News

By: Steve Urness (NewsDakota.com)

VALLEY CITY, ND – CHI Mercy Health Auxiliary announced its recipient for 2017-2018 school year.

Taylor Bearinger of Valley City is presented with the 2017 scholarship by Frances Yokom, President, CHI Mercy Health Auxiliary.

Taylor was awarded a $250 scholarship to use toward Healthcare Education. Taylor is enrolled at Valley City State University.

Each year, one scholarship is given out to recipients that are enrolled in a Medical Health Care related career. The first scholarship is provided by funds raised by CHI Mercy Health’s Auxiliary. The scholarships are available to local students pursuing a healthcare or nursing career.

Taylor Bearinger of Valley City is presented with the 2017 scholarship by Frances Yokom, President, CHI Mercy Health Auxiliary. The story and photo was submitted to NewsDakota.com

Are you receiving Mercy Insights?

In September, CHI Mercy Health launched a community newsletter called Mercy Insights which replaces The Communicator and will arrive in your mailbox three times a year. Our goal is to keep you better informed about the services we offer and keep you better connected to your hospital, which is here for you 365 days a year.

Mercy Insights Summer 2017

By: Sharon Buhr (Young People’s Healthy Heart)

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Young People’s Healthy Heart Program, previously located at CHI Mercy Health will be fully operational inside the City County Health District office in Valley City starting July 1st.

The program originated in 1980 through a grant that Sharon Buhr, MPH, LRD, and director of the program, wrote to the North Dakota Department of Health related to heart health.

Read more at NewsDakota.com

Valley City, ND

CHI Mercy Health is excited to continue holding monthly, free, community health workshops at the Gaukler Family Wellness Center over the summer months.

We have held monthly workshops since January including topics such as:  Organ and Blood Donation, Heart Health and Fitness, Healthy Heart Tips and Tastes, Domestic Violence Awareness, and two Free CPR classes.

Our next workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20, from 7:00pm-8:00pm in the first floor conference room at the Gaukler Family Wellness Center.  The topic will focus on Chronic Pain management.  Our workshop will be led by CHI Mercy Health’s Chief Nurse Anesthetist, Clark J. Kruta, CRNA, APRN, MA, and Operating Room Manager Stephanie Kruta, RN, MSN, to learn about effective treatments for Chronic Pain.   Chronic pain is best managed if the plan of care is individualized to each patient.  It should include at a minimum: physical therapy evaluation and stretching, regular exercise, education on self -care (sleep/nutrition/lifestyle), and behavioral health care. Learn about effective methods to treat chronic pain including pain injections.

It is the mission of CHI Mercy Health to “…create healthier communities.” and we are bringing these monthly, free to the community workshops to help local individual’s lead healthier lives.  Part of these workshops is funded through a Center for Rural Health Flex Collaboration Grant that CHI Mercy Health was awarded.  Please contact Stephanie Mayfield in the CHI Mercy Health Foundation/Mission office (direct #845-6557 or stephaniemayfield@catholichealth.net) with any questions you have regarding any of the workshops.

L to R Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud, Alana Wendel and Melissa Miller. Photo by Steve Urness.

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A proclamation was read by Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud which says the city will become a cardiac ready community.

Read Full Story at NewsDakota.com

Valley City, ND – Patients at CHI Mercy Health will soon benefit from access to the latest computed tomography (CT) diagnostic technology made possible through a grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program.

Helmsley has awarded CHI Mercy Health $400,000 for a new 64-slice CT scanner. CT scanners provide essential diagnostic images of structures inside the body. A new CT scanner will allow for faster scans that produce high-quality images, allowing medical staff to quickly determine health status and course of treatment while giving patients access to up-to-date healthcare technology close to home.

“CHI Mercy Health is truly blessed to be awarded a CT Scanner Grant through the Helmsley Charitable Trust. Imaging services are used by every patient care department within our facility—from inpatient to emergency to outpatient diagnostics. Offering the only CT scanner in Barnes County, CHI Mercy Health will be able to continue to provide a local option for diagnosis and monitoring for our community,” said Keith Heuser, President, CHI Mercy Health.

CHI Mercy Health is one of 41 grant recipients across the region to benefit from this round of funding to purchase CT scanners. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program has granted over $30 million to support the purchase of new, 32-slice or higher CT scanners in a seven-state region.

