: Dealing with
Grier starting on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
The sessions will be held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. each week at the Mountain Life Church Fireside
conference room on Idaho 55 south of McCall. Counselor and social worker Joe Wilson will facilitate the
series.
Grief is an appropriate response when people experience broken relationships, death, or life- changing
events. Recovering from a major loss can be a difficult challenge, Wilson said.
There is no charge for the series, but registration is required at 630 -2440.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /info _page.php 10/13/2016
Star -News News Groups Page Page 1 of 1
MV library continues Food for Fines
The Meadows Valley Public Library will continue it "Food for Fines" exchange through Friday, Nov. 11.
The library will accept non - perishable groceries as payment for fines on all overdue items.
The program will be a one - for -one exchange A single grocery item will cover the fine for a single item
that was returned late or that is now overdue.
There is no limit on the number or amount of fines that can be cleared or on the number of overdue
items that can be returned. Charges for lost, damaged or items that have not been returned will not be
included in this program.
Collected non - perishable food items will be given to the New Meadows Food Bank to assist families in
the New Meadows area.
Patrons who have no fines to pay, but who would like to participate are encouraged to bring donations
to the library. For questions, call 347 -3147.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /groups _page.php 10/13/2016
Star -News News Groups Page Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's McCall Foundation board elects Westwater
John Westwater has been elected by the St. Luke's McCall Foundation board as its new president.
In addition, the board elected Claire Ryberg as the new vice president. Chris Kirk
continues as treasurer.
Y John Milliner was elected to the foundation board, joining current board members Bobbi
Hoover, past president, Roz Campbell, Dr. Eddie Droge, Ann Lloyd Edwards, Diane
Graham, Bobbi Hoover, Rae McKeating, Verna Vanis and Bob Youde.
John The St. Luke's McCall Foundation raises funds to support access to exceptional health
wesMater care for the community. Philanthropic support is invested in health care services, facilities
and physicians.
This past year the foundation secured grant funding for a clinical pharmacy project and donations
supported care for lower income community members and patients facing life-changing illness.
Gifts from community members, corporations, and foundations have totaled $1,746,000 in the past
three years to directly support care for the community.
For information, contact foundation Director Jenny Ruemmele at 630 -2200.
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /groups _page.php 10/20/2016
Star -News News Info Desk Page Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's makes system -wide switch
to electronic medical records
St. Luke's Health System has become one of the largest health care organizations to make the
simultaneous switch to electronic medical records.
The $108 million integrated health record system that went into effect in last month allows St Luke's
health -care providers anywhere in Idaho to access the same patient medical records in an instant.
Previously, doctors and nurses relied on several different records systems, and the various
departments didn't always communicate well with one another.
Transferable health records are expected to reduce costs by preventing problems like duplicate tests
at different St. Luke's locations, St. Luke's Health System President and CEO Dr. David Pate said.
The system, called myStLuke's, also allows doctors to access records more quickly in order to make
faster critical decisions, Pate said.
Patient safety is also improved because providers can instantly see what medications a person may
be taking, if a patient has an allergy to a medication, or even a past bad reaction, he said.
"MyStLuke's is a critical cornerstone for us as we move forward with the initiatives that ensure we build
the very best care possible for our communities," Pate said.
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /info _page.php 11/3/2016
Star -News News Groups Page
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A NEW ATTRACTION - Dan Kelly, left, and Rob
Winfrey of Kelly Mobile Services gently position
the magnet for the new MRI at St. Luke's McCall on
Tuesday. The powerful magnet was moved into a
custom -built room that is shielded from
interference by outside radio waves. The MRI is
owned by the McCall Memorial Hospital District,
which contributed $1.6 million in property -tax
funding to the $2 million project. The new device
will replace the mobile MRI unit that had
performed tests at St. Luke's McCall and should be
in operation by the end of the year.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com/pages /groups _page.php 11/10/2016
Star -News News Announcements Page
St. Luke's McCall emergency department
receives patient award
St. Luke's McCall's emergency department has been named a 2016 Guardian of Excellence Award
winner by Press Ganey.
