Previous News

Gerber and Hildebrand Join Board
2005

Lakeview Medical Center is pleased to announce two new members have joined LMC's Board of Directors. Jerry Gerber, President of Brill State Bank and David Hildebrand, retired President of the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, started with the board in early November. Both are residents of Rice Lake.

“Lakeview Medical Center's Board is a volunteer Board made up of members from the community,” said Sue Zahrbock, LMC Board Chair. “We welcome Jerry and David to the Board and look forward to their perspectives as we enter into an intense six month strategic planning process.”

Jerry Gerber has 30 years experience in the banking industry, the past 11 years as the president of Brill State Bank. “I bring a financial perspective to the board,” said Gerber, “but I also have an understanding of the complexities of operating a business under very strict compliance and regulatory guidelines. I understand the importance of providing staff the resources needed to meet the challenges of providing health care today.”

Gerber also serves on the University of Wisconsin Barron County Campus Foundation Board and is a member of the Barron County Sunshine Rotary Club. He is married with three grown children and two working toward degrees in medicine.

David Hildebrand has 34 years experience in public education, working for the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC), 20 years as the president of WITC. “The board is entering a strategic planning process that will be inclusive of staff and Rice Lake physicians,” said Hildebrand. “I am interested in exploring how the hospital and other healthcare service providers can improve the range of services provided in our community, while paying attention to the costs to patients.”

Hildebrand also serves on the Wisconsin Public Radio Association Board of Directors, is Board Secretary of the Red Cedar Development Corporation, is a member of the Johnson Bank Board of Directors in Hayward and the Rice Lake Area Mens Club. He is married with two grown children.

Lakeview Medical Center Receives Award for Clinical Excellence In Cardiac Care

2005

Award Recognizes Hospital's Outstanding Care Of Cardiac Patients

Lakeview Medical Center has been recognized for excellence in cardiac care by VHA Inc., a national health care provider alliance of leading not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to improve the health of the communities they serve. Lakeview Medical Center is one of 92 VHA member hospitals nationwide to receive its 2005 Leadership Award for clinical excellence.

“This award validates the dedicated focus of our clinical staff and physicians to improve the care provided to our cardiac patients,” said Ned Wolf, president of Lakeview Medical Center. “By adopting evidence-based measures as a standard part of a cardiac patient's plan of care at our hospital, we are able to monitor and measure the overall rate of improvement in outcomes. Those in the community who depend on us for their health care can be assured that we will continue to seek ways to enhance care and improve their well-being.

The VHA 2005 Leadership Award for clinical excellence in cardiac care is based on the latest set of measures that has been nationally accepted as indicators of quality. For a heart attack some of the standards include:

•  Aspirin prescribed at time of patient's arrival

•  Aspirin prescribed at time of patient's discharge

•  Smoking cessation advice/counseling provided to patient prior to discharge

•  Beta blocker prescribed at time of patient's discharge

•  Beta blocker prescribed at time of patient's arrival

For patients with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) the best practice standards include:

•  Detailed discharge instructions provided to patient

•  Left ventricular function assessment performed on patient

•  Smoking cessation advice/counseling provided to patient prior to discharge.

Lakeview Medical Center achieved an outstanding 90 percent compliance with all rate-based indicators to qualify for the award.

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Hospice Volunteers Make Dining Out Possible for Homebound Patients

2005

Eating out with friends is a commonplace occurrence for most of us, but for hospice patients it can be a difficult if not impossible undertaking. Recently, Lakeview Medical Center's Hospice Care program began a program called “Life Is A Celebration,” which offers a catered dinner to families who are receiving hospice services.

“We understand that it may be too tiring or perhaps even physically impossible to enjoy a dinner out for many of our hospice patients, so we bring the restaurant to them,” said Tammy Koger, Hospice coordinator. “This idea was shared by another hospice coordinator in Wisconsin and we modeled our program after that.”

On the night of the dinner, a hospice volunteer arrives with a tablecloth, napkins, china, glassware and silverware to prepare the dinner. A second hospice volunteer picks up and delivers the meal for four to the home, assisted living facility or nursing home. The volunteers remain to serve the meal and clean up afterward.

