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Valley City, ND   CHI Mercy Health, in collaboration with the City-County Health District and the Valley City Cardiac Ready Community Coalition are excited to announce the First Annual Community Health and Wellness Fair, on Saturday, March 24, from 2:00pm-5:00pm at the Valley City Eagles Club.

This is a free event that is open to the public and will include:  education and meet-and-greets with local health and wellness providers, wellness incentives to register for (quantity 4 of the Fitbit Charge 2 and quantity 1 Bong’s Bootery Gift Certificate for $100), healthy snacks, blood pressure checks, learn basic CPR compression techniques, and the event will close with motivational speaker, Teresa Lewis, from 4-5pm.

“Get Inspired with Teresa Lewis”, motivational speaker, 7 Mindsets Coach, and Life 97.9 Morning Radio Co-Host, as she discusses the challenges we face while striving to create a healthy lifestyle.  Teresa will motivate you as you embark on a holistic approach to wellness that includes stress management techniques, the importance of setting goals, and, ultimately, holding yourself accountable on your journey.

This event was made possible through a Grant awarded to CHI Mercy Health by the ND Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program.  This FLEX Grant represents a Collaborative Population Health Improvement Activity between CHI Mercy Health and Valley City-County Health District. Funds are subcontracted through the Center for Rural Health which is designated as the North Dakota State Office of Rural Health, a federal-state partnership that helps rural communities build their healthcare services through collaborations and initiatives with a wide range of partners across the state.

Join us Saturday, March 24, from 2:00pm-5:00pm, for an afternoon filled with community fellowship as you meet our local Health and Wellness providers, enjoy an inspiring speaker, and receive a copy of the new “Valley City Health and Wellness Resource Guide”!

If you are a Health and Wellness provider in our community and did not receive the invitational letter–please contact me to register!  We have invited all of the healthcare and overall wellness providers that we know.  From Clinics, dentists, optometrists, massage therapists—we have extended an invitation for a free booth at the event.   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 the event.

Local photographer Alice Beauchman has an exhibit of her work now showing at the Mercy Art Gallery located at the gallery space in CHI Mercy Health leading to Sanford Health. It is open to the public from 7 am to 10 pm. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy her photography. Photo submitted to NewsDakota.com

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

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Local photographer Alice Beauchman has an exhibit of her work now showing at the Mercy Art Gallery located at the gallery space in CHI Mercy Health leading to Sanford Health. It is open to the public from 7 am to 10 pm.

Alice is an Administrative Assistant at Valley City State University Rhoades Science Center. For many years she taught photography classes at the university. her photography students number over 2,300 during those years.

Alice signed up for a photography class in college, and at that point discovered a passion that would last a lifetime. Most of her shooting is nature related, favorite subjects are landscapes, flowers, and birds. A highlight on the bird photography was a two-week trip to Ecuador and staying at five lodges catering to birders. She also likes shooting and creating (in Adobe Photoshop) slightly dark, eerie images.

Alice lives in Valley City, with her husband, Jan. She has three grown children, and five grandchildren; all who graciously agree to be subjects for her photos. This has at times involved costumes and posing as ghosts, pirates, vampires, dead bodies, space creatures, etc. So far no one runs and hides when she says, “I have a great idea for a photo”.

Valley City, ND – The CHI Mercy Health Auxiliary (CHI-MHA) is excited to announce it is accepting applications for a $250.00 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 25, 2018.

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

Rural Americans Count on Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists

Celebrate National CRNA Week – January 21-27, 2018

Winter 2018 Mercy Insights Newsletter.

L to R: Teresa Garrahy, Melanie Lindgren, Matthew Spraque, Grant Goven, Sheri Lutjens, Susan Kringlie, and Jodi Archer. Photo submitted to NewsDakota.com

By: Steve Urness (NewsDakota.com)

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Several CHI Mercy Health employees were recognized for dedicated service in Valley City, ND.

CHI Mercy Health president Keith Heuser said, it is remarkable and gratifying to have employees who have served CHI Mercy Health for so many years.