The Guardian of Excellence Award recognizes top -
performing health care organizations that have consistently
achieved the 95th percentile or above of performance in
patient experience.
Presented annually, the award honors clients who
consistently sustained performance in the top 5 percent of all
Press Ganey clients for each reporting period during the
course of one year.
"Over the last three years we have made strategic
investments to improve patient care in our emergency
department, with a particular emphasis on time - sensitive
emergencies," said Kate Dealaman, director of nursing,
emergency services.
'We have transitioned from having key clinical personnel
'on-call' to now providing 24 -hour in -house coverage for
physicians, nursing, laboratory, medical imaging, respiratory
therapy, and registration," Dealaman said.
rTa"cmmr -S I.de'. nks.a
Member of the St. Luke's McCall emergency
department pose with the 2016 Guardian of
Excellence Awed. Front row, from left, are Dr.
Jennifer Gray, Carol Griffin RN, Dan- Robinson
RN, Stacey Spade RN, Patti Primmer, health unit
coordinator, Katie Cline RN, and Christy
Wonenberg RN. Back ow, from left, am Dr. Patrick
Kinney and Kate Dealaman RN, directomf
nursing, emergency -mom.
The hospital has two physicians on staff during peak summer and winter as well as a unit coordinator
to improve efficiencies, she said.
This has allowed physicians and nurses to spend more time at the bedside with patients, she said.
"We are extremely fortunate to have such a remarkable and dedicated care team supporting our
community," St. Luke's McCall administrator Sean McCallister said.
Page 1 of 1
hnp: / /www.mccallstarnews. com/pages /announcements _page.php 11/10/2016
Star -News News Groups Page
When Minutes Count
St. Luke's drill gets heart attack patient' to Boise in 2 hours
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
The call was an auto accident at the McCall Post Office. The driver, a woman, had suffered a massive
heart attack. Her five- year -old child was thrown from the car in the crash and had a broken leg ad
abdominal injuries.
Fortunately, the alert was a drill to help the emergency
department clinical team at St. Luke's McCall prepare for
emergencies where minutes count.
The drill, held last week, included Air St. Luke's, Valley
County Dispatch and McCall EMS.
The real -time simulation was staged through Idaho
Simulation Network's Idaho Time Sensitive Emergency
System and ended at St. Luke's Boise.
The simulation started with a call to 911. McCall EMS
responded to the accident scene, assessed the "patients"
and communicated with the hospital team, and then
transported the patients to St. Luke's McCall.
From left, Jordan Ockunm, Matt McMann, and
Capt. Freddie Van Middendorp treat a simulated
%ictim of an auto accident last week at the McCall
Post office.
"Good communication with EMS, who are at the scene of
an accident, is critical for our ability to assemble our treatment team and mobilize transport when
necessary," said Kate Dealaman, St. Luke's McCall emergency services director.
"When time is critical, having as much information as possible and being prepared upon the patient's
arrival can make all the difference," Dealaman said.
The emergency room team followed their step -by -step clinical protocol to diagnose, treat, and prepare
the patients for transfer to Boise using a helicopter from Air St. Luke's.
Based on McCall EMS evaluation at the scene, emergency transport was ordered and a helicopter
ambulance was dispatched to McCall.
The "mother," played by Air St. Luke's Clinical Manager Casi Myers, was transported to St. Luke's
Boise, where the cardiac team was waiting and prepared to give the necessary lifesaving treatment. The
child was played by a high -tech simulation mannequin.
Research shows that two hours or less is the ideal time for what is referred to as 'first medical contact -
to- balloon time."
The time starts when a call is made to 911 or a patient comes into the emergency room, and ends
when a stent is inserted to open the blocked artery.
