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Medical Center benefits felt throughout communityIn 2006, the New Ulm Medical Center invested $239,998 into the health of the communities it serves through various services and programs, provided $653,000 of free care to patients who qualified, as well as $522,000 in discounts to uninsured patients. Those contributions, along with the $766,000 NUMC is required to pay for MN Care Taxes to subsidize the state-run MN Care program that provides health insurance to residents who do not have access to affordable insurance, adds up to over $2.1 million in community benefits provided by NUMC in 2006. As a not-for-profit organization, the medical center performs beneficial services for the community in lieu of paying taxes. “Our challenge as a medical center is to fulfill the mission and vision of improving the health of the communities we serve,” said NUMC President Lori Wightman. “We strive to do that not only by serving those who walk through our doors for appointments and treatments, but by proactively promoting health and education throughout the community.” The Medical Center’s Community Focus Committee, a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for the evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of these community benefit programs and services. Diane Rasmussen, Director of Human Resources and Marketing at NUMC, coordinates the work of the committee. “We focus on where our funds are being spent and if they are being spent in the right places. We ensure that these dollars are used to address unmet health care needs in the community,” she said. There are 10 other committee members. NUMC board of trustee members are Frani Knowles, MD – who also chairs the committee – Cliff Wu, MD, Marj Frederickson, and Kent Menzel. Other members are public health nurse Sharon Larson, RN, dietitian Rebecca Fliszar, Lori Burkhart, RN, NUMC Foundation Director Carisa Buegler, NUMC Manager of Behavioral Health Services Steve Schneider and Deb Hertling, NUMC educator. Again this year, the largest single benefit provided in the community was through the dinners for shut-ins program at $35,322. The Heart Safe Communities initiative, childbirth education classes and the NUMC involvement at the Home and Self-Improvement Show and the Brown County Fair were also included in the “Serving” category of the benefit report. Another large expense in this category was medical education at $73,321. Every year, NUMC is a training site for nursing and other healthcare students, sponsors student internships, student shadowing and hosts a medical student through the Rural Physician Associate Program. “The medical education contribution is an important one,” Rasmussen said. “We recognize that there is projected to be an increasing shortage in nursing and other healthcare careers. To ensure that we have doctors, nurses and enough health care workers to take care of the community 20 years from now, it is important for us to encourage the growth of these careers and to have continuing connections with the schools. We also believe that it is our obligation to show students what rural health care is all about, to encourage their interest in living and working in a rural setting.” The other categories broken out in the annual report are “Giving,” “Caring,” and “Advocating.” Giving includes coordinating events such the employee giving campaign. Advocating includes contributing to health care public policy at the legislative level. |
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New Ulm Medical Center
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