The Koochiching Economic Development Authority Wednesday heard a report from a local leader who's working to upgrade Rainy Lake Medical Center.
Dan Odegaard, RLMC CEO, met with the KEDA and provided board members with an update on the ongoing improvements and renovations at the hospital.
Odegaard touched on a wide variety of improvements, including renovations to the hospital's physical structure, as well as adding more specialty services for patients.
“One of the goals of the board is to provide more access to care locally, more specialty care,” Odegaard said. “And to improve the facilities and the services we offer, to expand those.”
Achieving this goal means patients can get the care they need at home, and not have to travel great distances for specialty care, he said.
Services
One service the hospital has been working hard to add is dialysis, Odegaard said. For RLMC, it's a cost issue: there isn't enough volume to cover the costs of providing the services, he said. Should the service be added, the hospital would provide it at a loss, which it already does with some other services.
“My personal opinion is the solution is going to have to be a political one,” Odegaard said. “We're willing to partner with somebody or collaborate with somebody else, another organization or the government.”
Odegaard mentioned the “medical NAFTA” event which took place in July, and centered on finding a way to allow U.S. citizens to access dialysis services in Fort Frances. Nothing came out of that meeting between U.S. and Canadian representatives, he said, so RLMC continues to work on finding a solution.
Another local service void is radiation treatment, KEDA member Wade Pavleck said, adding many patients drive long distances to receive those services. However, he said, the hospital provides chemotherapy treatment, and is working to fill the radiation service shortfall.
Impact
Odegaard's first year as RLMC CEO has had its own economic impact on Borderland, with the hospital adding 12 employees since he took over. Those are good, well-paying jobs, and they create waves of economic impact on other sectors of the local economy, he said.
“As the hospital grows, as the hospital adds services and employees, it feeds all the other (areas),” Odegaard said.
Economic impact isn't a one-way street, Odegaard said, because the hospital relies on patients to keep coming to RLMC for its services in order for it to grow.
“Hopefully they will do business with our hospital, because it will help us become stronger,” Odegaard said. “As we become stronger, we're going to be able to invest more in the community.”
All the renovations and construction going on at the hospital also provides work for local contractors, with most from the local area, Odegaard said.
Odegaard's impact has also spread down to Littlefork, where he played a crucial role in keeping the Littlefork Medical Center open, Pavleck said. Odegaard sent people to Littlefork with the necessary expertise to turn the LMC around, Pavleck said. One of those people, Mike Anderson, is the LMC's new CEO, and used to work with Odegaard at Bigfork Valley Hospital.
Improvements
Odegaard provided a breakdown of the improvements he's presided over during his time as CEO, including:
- The hiring of a new general surgeon to provide less invasive laparoscopic surgeries.
- Renovations in the new Medical Arts building, which is the old Good Samaritan building adjacent to the hospital campus. These renovations include a private registration area, new entrance and waiting area, new wing for clinic exam rooms, a specialty services wing and a renovated lounge area for employees and visitors.
- Adding a tomo mammography machine, an advanced mammography system that provides a more accurate 3-D digital mammogram.
- A new MRI port for the permanent MRI trailer currently at the hospital, which provides MRI services Monday through Friday.
- An expanded orthopedic department, which will soon offer total knee replacement surgery.
- Approval as a cost level 2 provider for the Minnesota Advantage health plan, which is mostly for state employees. Participating in this plan puts RLMC at the same cost level of other area clinics.
Odegaard also mentioned a few future projects, which include:
- New in-patient rooms
- A new rehabilitation space for wellness and therapy services, including private treatment rooms.
- A new operating room for orthopedic procedures.
- New registration and emergency department spaces for improved privacy.
