January 13, 2004

For immediate release

BIGFORK HOSPITAL RECEIVES $35,000 STATE GRANT FOR TELE HOME CARE

Northern Itasca Health Care Center was recently awarded a $35,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Health as part of its Rural Hospital Planning and Transition Grant Program. The grant is being used to purchase two TeleHomeCare systems which will serve the Northome, Togo and Balsam areas, and provide training on the equipment.

TeleHomeCare is a way to allow a registered nurse to see and monitor a home care client from a central location. A trained home health aide can take the equipment to a home visit and set up an interactive video connection with the hospital so that a registered nurse is able to monitor a patient's vital signs, hear heart or lung sounds, or see the condition of a wound.

"TeleHomeCare is so important in rural areas," said Carol Gilbertson, RN. "It will allow a registered nurse to spend more time helping clients, rather than being on the road. This is extremely important related to our current nursing shortage."

The grant program was established by the Legislature in part to help rural hospitals implement their strategic plans and establish programs in telemedicine. The program was able to fund $300,000 of grant requests and received applications for over twice that amount.

NIHCC expects that TeleHomeCare will be an important enhancement of its home care services. "Finding ways to support seniors and others who choose to live or recover at home is part of our mission to provide a continuum of care," said Dan Odegaard, CEO.

Northern Itasca Health Care Center is a community hospital located in Bigfork, Minn. offering fully staffed inpatient, outpatient and emergency care to northern Itasca, western Beltrami and Koochiching counties. NIHCC also provides clinics for on site specialist care and services for seniors including apartment living, a nursing home based on the Eden philosophy, home care and day stay. For more information, call the hospital at (218) 743-3177.