“The meals and flowers are all donated by participating merchants,” said Koger. “Currently, we have eight participating restaurants and two florists.”

The recipient of the first dinner party was Norman Stevens of Rice Lake, who has been homebound for many years. He explained it was an opportunity for him to do something special for his girlfriend and caregiver Bonnie. “It was almost like taking her out to dinner,” he said.

A family will be chosen every other month to receive a catered dinner party. “It's a small gesture for the patient and their family, but it brings so much joy. It gives them a chance to relax and enjoy time together,” said Koger.

For more information on Lakeview Medical Center's Hospice Care services, call 715-236-6255.

Our thanks to all participating merchants: Lehman's Supper Club, Brecka's Floral and Garden Center, Adventures, Applebee's, Dobie's BWR, Hanson's Hideaway, Norske Nook, Tagalong, Thyme Worn Treasures, and Dewaynes' Floral & Nursery.

Darcy Henderson (left) and Sue Hanson of Hanson's Hideaway in Haugen catered the most recent hospice dinner.

Harold (Butch) and Trudy Lehman (left) of Lehman's Supper Club catered the first dinner for LMC Hospice's Celebration of Life program and Keven Jensen of Breckas Floral & Garden Center supplied the floral table arrangements.

LMC To Get $20,000 Grant for Fall Prevention

3/05

The Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program has awarded a $20,000 Type I grant to Lakeview Medical Center's Rehab Services and Health & Wellness Center for their Barron County Fall Prevention Project.

“Hundreds of applications were reviewed and Lakeview Medical Center received one of 15 Type I grants,” said Beckie Fulton, Director of Rehab Services at LMC. “We are thrilled to receive the funding to move forward on such a valuable project,” added Char Mlejnek, R.N. and LMC Health & Wellness Center Program Coordinator.

Lakeview Medical Center, the Barron County Office on Aging and the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin have partnered to create and implement a program aimed at preventing falls and fall-related injuries among older adults in Barron County. A secondary aim is to link older adults at risk for falls to existing health services.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Statistics:

•  More than 1/3 of adults 65 and older fall each year.
•  Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of non-fatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma among older adults.
•  Those over 65 who fall are 4-5 times more likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.
•  National data show Wisconsin's death rate from falls is twice the national average.
•  Falls accounted for 24 percent of all injury-related Wisconsin ER visits with reported external causes.

The grant project will involve several LMC departments including Rehab Services, the Health & Wellness Center and Home Health Care. The project will run January through December 2005 and will involve risk assessments/screenings, education, physical therapy, exercise, and home safety assessments and modifications.

LMC's Hospice Program Receives Donation From Wal Mart

2/05

Lakeview Medical Center's Hospice Care program has received a $500.00 donation from Wal-Mart in Rice Lake. LMC's Hospice Care program was one of five local organizations Wal-Mart associates chose to receive a Holiday Grant. The other four local organizations were Toys for Tots, Time Out Abuse Shelter, Meals on Wheels and Positive Alternatives.

“We really enjoy being able to support community organizations through store donations and through Wal-Mart Foundation grants,” said Sonja Schaaf, personnel manager at Wal-Mart and coordinator of the Holiday Grant program.

“We are pleased local Wal-Mart employees choose to support our Hospice Care program,” said Sylvia Temlitz, director of Home Health Care and Hospice at Lakeview Medical Center. “Hospice Care is a valuable service for both patients and their families.”

Auxiliary Named "Citizen of the Year"

1/05

This year's Distinguished Citizen of the Year, given by the Rice Lake Rotary, was a surprise to some.  In an introduction at the awards presentation, LMC President Ned Wolf joked, "I checked the hospital records and the Citizen of the Year was born 26 years ago at Lakeview Medical Center."

Wolf then revealed to the audience that the award did not go to one person, but an entire organization--the LMC Auxiliary.

"The Rotary usually gives the award to an individual," said Auxiliary President Pat Drost,  "so we were quite surprised and thrilled to receive it.  We actually went to the dinner without any idea we were going to receive it."

To achieve what the Auxiliary has achieved in the past 26 years, probably could never have been done by just one person.  Following are just a few of the reasons LMC's Auxiliary was voted "Citizen of the Year."