There was intermittent snow on the morning of the drill, making it even more realistic.
The total time of the simulation drill was 127 minutes from first contact to the "patient" getting the stent
in Boise.
"It serves as an opportunity to tap into the collective intelligence of the group as we work to improve
communication, process, systems and logistics," Dealaman said.
Page I of I
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /groups _page -php 12/8/2016
Star -News News Main News Page Page 1 of 1
St. Luke's offers a new prescription for kids — reading
Children get books as part of visits to clinics
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
Writing a prescription to parents of young children to read aloud every day is the new practice at St.
Luke's Clinics - Payette Lakes Family Medicine.
For the past two months, young families visiting the clinic
have left appointments with "Curious George," "Peek -A-
Boo," "Goodnight Moon" and other popular children's books.
4
Each child, six months to age 5, receives a book during
.1
their well -child visit as part of the Reach Out and Read
program.
1 �•
The books are developmentally appropriate, and based on
tg.
the number of family visits to the clinic. By the time some of
° s
the children enter kindergarten St. Luke's will have helped
9 Pe
Ur. Mo Fe n right, gives six-month-old twins
Ferguson, th-ol twins
them build their own libraries of eight to 10 new books.
Forma and Charles their first Reach Out and Read
Book "Smile!" The twin's mother, Bethany
Providers expect to distribute more than 500 books
Thomas, and older brother, Oliver, lend a helping
hand.
annually during doctor visits. The books are available in both
English and Spanish.
Dr. Mo Ferguson was instrumental in bringing the Reach Out and Read program to the clinic.
Reach Out and Read was founded in 1989. Currently there are nearly 5,000 program sites nationwide
that distribute 6.5 million books to children every year.
The McCall clinic became a designated site this fall when Ferguson worked with colleagues to gain
support for the program. In order to be accepted as a designated Reach Out and Read site, all eight
family medicine doctors were required to complete online training and make the commitment to promote
early literacy into their pediatric practice.
"It was a hands-down 'yes' from all the doctors," she said.
Previous Experience
Both Ferguson and Dr. Patrick Kinney had experience with the program during their residencies at
Family Medicine Residency of Idaho in Boise, and saw the value the program brings to kids ane
families.
Research has shown that incorporating reading into a physician's practice aids in equipping parents
with tools and knowledge to ensure that their children are prepared to learn when they start school.
"What I love about this program is that it's evidence -based and proven to aid in children's development
of early reading skills," Ferguson said.
Studies also show Reach Out and Read families read together more often, and their children enter
kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills.
During the preschool years, children served by the program score three to six months ahead of their
non -Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests, the studies show.
"Once everyone was on board to integrate the program into our practice, we had to figure out how to
pay for the books," Ferguson said. "That's where our foundation came in."
St. Luke's McCall Foundation Director Jenny Ruemmele was able to connect with a donor who had
started a similar book and reading program for youths suffering from cancer.
The donor agreed to help sponsor the program, and funds were used to buy an initial supply of 700
books.
http: / /www.mccallstamews.com /pages /fp_stories _page.php 12/29/2016
Lead Story
Main News
Opinion
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ANNOUNCEMENTS — THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017
Announcements Index
St. Luke's McCall Auxiliary awards Back To Current Edition
$174,648 in grants from thrift shop proceeds
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
for The Star -News
St. Luke's McCall's Auxiliary awarded $95,643 in grants to local organizations at the auxiliary's general
membership meeting on Monday.
St. Luke's McCall Medical Center received a pledge of
$79,000 toward the hospital's expansion project as part of
the grants.
The community grants and annual contribution to the
hospital are entirely funded by proceeds from the St. Luke's
McCall Auxiliary Thrift Shop in downtown McCall..
"We truly appreciate the generous donations from the
community to the thrift shop, the many volunteers who help
with the processing of donations, and the many customers
who shop our store making these grants possible," volunteer
thrift shop director Judy Titus said.
