August 2000

New heart test keeps patients close to home

Stress testing is coming to Perham Memorial Hospital this fall – bringing a much needed service close to home for our patients. Stress testing is a test of the patient’s heart which involves doing an electrocardiogram (ECG) while the patient exercises on a treadmill to assist the patient’s doctor in finding out how well the patient’s heart handles work.

According to PMH physician, Dr. Tim Studer, who developed the program for the hospital, “we needed to bring this test closer to home for our patients. “Not only do we strive to provide great care to our patients, we work hard to make that care convenient for them.” Currently, the nearest location for stress testing is 20 miles away.

Dr. Studer explains the test. “Stress testing is a means of evaluating cardiovascular function during specific levels of physical exertion. As the body works harder during the test, it requires more oxygen and the heart has to pump more blood. The test will show if the blood supply is reduced in the arteries that supply the heart.”

Generally, when a physician orders a stress test it is to diagnose heart disease, to determine a person’s exercise capacity, or to evaluate responses to physical conditioning. During the test, the person exercises according to a pre-determined goal, which may be to reach the heart’s peak work level, to exercise until the person is fatigued or experiences symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pains, or simply to achieve a certain heart rate.

A stress test is really a very inevasive test, explains Dr. Studer. “A person taking a stress test will be hooked up to equipment to monitor the heart while he or she walks slowly in place on a treadmill. Gradually, the speed and incline of the treadmill will be increased to see how the patient’s heart responds, all the while the patient’s heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, ECG, and fatigue will be closely monitored.”

The actual amount of time a person will spend exercising will vary according to the person’s condition and the goals of the test, but it is seldom more than 10 or 15 minutes. When adding time spent in preparation and post-test monitoring, the total time is about 45 to 60 minutes.

Dr. Studer, who is specially trained in stress testing and will be in attendance at every stress test, will work closely with PMH’s cardiac rehab coordinator, Julie Engel, in coordinating the service.

“We stand behind our commitment to the communities we serve to provide the services our patients need,” said hospital administrator, Chuck Hofius. “By adding stress testing to the other cardiac services we offer, people in this area are able to receive care close to home. That’s important to us because it’s important to them.”

New Doctor Joins Perham Hospital

Welcome Illene Porath, M.D.

Dr. Illene Porath will join Perham Memorial Hospital and MeritCare Clinic-Perham this month. She is currently completing her family practice residency in Fargo, North Dakota. She is a medical school graduate of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and has an undergraduate degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

As a family medicine physician, Dr. Porath is trained to care for the health needs of the entire family, from infants to the elderly, including obstetrics.

Dr. Porath originally grew up in Perham and says she’s excited at the opportunity to be able to come back to her home town. Her outside interests include piano playing, travel, knitting, and the outdoors. She is a member of the North Dakota Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Turtle races and train rides

The Perham Area Chamber of Commerce recently brought its turtle races to Perham Memorial Nursing Home. Residents took turns picking the turtle they were sure would win, then, when the races ended, were treated to a ride on the Perham Express. Our staff and residents wish to thank the Chamber for the fun time they shared with us.

Child car seat safety check

Child passenger safety and the correct use of child passenger safety seats have become a leading cause of concern for health care workers. Statistics indicate that approximately 85 percent of child passenger seats are either the wrong fit for the child or are installed incorrectly. Each year, 1,400 children under the age of 14 are killed and 280,000 are injured, mainly because they were not properly secured.

To help educate parents on the proper installation and fit of their child’s car safety seat, Perham Memorial Hospital and Home and Perham Memorial Home Care are sponsoring a car seat safety check. Parents can make an appointment to have car seat safety experts from PMHH check to see if they are using the right car seat for their child and if the seat is installed correctly. Parents are asked to bring their child(ren) to the safety check so our experts can determine the correct fit of the car seat.

Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2000
Time: 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Perham Area EMS Building, 525 West Main, Perham
Appointments: Each car seat takes approx. 30 minutes to check.
Please call 346-1141 to make an appointment.
Cost: FREE

Motorists:

Please drive with care, and keep these safety tips in mind:

Hospital, Home, Lab awarded accreditation

Perham Memorial Hospital and Home has achieved accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations after on-site surveys found the hospital, nursing home, home care, and laboratory to be in compliance with the Joint Commission’s national standards.

In becoming accredited, the facility was evaluated against a set of national standards exceeding federal and state requirements, by a Joint Commission team of surveyors. “Achieving accreditation demonstrates Perham Memorial Hospital and Home’s and Perham Memorial Home Care’s commitment to provide high quality of care to its patients,” says Russell P. Massara, M.D., executive vice president, Accreditation Operations, Joint Commission. “The community should be proud that their local health care organization is focusing on the most challenging goal – to continuously raise quality to higher levels.”

“We continually strive to improve the quality of our services, and meeting the Joint Commission’s rigorous national standards is an important recognition of our efforts,” commented Chuck Hofius, administrator. The Joint Commission evaluated the facility’s performance in complying with over 1,200 standards related to quality control, patient care, safety, infection control, leadership, management of human resources, management of information, ongoing performance improvement activities and other issues.

Hofius adds that accreditation shows that “we make a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from the top down. We seek accreditation for our organization because we want to be the best and we view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as another step toward excellence.”

He notes that accreditation is attainable only through the cooperation and communication among staff members. “Everyone here at PMHH plays a valuable role in working to meet the standards. I think it gives them a feeling of prestige to work in an accredited organization.”

The administrator says efforts to improve don’t stop when the Joint Commission survey is over. “Meeting the standards and achieving excellence is a continuous process,” he says. “No matter how well we did today, we want to do better tomorrow.”

Senior Companion Program

As our population grows older, so too do the needs of these people. A program called Senior Companion is available through Perham Memorial Hospital in assisting seniors to remain in their own homes. We are looking for individuals 60 years and older to serve as Senior Companions and make a difference in the lives of others. These volunteers are paid a tax-free stipend with reimbursement for travel and meals.

Think about a friend, parent, relative, retired person or acquaintance, who enjoys working with the seniors in our community.

Our thanks to you in advance for helping find those volunteers who will assist others to remain in their own home settings.

Perham Memorial Hospital and Home
Senior Companion Program
Contact: Sue Von Ruden
Phone: 346-1210

Construction is nearing its final stages at PMHH. Even though final touches need to be made, the new entrances to the East Ottertail Pharmacy and MeritCare Clinic are now open. Hospital patients and visitors should continue to use the outpatient services entrance on the east side of the building along sixth avenue southwest.

A part of the $1.45 million project which isn’t as visible as the new front to the building, is the radiology department expansion on the rear of the facility. When complete, the radiology department will be doubled in size and will include the addition of in-house CT scan that will be available 24 hours a day seven days a week. Currently, the hospital uses a mobile CT scan service which visits the facility two days a week.

PMHH participating in Ottertail health fair

Health and Wellness for the Community is the theme PMHH is building on as they organize a health fair for Saturday, September 16, 2000, in nearby Ottertail City. Partnering with PMHH as sponsors of the health fair are the Ottertail Lion’s Club and Perham Memorial Home Care. The event is free of charge.

The health fair will take place at the Ottertail Community Center from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. The event will include screening for blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure, as well as booths for fall risk assessment, home safety and adaptation, and diet, in its relation to heart health.

Two special attractions have been scheduled. At 9:30 a.m., Nurse Lena - area radio humorist - will draw participants to the lighter side of health as she uses humor to alleviate stress. Then, at 10:00 a.m., Dr. Gary Robinson, MeritCare Clinic New York Mills, will address heart health, medications, and treatments.

Board of Director positions on November ballot

Seven Perham Hospital District Board of Directors positions are slated for the November 7, 2000, election. Townships that will elect representatives for a four-year term are:

Those interested in filing for a position on the board of directors can file through September 12, 2000, with your township clerk. Positions begin on January 1, 2001.