The year 2005 was another successful year at Roseau Area Hospital and Homes.

The organization continued its rich tradition of providing quality care and service to the people of our region. With our patients in mind, several departments within the organization expanded services and upgraded technology during the year.

Some examples include the expansion of sleep studies in the Respiratory Care department, the addition of behavioral health therapists in the Behavioral Health department, the upgrade to a 16-slice CT scanner in the Imaging department, and the start of the Infusion Therapy department within the hospital.

These are just a few of the many examples of progress within the organization.

The staff at Greenbush Community Nursing Home and Sheltering Oaks Manor continue to provide excellent care for the residents. Both nursing homes were surveyed by the State of Minnesota and received positive results. In addition, both nursing homes received high grades in the State's new Nursing Facility Report Card that is available for public review.

The organization experienced an increase in volume during 2005. Our medical staff delivered 196 babies, with five sets of twins being born at the hospital.

Our outpatient volumes grew in several departments, but especially in Laboratory, Pharmacy, Infusion Therapy, Behavioral Health, Imaging, and Surgery.

The organization was aggressive in its pursuit of grants through the State of Minnesota. Several grants were received to assist with physician recruitment and retention, to install a new heliport, to help the organization to move toward an electronic medical record, and to provide transportation for patients receiving treatments for dialysis and radiation therapy.

Improving quality of care, patient safety, and eliminating waste and inefficiency continue to be goals for the organization. Performance Improvement teams worked on many activities in 2005. Some examples of teams include diabetic, medication reconciliation, discharge planning, family involvement team, and fall prevention. In addition, Lean Health education continued for employees throughout the organization. This education is taking methods the manufacturing industry has used to eliminate waste and improve efficiency and applying them to health care. The goal is to improve quality, safety, customer satisfaction, reduce waste and control cost. This training has been a collaborative effort with Polaris, Marvin's, and other manufacturers with training provided through Northland College. It builds upon the current Roseau Area Hospital and Homes quality program.

The Roseau Area Hospital and Homes Health Care Fund grew during the year. Its mission is to provide financial support for health care and senior living activities for residents of our service area. The Advisory Committee has provided great leadership and input for the long term growth of the foundation.

Roseau Area Hospital and Homes has been focused on the communities we serve by participating in health fairs, sponsoring a May diabetes walk, publishing the HealthMatters newsletter, and improving our website to include an online nursery.

Financially, the organization is in a good position to continue to recruit and retain quality employees, invest in the latest technology and equipment, and continue to have up-to-date facilities.

What makes the Roseau Area Hospital and Homes special is its medical staff, employees, volunteers, hospital auxiliary, and Board of Directors. The spirit of caring and the focus on the well being of patients and residents is evident in all the activities that take place here at Roseau Area Hospital and Homes.
The future looks bright as we continue to care for our neighbors.

Keith Okeson
President/CEO
Roseau Area Hospital & Homes Inc.

 

In appreciation of
our board of directors

Roseau Area Hospital and Homes is proud to recognize its Board of Directors for its clear vision and foresight in preparing it for the future of rural healthcare.

The Board is responsible for communicating the values, vision, mission, and goals of RAHH.

"The board is instrumental in keeping our organization at the forefront of rural healthcare. We greatly appreciate the time and commitment they give to benefit the entire service area," says Keith Okeson, President/CEO of RAHH.

Conversely, the Board acknowledges the importance of having a qualified healthcare team to implement that plan.

"It takes a lot of dedication, commitment, and hard work by a lot of people to provide the services at Roseau Area Hospital and Homes," says Mike Hetteen, chairman of the hospital board. "Given the issues most rural healthcare facilities face today, people in our service area are extremely fortunate to have this high level of healthcare available locally."

He says the physicians, administration, employees, and board members are to be commended for their individual and collective commitment to providing high quality, cost effective healthcare to the area.