Here is list of the grants:
• St. Luke's McCall Complex Care Committee, which
provides support for prescriptions for those who would not
otherwise be able to pay for necessary medication, received
$25,000.
ex,rn M St lukc: Mrx1161ai". x'nv(W
Recipients of gmnts from the St. Luke's McCall
Auxiliary are, from left, Jenny Ruemmele, St.
Luke's McCall Dental – Brighter Smiles; Dianne
Robinson and Lindey Carr, St. Luke's McCall
Complex Care Committee; Bill Thomas,
Community Medical Fund; Helen Eimers,
Community Children's Medical Fund; George Pool,
McCall Senior Citizens Center and Payette Lakes
Community Association; Barb Pyle, Payette lakes
Ski Patrol; Meg Lojek; Mark Billmire, McCall Fire
Protection District; Linda xlind- Arbach, Heartland
Hunger Resource Center; and Holly Thrash,
auxiliary grant committee chair.
• The Community Medical Fund, which helps adults in need of dental, psychiatric, and medical care,
received $25,000.
• The Community Children's Medical Fund, which helps families with children in need of dental,
psychiatric, and medical care, received $16,000.
• St. Luke's McCall Dental - Brighter Smiles program, which supports those in need of dental care who
would not otherwise be able to afford care, received $10,000
• The McCall Senior Citizens Center Meals on Wheels program received $8,300.
• Payette Lakes Community Association, which provides nutritious snacks for after - school and summer
youth programs, received $3,000.
• Heartland Hunger Resource Center, which supports formula and baby food coupon program,
received $4,000.
• The McCall Fire Protection District received $2,025, to purchase and AED trainer and adult and
infant CPR manikins,.
• Payette Lakes Ski Patrol received $1,818 to purchase an AED trainer and infant CPR manikins.
• McCall Public Library received $350 to purchase materials to re- establish the "Books for Babies"
program for fostering the cognitive development of young children.
• Adams County Health Center received $150 to purchase dental hygiene items and infant car seats
for their "Raising a Health Child" health fair.
"It is again a gratifying time for the auxiliary and all those that work tirelessly at the thrift shop, to be
able to continue supporting programs that work to improve the health and wellness of our community
members," said Holly Thrash, volunteer auxiliary grant committee chair.
The auxiliary has contributed more than $1.1 million in support of local community organizations since
2002.
Applications are due in September, with funds awarded in January. For more information call Thrash
at 347 -3404.
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0 Copyright 2009 -2017 Central Idaho Publishing Inc. • All rights reserved
McCall
INFO DESK — THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017
94 OF
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INFO DESK — THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017
Main News
Info Desk Index
Opinion
St. Luke's McCall to start Full
Feb. 7 session in
ArtstEvents
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outdoorstRec
Plate Friday Feb.
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Junior Steelheads
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Join St. Luke's McCall for a walkin' - talkin' nutrition series, from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the first Friday of
rattles part of
Of Record
February, March and April. All classes will be held at McCall Community Congregational Church.
upcoming Cabin
Groups
Fever sessions
Info Desk
Each program will start with a walk on the McCall city path followed by tips from St. Luke's McCall
Announcements
Dietitian Susan McCandless on bringing healthy dishes to the table with ease, including demonstrations
Bade To Current Edition
Pudic Notices
and tasting.
Curr-r�l Fdmon
Each session will highlight a main ingredient prepared three different ways: crock pot cooking, meals
in a hurry, and make -ahead meals.
Class fee is $15 for the series or $5 per class. Call St. Luke's McCall Center for Health Promotion at
630 -2420 to register.
Here is a summary of the sessions:
• Feb. 3: "Salmon's Magic." Discover the power of Omega 3s and celebrate a healthy heart with
salmon chowder, make -ahead salmon salad, and main dish salmon.
• March 3: "Cruciferous Creations." Explore new ways to cook and enjoy old favorites like spinach,
broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok Choy, and kale.