Since 1978, the Auxiliary has:

--Given over 350,000 hours of volunteer support to LMC
--Contributed over $54,000 in the form of 127 scholarships
--Provided over 360 Lifeline units now in service (at a cost of $700 each)
--Raised funds through a variety of fundraisers including Love Light program, Salad Luncheon, bake sales, and Charity Bazaar
--Purchased thousands of dollars of items such as defibrillators, heart monitors, blanket warmers, Cardiac Rehab exercise equipment, auditory testing equipment and cribs for infants, to name just a few.
--Run the Gift Shop as a successful business.
--Provided services to the hospital including greeting patients, staffing the Surgery Lounge, bringing magazines to patients, filing, helping in the Dialysis unit, delivery special food trays to patient units, and much more.

New WHA Chair Ned Wolf Sees Funding Medicaid as Lead Issue in 2005
1/05

Edward H. (Ned) Wolf, president/CEO at Lakeview Medical Center, has his priorities set as he assumes the position as the 2005 Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) Board Chair, and funding the Medicaid program is high on his list.

“The Medicaid program has been under funded for many years, creating an additional cost and burden—the ‘hidden tax'—that business and individuals who pay for insurance are now bearing, and that has to stop,” said Wolf. “We also believe it is our responsibility to be a voice for Medicaid recipients. Cutting Medicaid funding and services might prevent patients from seeking the care they need when they need it.”

Medicaid isn't the only issue that WHA will work on in 2005. Wolf will also continue to support initiatives that increase the amount of health care information that is useful to the public in making good decisions about their own health.

Wisconsin hospitals are committed to providing even more information that will help consumers, according to Wolf. In 2004, the CheckPoint Web site was launched, where people can find data related to hospital quality and safety. In 2005, WHA will add information to CheckPoint related to how satisfied patients are with the care they receive while in the hospital, and WHA will launch a new Web site that will make hospital price information readily available.

Wolf is anxious to get started in his new position, and looks forward to the challenge of representing a diversity of hospitals in Wisconsin—ranging from the very largest to the smallest.

“It is an honor for me to be able to work on and represent such important health care issues for our Association,” said Wolf.

The WHA has set an aggressive agenda in 2005, one that WHA President Steve Brenton is confident that Wolf will lead with passion and wisdom.

"Ned's leadership position recognizes his strong commitment to advancing a proactive and successful health care environment in Rice Lake as hospital CEO and statewide through his active involvement in WHA," Brenton said. "Ned is representative of the type of health care leader that works hard every day to improve Wisconsin's outstanding collection of community hospitals. He will be an outstanding WHA Chair."

Wolf has served in many leadership positions at WHA. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2000, chaired the Council on Finance and Payment since 2001, served on the Council on Governance from 1996-1997, is a past chair of the West Central Hospital Council, joined the Executive Committee in 2003, and served on the Nominating and Awards Committee in 1999 and 2000.

LMC CONSIDERS OPTIONS FOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY INTO THE FUTURE
10/04

Lakeview Medical Center has announced the decision to investigate a possible formal relationship with a healthcare system. As a successful not-for-profit, independent hospital, LMC is in a strong position to review possible options that would enhance LMC's mission and help ensure patients and the community continue to receive high quality healthcare services into the future.

“Part of planning for a new healthcare campus is considering all options available for providing healthcare to the community,” said Mike Bock, Chairman of Lakeview Medical Center's Board of Directors. “As discussions surrounding the new facility progressed, the concept of a more formal relationship with a healthcare system came up. It is critical we consider options that could benefit LMC patients and the community.”

The hospital Board will be meeting with the following healthcare systems: Allina Hospitals and Clinics; Marshfield Clinic; OakLeaf Medical Network; and St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Health System.

For many years, Lakeview Medical Center has enjoyed a positive working relationship with Marshfield Clinic and area independent physicians. “We want to continue these relationships with all our area physicians; thereby continuing to offer our region the most healthcare services,” stated Ned Wolf, President of Lakeview Medical Center. “LMC has a strong reputation for providing quality care as well as for investing in new technologies and equipment to serve our patients. We expect any healthcare system relationship to only enhance our abilities.”