“Our goal is to ensure that people who live in rural America have access to quality healthcare as close to home as possible,” said Walter Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “To achieve this, rural hospitals need to be viable and they need to have up-to-date equipment, so patients can receive essential healthcare services locally. This initiative is one of many that aims to improve healthcare access and health outcomes across the upper Midwest.”

The funding initiative was the result of a survey of Critical Access Hospitals in the Rural Healthcare Program’s seven-state funding region. Capital equipment, particularly CT scanners, was identified as a top need by many hospitals. In addition, a new Medicare policy went into effect January 1, 2016, that reduced reimbursement for certain studies on CT scanners that do not meet specific radiation dose requirements. Since 2015, the Helmsley Charitable Trust has awarded 78 grants totaling over $30 million to outfit hospitals with new, state-of-the-art CT scanners.

About the Helmsley Charitable Trust

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting effective nonprofits in health, select place-based initiatives, education and human services. Since 2008, when Helmsley began its active grantmaking, it has committed more than $1.8 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-theart training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $300 million to organizations and initiatives in the upper Midwest states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Montana. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.

Download this Press Release PDF

Valley City, ND   CHI Mercy Health Foundation is excited to announce it is accepting applications for four scholarships it is offering! Each year, two Nursing scholarships are given out to recipients that are enrolled in an accredited nursing program. One of the scholarships is provided by funds contributed by CHI Mercy Health’s Nursing Department which is matched by the foundation.

The second Nursing scholarship comes from a fund set up to honor LaVonne Reidman. The family of LaVonne Reidman established this scholarship in 2005 in memory of Lavonne and her dedication to the nursing profession.  LaVonne was a wonderful, caring nurse for many years at Mercy Hospital in Valley City.  CHI Mercy Health Foundation is managing this scholarship for the Reidman Family.

Finally, there will be two more scholarships offered that are open to anyone pursuing a General Medical career, including technician programs. One of these scholarships is provided by nursing staff fundraisers and the other through the LaVonne Reidman family.  So please share this with your co-workers, friends, family and anyone you can think of that may be able to benefit from these funds.  Please contact Stephanie Mayfield in the CHI Mercy Health Foundation office (direct #845-6557 or stephaniemayfield@catholichealth.net) to get an application or go online to:  www.mercyhospitalvalleycity.org under the Scholarships tab. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2017.

CHI Mercy Health Foundation is a nonprofit organization to serve the needs of CHI Mercy Health. The Foundation is dedicated to providing support for Mercy Hospital with supplemental funding for capital and program needs essential to the hospital’s growth and development. Through this service, the residents of Valley City and the surrounding communities have access to local, modern, quality healthcare that allows our family, friends and neighbors to stay close to home for their health care needs.

CHI Mercy Health in Valley City, ND was recently named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by iVantage Health Analytics and The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

This achievement is very gratifying and validates our daily commitment to providing the best health care possible to our community, while maintaining an efficient and effective facility,” said Keith Heuser, Hospital President. “I am extremely pleased that our staff is being recognized for their commitment to outcomes, patient safety and the patient’s experience here”

CHI Mercy Health scored in the top 100 of Critical Access Hospitals on iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive rating of rural providers. It provides the data foundation for the annual Rural Relevance Study and its results are the basis for many of rural healthcare’s most prominent awards, advocacy efforts and legislative initiatives. The list of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and more information about the study can be found at www.iVantageINDEX.com.

The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America – and the INDEX measures them across eight pillars of hospital strength: Inpatient Share Ranking, Outpatient Share Ranking, Cost, Charge, Quality, Outcomes, Patient Perspectives, and Financial Stability.

“It’s more important than ever that rural hospitals proactively understand and address performance in the areas of cost, quality, outcomes and patient perspective. iVantage’s INDEX was designed to serve as this industry model,” said Michael Topchik, national leader of the Chartis Center for Rural Health. “Across the spectrum of performance indicators, there are rural providers that are writing the blueprint for success as they transition to value-based healthcare. Our analysis shows that this group of top performers exhibits a focused concern for their community needs.”