• AP617: "Where Have You Bean All of My Life? Beans play a key role in managing blood sugar,
lowering blood pressure and improving heart health.
McCall, ID
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participated in an internship at Gallatin Public Affairs and was a part of a small team that was
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St. Luke's McCall names new operations chief
Arts/Events
Mat! Karserman lobbied for cona'ussion law
Outdoors/Rec
a football scholarship to Boise State
Jr. Steelheads
BY LAURA CRAWFORD
cellectlal of all the ads
In this week's edition
1101-The Star -News
Letters/Viewpoints
The new director of operations at St. Luke's McCall is no stranger to McCall.
Sports/Schools
His legislative efforts led to a job offer from St. Luke's Concussion Clinic to coordinate a community-
Of Record
' Matt Kaiserman spent the winter of 2014 -15 at the hospital as a St. Luke's Health
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System administrative fellow, providing operational support to executive leaders while
+ gaining extensive health -care and leadership experience.
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"It was obvious during my time in McCall that all the providers and staff are committed to
Info Desk
the community, caring for patients and each other," Kaiserman said.
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"I knew I wanted to be a part of this team to help deliver on St. Luke's vision as we work
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Matt to become a highly reliable and value -based organization," he said.
,f
Kaivlman
Kaiserman received a bachelor of science degree in political science and a master's degree of
business administration from Boise State University.
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He started to consider a career in health care while he was studying for his master's degree. He
participated in an internship at Gallatin Public Affairs and was a part of a small team that was
instrumental in passage of Idaho's youth concussion legislation,
Kaiserman had a stake on the topic of concussions, as he was a top athlete in high school and earned
V
a football scholarship to Boise State
A convenient, classified
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In this week's edition
He experienced a serious concussion during a post-season bowl game that ended his participation in
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His legislative efforts led to a job offer from St. Luke's Concussion Clinic to coordinate a community-
wide program of youth sport concussion awareness and neurocognitive baseline testing for schools and
youth sport organizations in the region.
"I always knew I wanted to do something that has an impact on others and is meaningful," Kaiserman
said "Working in health care is a way to give back and provides a unique sense of purpose, as you're
part of something that is bigger and has a purpose greater than the individual -"
Kaiserman has been part of the St. Luke's team for the past four years.
He most recently served as physician services director of operations, managing the operations of 10
specialty clinics across eight urban and rural communities, including all provider clinics serving the
McCall region.
"McCall is a special place in Idaho," Kaiserman said. "We fell in love with the people and scenery.
"We're excited to have this opportunity to live in and experience everything the community of McCall
and surrounding area have to offer," he said.
Don Baley
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St. Luke's McCall patients can visit with Boise doctors without leaving McCall
BY LAURA CRAW FORD
for The Star -News
Dorothy Mott of McCall recently made her appointment with nephrologist Dr. Liang Wu in Boise
without having to travel to Boise.
Mott was able to visit with Wu via a live two -way audio-
video stream.
The service, called telehealth, is now an alternative for
some patients of St. Luke's McCall to avoid having to travel —
to Boise for 20- minute appointments.
St. Luke's started the telehealth service for kidney and
urology patients and may expand the service to other
medical specialties. n°"""g'W "u°'°
Dorothy Molt of McCall visits with Dr. Lian Wu
via the new telehealth technologv at St. Luke's
"I think it's a very fine service," Mott said. "I was very McCall Clinics.
comfortable and could see and hear Dr. Wu just fine."
Wu understands how important it is to see patients close to home, and has been traveling to McCall
and Baker City, Ore., every month for the past two years, serving patients with chronic kidney problems.
But the time he spends on the road might be better spent with patients. Each time Treasure Valley -
based specialists hold a clinic in McCall, they spend up to five hours on the road.