Throughout Wisconsin and nationally, there are different models of healthcare relationships – many systems are bringing clinic and hospital services closer together. Lakeview Medical Center's Board believes strongly that the hospital should remain a not-for-profit organization, serving the population regardless of their ability to pay. It is also important that Lakeview Medical Center continues to provide a broad range of healthcare services, including expanding services and offering new services to the area. Recognizing the contribution employees have made to the success of the hospital, the Board wants to maintain and enhance employment opportunities by offering more healthcare services. The Board has high expectations of maintaining these principles.

“Our plans to build a new hospital have not changed,” continued Wolf. “Discussions surrounding a possible system relationship will, of course, precede the building of a new facility as it can have an impact on its design.” Some possible advantages to a relationship include the ability to share resources as well as offer new services. Lakeview Medical Center has long been “more hospital” than people expect to find in rural Wisconsin. “We are continually looking for better ways to serve our patients,” said Wolf, “this effort is just another way we are working to ensure LMC is meeting the healthcare needs of our community.”

“While it is too early in the process to commit to an exact timeline, this is of the highest priority for the next several months,” added Wolf. “Our first step is meeting with interested healthcare systems. Those meetings will occur in November. ”

Lakeview Medical Center's Board of Directors are: Wayne Arnold, Mark Berger, Mary Bitz, Mike Bock, Sandy Bonneville, Russell Brown, James Dorrance, Dennis Geisler, Sue Jacobson, Barbara Johnson, Daniel Lochmann, M.D., Jeff Marquardt, M.D., Douglas Raether, M.D., Gary Stelzer, M.D., and Sue Zahrbock. The public is invited to send comments to the Board of Directors care of Jennifer Greshowak, Director of Community Relations, Lakeview Medical Center, 1100 North Main Street, Rice Lake, 54868 or email greshowak.jennifer@lakeviewmedical.org . Comments will be shared with Lakeview Medical Center's Board and administration.

VISITORS WHO NEED DIALYSIS FIND THE WELCOME MAT OUT AT LMC
9/04

Imagine not being able to go on vacation, visit your out-of-town relatives, or make it to a special birthday party, anniversary or wedding. People on dialysis across the country and in your back yard face this issue every day.

“We receive calls every month from dialysis patients as far away as California and Texas who have a reason to be in the Rice Lake area and need dialysis treatments in order to travel. In order to live,” said LeeAnn Krause, Director of Social Services at Lakeview Medical Center. “If a dialysis patient is healthy enough to travel, we want to help. Having dialysis services available to visitors has allowed some people to make a trip they had been putting off for years.”

Many traveling dialysis patients are finding dialysis units throughout northwestern Wisconsin are not able to accommodate their treatment needs. Others that are able to find treatments are traveling long distances from where they are staying – to the Twin Cities, Duluth, Superior, Ashland or La Crosse.

The majority of patients on hemodialysis dialyze three days a week. The process to locate a dialysis unit able to provide visitor dialysis can be very frustrating. Often times, many phone calls must be made, only to find out that there are no openings, that visitor or transient patients are not accepted, or that the closest opening is very far away, hardly making the trip worthwhile if a whole day of vacation is spent traveling to and from the dialysis unit. If an opening is found, there is a great deal of coordination of information between the sending and receiving unit to assure that needed data is received for the patient's care.

“While accepting visitor patients is labor intensive for our dialysis team at LMC, we're very happy to be giving dialysis patients from around the region and country, the chance to travel,” said Deb Berghammer, Director of Dialysis at LMC.

“Many hospitals do not take visitor patients, so I was very happy that Lakeview accepted me so I could vacation in my home state and visit my family,” said Jean Setterlund. Jean is visiting Bob and Joyce Johnson of Rice Lake. Jean has done a lot in two weeks: visiting the Red Barn Theater, listening to music in the park, shopping in surrounding towns, playing cards, scenic drives, eating out, exploring the farmers market, visiting at a family reunion, and much more. It has been four years since Jean, who now lives near her daughter in Phoenix, has been able to visit Rice Lake. “It has been a delight to have Jean here with us again,” said Bob Johnson.