The employees were recognized for their service during the Hospital Christmas Party on December 15th held at the Valley City Eagles Club.

The following individuals were recognized for their years of service:

30 Years of Service: Jodi Archer, Sheri Lutjens

25 Years of Service: Susan Kringlie

15 Years of Service: Teresa Garrahy, Grant Goven

5 Years of Service: Elizabeth Black, Samantha Carlson, Melanie Lindgren, Andrew Sather, Matthew Spraque, Ryan Strasburg

L to R: Valley City Police Lt. Dana Rustebakke and CHI Mercy Health President Keith Heuser.

By: Steve Urness (NewsDakota.com)

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – CHI Mercy Health’s donation of $281.05 was presented to Valley City Police Lieutenant Dana Rustebakke at the annual employee Holiday Potluck in the month of December of 2017 .

“We are proud to be a part of this community and are happy to be able to give back” said Keith Heuser, President, CHI Mercy Health.

Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives to Combine to Form New Catholic Health System Focused on Creating Healthier Communities

New Organization to Preserve and Expand Access to Quality Care Geographically Complementary Facilities Across 28 States

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – December 7, 2017 – Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and Dignity Health have signed a definitive agreement to combine ministries and create a new, nonprofit Catholic health system. The combination brings together two leading health systems, allowing the organizations to expand their mission of service and create a healthier future for people and communities across 28 states.

The new health system will build a stronger operational and financial foundation to expand access to quality care, build upon complementary resources and capabilities, and reinvest in critical areas to accelerate improvements in care delivery.

“We are joining together to create a new Catholic health system, one that is positioned to accelerate the change from sick-care to well-care across the United States,” said Kevin E. Lofton, chief executive officer of CHI. “Our new organization will have the talent, depth, breadth, and passion to improve the health of every person and community we serve.”

“By combining our ministries and building upon our shared mission, we will expand our commitment to meeting the needs of all people with compassion, regardless of income, ethnicity, or language,” said Lloyd Dean, president and chief executive officer of Dignity Health. “We foresee an incredible opportunity to expand each organization’s best practices to respond to the evolving health care environment and deliver high-quality, cost-effective care.”

Key strategic and reinvestment priorities for the new system will include:

• The expansion of community-based care, offering access to services in a variety of outpatient and virtual care settings closer to home;
• Clinical programs focused on special populations and those suffering from chronic illnesses to keep people and communities healthier for longer; and
• Further advancement of digital technologies and innovations like stroke robots and Google Glass, which create a more personalized and efficient care experience.

The new health system will include more than 700 care sites and 139 hospitals, offering people and communities access to quality care delivered by approximately 159,000 employees and more than 25,000 physicians and other advanced practice clinicians. The organizations are geographically complementary with no overlap across hospital service areas.

The new organization will be led by an office of the CEO. Dean and Lofton will both serve as CEOs, each with specific and independent responsibilities and decision-making authority. Together, the CEOs will jointly oversee strategy and integration planning. Lofton will have authority for mission, advocacy, sponsorship and governance, system partnerships, and information technology. Dean will have authority for all of operations, including clinical, financial, and human resources. They will work side-by-side with the executive team to plan a successful integration.

The governing board for the new organization – the Board of Stewardship Trustees – will include six members from each legacy board and the two CEOs. The new organization plans to establish its corporate headquarters in Chicago and operate under a new name that will be chosen in the second half of 2018. Local facilities will continue operating under their current names.

The organization will continue its commitment to supporting communities through charity care, grants, and loans to ensure a positive impact on creating healthier communities. In fiscal year 2017, the systems collectively provided approximately $4.7 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unpaid cost of government programs. Continuing the traditions of both organizations, the new system will support high-priority strategic programs as well as expand existing efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of the nation’s most vulnerable populations. The new system will be guided by our shared mission that emphasizes social justice for all people and will work to ensure that those values are part of the local and national health care environment.

This combination brings together two organizations with complementary missions, capabilities, and talent to advance clinical achievements. Dignity Health has a proven operating model that successfully scaled enterprise-wide initiatives to ensure consistent practices across the system, and is well known for its work with innovative, diversified care-delivery partnerships. CHI brings a diverse geographic footprint with proven clinical service lines and home-health capabilities as well as successful partnerships in research and education.