Dr. Brian Auge of St. Luke's Clinic — Urology will continue to travel to McCall once a month for new
patient visits and to perform necessary urological procedures. But follow -up visits will be held via
telehealth two times a month with Certified Physician Assistant Derrick Rowe.
Logical Extension
The telehealth programs are the logical extension of St. Luke's mission to improve the health of people
in our region, the program's director said.
"St. Luke's is committed to providing patients with convenient access to medical professionals and
services," said Krista Stadler, St. Luke's Health System senior director of telehealth services.
"This technology improves access to specialists and ensures all clinics have the resources they need
without increasing costs," Stadler said.
The new telehealth service will be evaluated to ensure patient and provider satisfaction.
"If the results are positive, more specialty services that aren't currently offered may be added in
McCall," said Don McKenzie, St. Luke's Clinic practice manager.
"Implementing telehealth is the next step in building on our team -based model of care and meets one
of our objectives to become a designated patient - centered medical home." McKenzie said.
This team -based model of care began to take shape in 2014, when St. Luke's McCall first employed a
patient access navigator to help connect patients with resources and financial aid. Nurse care
coordinators soon followed to help organize patients' care in what is often a complicated process.
In 2015, behavioral health professionals joined the team to screen for and address mental health
issues, and in 2016, a clinical pharmacist was added to the team.
Dumke Foundation makes $500..000 gift to St. Luke's McCall expansion
The Dr. Ezekiel and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to St. Luke's
McCall Foundation in support of the hospital's renovation and replacement project.
The gift is dedicated toward expansion of the hospital's surgical department.
"The grant was awarded as an acknowledgement of the excellent reputation of St. Luke's McCall
medical staff and surgical team and the quality of care as evidenced by the zero percent post - surgical 2 1
infection rate," foundation Executive Director Jenny Ruemmele said. y y I
The grant also acknowledges increasing demand for surgical services from patients, Ruemmele said.
Trustees structured the grant so that $250,000 would be contributed when the foundation raises a
matching $250,000.
The Dumke Foundation has awarded 11 other grants to the hospital since 1985, totaling $784,347 to
purchase a CT scanner, 3D digital mammography, and other equipment.
The foundation was created in Ogden, Utah, in 1958 by Dumke and his wife, Edna Wattis Dumke, and
reflects the couple's lifelong commitment to the healing and betterment of the community, Ruemmele
said.
The foundation provides gifts and grants to support organizations involved with health and human
services, arts and culture, education and the environment.
Current trustees Zeke Dumke, Jr., Nancy Schwandfelder, Andrea Manship and Claire Ryberg,
unanimously approved the gift to support the "Right Care, Right Here campaign."
Rural Focus
Dumke's family continues his early efforts to provide advanced health care to rural communities by
funding strategic health care investments, Ruemmele said.
Dumke provided surgical care to patients in Utah, Idaho and Montana and was a prominent physician
who started his surgical practice in 1919 in Ogden and pioneered the use of spinal anesthesia.
He was instrumental in forming the Ogden Surgical Society, and founding St. Benedict's Hospital,
which opened its doors in 1946. He served as the first chief of staff at both St. Benedict's and Dee
Memorial hospitals in Ogden.
"While so much has changed in medicine since the time Dr. Dumke practiced, trustees recognize
much has stayed the same," Ruemmele said.
"There are the long days, nights and weekends, time on call, emotionally exhausting cases, technical
challenges and constant change," she said.
"This lead gift recognizes the commitment and compassion of the physicians, nurses, and clinical team
at St. Luke's McCall," Ruemmele said.
The expansion of the surgery department will be part of the overall expansion and replacement project
that is expected to start in the summer of 2018.
The estimated cost of the project is $35 million, of which the St. Luke's McCall Foundation has
committed to raise $5 million. The Dumke Foundation grant is the first major gift to the foundation that
has been announced.
The expanded hospital will be built on the current site of the hospital at State and Park streets, with the
work expected to be done over three years.