LMC has a nine-station dialysis unit in Rice Lake and a six-station unit located in Spooner at Spooner Health Systems. LMC's Rice Lake dialysis unit opened in 1977 and the Spooner unit officially opened in February of this year. “Nearly 30 percent of our dialysis patients were traveling to our Rice Lake unit from the Spooner area,” said Berghammer. “Spooner Health Systems worked closely with us (LMC) to open the satellite unit in their hospital.” The opening of the Spooner unit and transferring of patients to that unit has allowed for openings for someone outside the region to schedule dialysis time while they are visiting or for someone who lives here but has been traveling to a unit farther away.

“Finding a dialysis unit that will take a visiting patient is very hard,” said Roger Miller a LMC visiting dialysis patient from Redding, California. Miller needed to be in Chippewa Falls for a funeral this summer and was having difficulty finding a dialysis unit that would accept him, until he tried Lakeview Medical Center. “Traveling for a dialysis patient is tough.” Miller's 94-year-old father, two sisters and one brother live in the area and Miller was able to stay with his family for two weeks.

“Some dialysis units are choosing to not accept visitors, even if they have an opening,” said Berghammer. “LMC made a conscious decision to accept traveling dialysis patients as soon as we knew we'd have openings. It's the right thing to do – to help out these patients if we can.”

Robert and Ruth Braechman from California were pleased to find out Robert could receive his dialysis treatments at Spooner this summer instead of traveling from Long Lake to St. Croix Falls like they did last year. The Braechman's, former Long Lake residents live in California near their daughter during the winter months and return to their Wisconsin home June through September. “Robert has been on dialysis for over a year and a half,” said Ruth Braechman. “We need to do a lot more planning now before we travel.”

Since May, LMC has provided 69 dialysis treatments to 28 visiting patients. “We don't expect requests for visitor treatments to decrease at the end of the summer,” said Berghammer. People visit our region year-round and Thanksgiving and the holidays are just around the corner. We hope we can help make someone's holiday season a very special one this year.”

Jean Setterlund has already asked to be placed on a waiting list for next year. “Everyone I've met here at the dialysis unit at LMC has been nice, accommodating and asks me what I need,” said Setterlund. “Everyone has a genuine interest in who I am as a person. They all are friendly and personable. It's been a good vacation.”

For additional information on dialysis at Lakeview Medical Center, please call the dialysis unit at 715-236-6159 or click here for our dialysis services page.

Diabetes In Wisconsin Higher Than National Average
9/04

Before the sun is up, before breakfast, and before Lawrence Prock goes out to check how the snap beans did in the early frost, he checks the numbers that keep him healthy. These are numbers on a pager-sized monitor where he has just inserted a diabetes testing strip that contains a small “pin prick” of his blood. His numbers are good. Regular exercise, medication, and a careful diet have brought these numbers, which measure the amount of glucose in his blood, to a “healthy range” for someone with type 2 diabetes.

“I was diagnosed with diabetes last spring,” said the 51-year-old Prock. “I had all the classic symptoms like extreme thirst, frequent urination, blurry vision and just plain not feeling well. When the doctor told me I had diabetes, I wasn't surprised because it runs in my family.”

Prock's grandparents and four aunts all had diabetes, as well as someone else very near to him. “My daughter Jenny, now 27, was diagnosed with diabetes when she was just six years old,” said Prock.

The Procks are not alone. Over 18 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and the numbers are growing. Wisconsin estimates that 327,000 adults, or 8 percent of the population, have diabetes, which is higher than the national average of 6.3 percent.

The Human and Financial Burden of Diabetes

The Procks are lucky in that they have been diagnosed and are treating and controlling their disease. Almost one third of the people who have diabetes in the U.S., about 5.2 million, don't even know they have it. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to blindness, loss of limbs, kidney disease, heart disease and stroke.

As costly as it is in human terms, diabetes is also a financial burden. Over $92 billion is spent in direct medical costs per year in the U.S. Indirect costs such as disability, work loss, and early death account for another $40 billion. Closer to home, the cost of diabetes in Barron County is “staggering” according to the Wisconsin Division of Public Health. Direct and indirect costs total over $22 million a year.