The new organization seeks to become a national platform for innovation and research. This platform would capitalize on existing intellectual property and research capabilities, positioning the new organization as an attractive partner for other entrepreneurial organizations. Dignity Health and CHI have an established track record of successful partnerships and affiliations on initiatives spanning telehealth, micro-hospitals, and precision medicine.

In September 2016, the two systems formed Precision Medicine Alliance LLC (PMA), which will create the largest community-based precision medicine program in the country. A precision oncology program is being implemented in three service areas, and four-to-six more service area launches are planned across the country in the next 12 months. The program’s objective is to be available at nearly 150 CHI and Dignity Health and care centers across the U.S., serving approximately 12 million patients annually.

Dignity Health’s Board of Directors and Sponsorship Council and CHI’s Board of Stewardship Trustees have approved the combination. The deal is anticipated to close in the second half of 2018 and is subject to federal, state, and church approvals.

Further information is available at: www.AdvancingHealthCareTogether.org.

About Catholic Health Initiatives Catholic Health Initiatives, a nonprofit, faith-based health system formed in 1996 through the consolidation of four Catholic health systems, expresses its mission each day by creating and nurturing healthy communities in the hundreds of sites across the nation where it provides care. One of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, Englewood, Colorado-based CHI operates in 17 states and comprises 100 hospitals, including three academic health centers and major teaching hospitals as well as 30 critical-access facilities; community health-services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home health agencies; living communities; and other facilities and services. With $15.5 billion in revenue and approximately $21.9 billion in assets in FY17, CHI provided more than $2.1 billion in charity care, community benefit, and the unpaid cost of government programs. For more information, please visit our website at CatholicHealthInitiatives.org. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Dignity Health Dignity Health, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, is a 22-state network of more than 9,000 physicians and other advanced practice clinicians and 63,000 employees. The organization was formed in 1986 when two congregations of the Sisters of Mercy joined their 10 hospitals together to form Catholic Healthcare West, which now includes over 400 care centers including hospitals, urgent and occupational care, imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics under the name Dignity Health. Headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to those who are poor and undeserved. In FY17, Dignity Health had $12.9 billion in revenue and $17.4 billion in assets, and provided approximately $2.6 billion in charity care, community benefit, and the unpaid cost of government programs. For more information, please visit our website at DignityHealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Pictured: Kendra Krueger (AHA), Shila Thorson (NDDOH), Dr. Jeff Sather (NDDoH), Mylynn Tufte (NDDoH), Karalee Harper (AHA), Alana McClennan (CHI), and Dan Schaeffer (Metro Ambulance).

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) received a $97,964 from the American Heart Association (AHA) at a news conference on Thursday, Nov. 2. The funds were made possible by donors who contributed to the Impact Foundation during Giving Hearts Day.

The funds will go to support Cardiac Ready Communities across the state by ensuring rural areas are equipped to handle cardiac emergencies.

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By: Warren Abrahamson (NewsDakota.com)

BISMARCK, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) will be awarded a $97,964 check from the American Heart Association (AHA) at a news conference on Thursday, November 2nd, at 10:00 a.m. in the Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) building.

Representatives from the AHA and the North Dakota Cardiac Task Forces will emphasize the impact of the timely intervention for heart and stroke events.

The following speakers will participate in the news conference:

Karalee Harper, State Advocacy Committee Chair, AHA
Dr. Jeff Sather, State EMS Medical Director
Dan Schaeffer, Metro Ambulance
Mylynn Tufte, State Health Officer
Alana McClennan, CHI Mercy Health – Valley City

Members of the media may attend the news conference at the Emergency Preparedness and Response building, located at located at 1720 Burlington Drive in Bismarck or connect to the press conference by dialing 855.235.2064.

For more information about the event, contact Jennifer Skjod with the North Dakota Department of Health, at 701.328.1665.

Jamestown is working on becoming a cardiac ready community as well. Click here to read more.