About the Chartis Group and iVantage Health Analytics

The Chartis Group (Chartis) is a national advisory services firm dedicated to the healthcare industry. Chartis provides strategic planning, value-based care, advanced performance, informatics and technology consulting services as well as leading-edge decision support tools to the country’s leading healthcare providers. The Chartis Center for Rural Health (CCRH) was formed in 2016 to offer tailored services, performance management solutions, research and education to rural hospitals and facilities. Learn more at Chartisrural.com.

iVantage Health Analytics is a subsidiary of The Chartis Group and a leading provider of healthcare analytic and performance management analytic tools. Health system and hospital leadership teams across the country rely on the company’s software and services to deliver customized insights on clinical and financial performance, strategic planning, market assessment and payment optimization. iVantage’s analytics are the basis of continuing thought leadership and insight in the areas of healthcare policy and research. Learn more at iVantageHealth.com.

Contact:

Amy Weickert
Director of Marketing
iVantage Health Analytics/The Chartis Center for Rural Health
aweickert@ivantagehealth.com
207-245-6769

Valley City, ND CHI Mercy Health is excited to announce it will begin holding monthly, free, community health workshops at the Gaukler Family Wellness Center beginning Wednesday, February 15.

The first workshop entitled “Organ and Blood Donation” will be held on February 15 beginning at 7pm in the 1st Floor Conference Room at the Wellness Center. It will feature Lifesource Liason, Barb Nelson-Agnew speaking about the importance and process of organ donation. We will also have on hand, CHI Mercy Health ER manager Alana Wendel and Lab manager Susan Kringlie to talk about the importance of local blood and organ donations. We will also help people sign up to be Organ Donors if they choose to be and have some organ donation awareness gifts for all in attendance.

The second workshop will be held on February 22 in Room 156 at the Wellness Center. It is called “Heart Health and Fitness” as February is Heart Health Month. Join CHI Mercy Health’s Sharon Buhr and VCSU Assistant Professor of Kinesiology & Human Performance, Sarah Milner for a complimentary Body Composition Test ($20 value) and find out what your test results mean to your health and how to create fitness goals to strengthen your heart. This class is limited to the first 20 people who register by calling: 845-6456.

The third workshop will be on March 23 in the Party Room at the Wellness Center. It will be called “Healthy Heart Tips and Tastes” and will feature a live, healthy cooking demonstration and samples! In addition, all registrants will receive a complimentary cookbook ($25 value) called “America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook”. Please register by calling 845-6456.

It is the mission of CHI Mercy Health to “…create healthier communities.” and we are bringing these monthly, free to the community workshops to help local individuals lead healthier lives. Part of these workshops is funded through a Center for Rural Health Flex Collaboration Grant that CHI Mercy Health was awarded. Please contact Stephanie Mayfield in the CHI Mercy Health Foundation/Mission office (direct #845-6557 or stephaniemayfield@catholichealth.net) with any questions you have regarding any of the workshops.

CHI MERCY AUXILLARY ANNOUNCES 2017 SCHOLARSHIPS

Valley City, ND The CHI Mercy Auxiliary is excited to announce it is accepting applications for scholarship! Each year, one scholarship is given out to recipients that are enrolled in a Medical Health Care related career. The scholarship is provided by funds raised by CHI Mercy Health’s Auxiliary.

To be eligible for Auxiliary scholarships the below criteria is required:

• Employees who have completed 2 years of full-time or part-time employment at MH and have been accepted or are furthering their education in healthcare
• Or volunteers who have completed 30 hours of volunteer time during the previous year and are seeking a degree in healthcare.
• Graduating high school seniors who attend school and/or reside in Barnes County, ND, and who are children or grandchildren of current CHI Mercy Health employees or volunteers.

Please contact Lisa Urbatsch in the CHI Mercy Health Administration office (direct #845-6486 or lisaurbatsch@catholichealth.net) to get an application or go online to: http://www.mercyhospitalvalleycity.org/scholarships/ . The deadline to apply is May 26, 2017.

The CHI Mercy Health Auxiliary (CHI-MHA) is a volunteer organization devoted to supporting the hospital and the community it serves. If you would like to become a CHI Mercy Health Auxiliary member, please contact Lisa Urbatsch at 701-845-6486 or email lisaurbatsch@catholichealth.net