Types of Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (90 to 95% of all cases) can start at any age and usually begins when the body's fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin properly. As a result, glucose does not enter the body's cells and builds up in the bloodstream.

Type 1 diabetes develops most often in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age. People with type 1 must take insulin because their bodies make little or no insulin.

Are You At Risk?

As the Procks know, family history plays a big part in the disease. Other risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: not getting enough exercise, being overweight, and having high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Ethnicity also is a predictor, with American Indians, Hispanics, and African Americans at higher risk

How To Reduce Your Risk

For years, though he knew he had a good chance of developing diabetes, Lawrence Prock did not watch his weight or make the best food choices. “I thought buffets were my best friend,” laughed Prock. “Millie Seabold, a dietitian at the Diabetes Education Center at Lakeview Medical Center, was a big help in planning a diet for me. Basically, I eat mostly what I ate before, but in smaller portions and spread out over the day. And I've gotten used to diet soda instead of the high carb and sugar pop I used to drink.”

A busy grain farmer during the summer months, Prock worries that when fall harvest is done he won't be getting enough exercise. “I'm going to buy a treadmill,” he said. “I can tell I don't feel as well when I'm not active.”

Pre-diabetes

About 41 million people in the U.S. have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. People who later develop diabetes usually have gone through this “pre-diabetes” stage.

“Studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes can delay and sometimes prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity,” explained Laura Metropulos, a Certified Diabetes Educator at the Diabetes Education Center. “Having your doctor check your blood sugar is very important if you're over 45, overweight, and have other risk factors for diabetes.”

Education

Avenues for people wanting to know more about diabetes include an upcoming healthfair sponsored by Lakeview Medical Center and the Marshfield Clinic on September 23 at the WITC Conference Center in Rice Lake. Speakers and vendors will be present. Free health screenings will be offered. For more information call 715-236-6367.

The Diabetes Information Group meets the third Thursday of the month at Lakeview Medical Center in the Medical Arts Building at 6:00 p.m. For more information, call 715-236-6306.

Not the End of the World

A couple of weeks ago, Lawrence Prock attended the wedding of his daughter Jenny. “When we sat down to eat, she asked if I needed to borrow her meter,” “I said I had brought my own, but thanks anyway,” said Prock. “It's funny how things turn out. Years ago I remember thinking that I wished I had been the one to get the disease and not her. Neither of us can change the situation, but we can do our best to control it and live healthier lives. I've discovered that getting diabetes is not the end of the world. I have a lot of living left to do.”

Right Time and Place for Heart Attack Victim
at Cedar Mall
9/04

Should you ever have a heart attack you'll want three things
on your side: fate, a defibrillator, and someone like
Kevin Kukuch.

On Friday, August 6, Kukuch, an LMC respiratory therapist, was working at the Health & Wellness Center at Cedar Mall in Rice Lake. 

“The owner of a restaurant in the mall came run-
ning in and said, ‘we need you now,'” Kukuch remembered.

They ran down the hall to a woman lying on the floor.  A quick
look and Kukuch knew the situation he was dealing with was a heart attack.

“She had also fallen, hit her head and was bleeding,” said Kukuch.  “I asked if they had called 911, which is always the first thing to do.”

First minutes critical

911 had been called, but Kukuch knew that every second within the first four minutes is critical because after that, brain and heart damage can occur. He also knew he had to get back to the Health & Wellness Center to get the automated external defibrillator (AED) kept there.

“I asked if anyone in the crowd knew CPR, but I was surprised
that no one did, so I showed Mary McCarthy, one of our Health Center members, how to do compressions," he said.

It took only 30 seconds for Kukuch to race back to center and return.  He placed the pads on the patient and plugged in the battery pack. 

Electrical Shock Needed

“Sure enough, the AED said shock was indicated,” said Kukuch.  “I made sure everyone was clear and shocked her.  Almost immediately there was a good strong pulse where there had been nothing before.”

Kukuch “bagged” his patient with a resuscitation device which, along with an air tank and defibrillator, is part of the AED package that all fits into a case barely bigger than a lunch box. He also rolled her onto her side to keep her lungs clear.

