CEO's Notes Dan Odegaard Why do people come to our beautiful lake and forest country to visit or live? We might come for the recreation, fishing or hiking. We might come to spend summers where the children can experience nature and then later we might retire to a place we’ve always loved. More and more we can pursue the kind of jobs here that once were found only in the cities because we have high speed communications. And some of us were born here or moved here as children.

CEO Dan Odegaard stands in front of the ongoing construction work of the new hospital addition.

Probably none of us came just to visit a hospital.

So why is it important to have a hospital here in our area? It’s the peace of mind behind all of the reasons I mentioned above. It’s for emergencies that can’t wait for a long drive, or a child’s broken bone that needs tending right now. It’s knowing that there is a doctor or a nurse that’s a home town friend. It’s a northwoods retirement option that comes with medical care and a pharmacy under the same roof.

We can’t offer every service the big city hospital does. But we can invest in those services that really matter to our quality of life here. Our senior residents won’t have to travel to a different place now to have surgery if they break a bone. That’s peace of mind. With our new state of the art mammography equipment, visits can be scheduled more conveniently. That’s peace of mind. Our building program will allow an expanded and more private emergency room.

That’s peace of mind.

We’re not big. But we strive to maintain the highest quality in what we do. And we also offer that priceless small town value; as our friend and neighbor we care about you.

In fact, you’ll see that commitment whenever you see our name: Bigfork Valley Hospital; Where skill meets compassion.