“I've done this many times in a controlled hospital setting,” said Kukuch, “but there you are part of a team with all the help and equipment you need.  I can't tell you how different it is when you are on your own.”

When the LMC paramedics and Rice Lake Fire department arrived, Kukich said, “I was happy to see them.”

No Better Feeling

It did take a couple of hours to “wind down,” but after the excitement faded, Kukuch said one thing did not.  “It is a great feeling to know you were able to get someone back.” 

The woman had a successful triple bypass surgery the next day in Marshfield.

Hazardous Materials Drill Like The Real Thing
8/04

No time is ever a good time for a disaster. On Wednesday, July 28, Rice Lake came a step closer to being prepared if something were to happen here with a surprise disaster drill involving emergency response teams from across the city.

The planning for this disaster drill began more than a month before the drill as a cooperative effort of the Rice Lake Fire Department, Police Department, Barron County Emergency Government, Public Health and Lakeview Medical Center.

"We have all put in a considerable amount of time and effort to make this drill happen and make it as realistic as possible," said Ron Steinblock, Safety Coordinator at Lakeview Medical Center.

"Everyone working in the healthcare and emergency response fields are working together to develop strategies and processes that will help ensure we are able to respond to community needs during a disaster," said Ned Wolf, Lakeview Medical Center President.

"This drill was very effective because volunteers from the community did such a great job of acting as victims," added Steinblock. "Our victims and parents were prepped in advance and all did a great job of simulating a real disaster. Through this drill we found out what we do well and what we need to work on."

The Drill
At 1:30 p.m., a 911 call is received at police dispatch from the Rice Lake Hockey Arena stating there is a strong smell of gas at the arena where 500 kids are attending a scrimmage between Rice Lake and Barron high schools. A white cloud is seen coming from under the bleachers. Police offers are dispatched to check out the situation. Lakeview Medical Center is advised of the situation from police dispatch and the ambulance is placed on standby at this time.

Upon arrival at the Hockey Arena, police find people running from the building, screaming and coughing. Several are lying on the ground. Fire Rescue, EMS, and Emergency Government are dispatched to the scene. The fire department decides to "shower decontaminate" the victims due to the possible large number involved. Victims on the ground are showered and assessed by EMS. All are found to have severe respiratory distress, burning eyes, and are sick to their stomach. Officers on scene advise dispatch that contaminated victims are piling into private cars and heading to the hospital. Police dispatch alerts LMC.

LMC administration and Emergency Department quickly assess the situation and lock down the hospital to prevent victims from contaminating staff and the rest of the hospital.

Shortly thereafter, approximately 20 kids arrive at the hospital by cars with the same complaints of respiratory distress, burning eyes and sick to their stomach. Some attempt to enter the front lobby, others are trying to get into the ambulance entrance.

During this time an urgent call is received from Barron Medical Center stating they have 10 children who came to the hospital with the same symptoms. The children said they came from a hockey game at Rice Lake and were possibly exposed to a chemical. Do we know what's going on.

At LMC the decision is make to "shower decontaminate" the victims due to the large numbers. The victims strip to swimsuits, are flushed by water and scrubbed down in the decontamination chamber located in the ambulance garage area.

They are then routed to the Emergency Department for evaluation. Ambulances arrive with decontaminated victims who are taken directly to Emergency. An alternate emergency room is established in the physical therapy area. Victims have their eyes flushed and antibiotics and oxygen are administered. Symptoms now subside. All victims are now systematically discharged. It is never determined what the exposure chemical was. The drill is concluded.

Review of the drill
Why lock-down the hospital?
"This is a critical part of dealing with victims contaminated with a hazardous material," said Steinblock. "If victims are allowed to flood into the hospital, victims could contaminate staff and jeopardize the entire hospital. Barron Hospital would have faced the same dilemma when the 10 victims arrived. So hypothetically, not two of the three hospitals in Barron County could be put out of commission.

"We have to have victims at least partially decontaminated before bringing them into the ED to protect the caregivers and patients already in the hospital," he said.

Why do we have this type of drill?
"We want to be prepared for a disaster if it were to occur," said Steinblock. "LMC, along with other hospitals across the county, state and nation have invested a considerable amount of time and money to prepare for unexpected events. These realistic drills are a critical part of assuring our hospitals are prepared for such terrible possibilities. These drills also give us a real-time chance to work closely with other hospitals and government agencies like fire, police, sheriff, emergency government, and public health."

What was learned?
"Overall we learned communication among the various agencies was very good," said Steinblock. "LMC experienced excellent response times from departments throughout the hospital with staff and physicians responding like they have been training to."

"It was very helpful to have parents and kids from the community help make the drill seem so real. The mock victims in this drill were local Boy Scouts and their parents, lead by Scout leaders Ronnie Latcham and Travis Brown.

"Emergency responders also learned that there is a need to revise strategies for security and traffic control," added Steinblock. "We learned the importance of quick communication measures with victims and families to help them understand the process - what steps are going to happen when, who will be involved, and how questions will be answered."

Again, a thank you to all who participated.

LMC Receives Emergency Preparedness
Grant Funds
6/04

LMC received $19,200 from the Wisconsin Region 1 Hospital Preparedness Team to help subsidize the addition of two airborne infection isolation rooms.

Isolation rooms are used to care for patients, who have or are suspected of having an airborne transmitted disease such as measles, chickenpox, tuberculosis, SARS, smallpox and other emerging airborne transmitted diseases. The isolation room helps to contain these airborne transmitted diseases through the use of special filters and air exhaust systems.

“Lakeview Medical Center is committed to providing our community access to high quality health care,” said Gerry Lisi, Director of LMC's Emergency Department. “In fact, Lakeview proactively created an airborne infection isolation room in our Emergency Department back in 1994.  We will use the Wisconsin Hospital Preparedness funds to enhance our isolation capacity.” 

The Wisconsin Region 1 Hospital Preparedness Team is composed of hospitals, local health departments, county Emergency Management Directors, EMS and other emergency responders, who collaborate together to respond to any incident, involving large numbers of patients which may overwhelm the capacity of any hospital.

These funds have been made available to hospitals through the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Program. These funds come from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, directed by former Wisconsin Governor, Tommy Thompson.

“While the events of September 11 th and the threat of bioterrorism certainly spurred these preparedness initiatives,” said Lisi, a member of the Region 1 Hospital Bioterrorism executive committee, “our planning at Lakeview and on this committee applies to a tornado, a flu pandemic, a building collapse, or any other incident, that would involve large numbers of patients.” 

Hospitals in Northwestern Wisconsin have received a total of $538,200 to help subsidize isolation rooms.  They have also been the recipient of $100,000 of grant funds to purchase additional stores of personal protective equipment for staff.  Additional funds have aided with the addition of high speed telephone lines so hospitals can access the Wisconsin Health Alert Network, decontamination equipment, training for laboratory staff and other preparedness initiatives.

LMC Awarded Joint Commision Accreditation
5/04

It's official. Lakeview Medical Center has earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval by demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's (JCAHO) national standards for health care quality and safety.

“We believe it is valuable to have experts come to our hospital and evaluate our care,” said Ned Wolf, the President of Lakeview Medical Center.  “Lakeview Medical Center voluntarily participates in JCAHO surveys and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate our quality care standards and patient safety practices.”

Focusing On Continuous Improvement
“Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization's performance and the outcomes of care,” said Kurt Patton, executive director, Hospital Accreditation Program, Joint Commission. “The community should be proud that Lakeview Medical Center is focusing on the most challenging goal – to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels.”

Spooner Dialysis Ready for Visiting Patients
6/04

LMC's dialysis unit welcomed its first visiting dialysis patient last month. The unit will be treating two visiting patients a day, May - Sept. These visitors are coming from as close as southern Wisconsin and the Twin Cities to as far away as Kansas, Texas and New Mexico.

A multidisciplinary team of seven has been working aggressively since
the end of March to fine tune the process of accepting visiting dialysis patients.

"The opening of the Spooner dialysis unit has allowed us the space in Rice Lake to offer visitors dialysis treatments," said Deb Wroblewski. "We're excited to be able to meet the needs of patients visiting or living in our area for the summer."

Comments or Questions?

Please contact:

moravitz.christy@lakeviewmedical.org