Sheila Costello and Jeff Denniston are North Shore Hospital’s paramedics, ready to ride along with patients that need pain medication or intravenous medication on a transfer to Duluth.
If you have to have a medical emergency, being in the hands of a paramedic is a good place to be. That’s where a lot of North Shore Hospital emergency room patients end up now that two paramedics are on staff.
Long-time Lutsen resident Jeff Denniston is a new paramedic, but he’s well prepared and came with hundreds of hours of hands-on experience required in his training. He obtained a paramedicine degree from Mesabi Range Community & Technical College and in the course of preparing for certification flew with Life Flight, rode along on ambulance runs, and shadowed a nurse anesthetist.
Sheila Costello is Jeff’s professional “other half.” “We’re two sides of the same coin,” Denniston said. Costello came here from Missouri with years of experience as a paramedic. She and Denniston pass the baton with 72-hour shifts, working 10- to 11-hour days and being on call the rest of the time. Denniston said during his last shift, he had gone to Duluth three times. When then are not out on a run, they are staffing the emergency room, where they assess patients and provide initial intervention.
The paramedics fill a painful void that existed previously, with staff trying to find nurses not on duty to take ambulance rides to Duluth and sometimes sending doctors on the runs. The facility is so small that taking a nurse off the floor impacts coverage significantly.
Costello showed the board some of the equipment they use. Denniston said they were grateful to the North Shore Health Care Foundation that enabled them to obtain some of the equipment that enables them to do what they were trained to do.
“Having the addition of the paramedics has been a delight,” Dr. Sandra Stover said. “It has expanded the ability to serve the community in ways it will never see.” Intervention can happen quicker with this service, and that can make a big difference in outcome, she said.
Ambulance Service director Darrell Smith said that unlike EMTs, paramedics can administer medicine in the ambulance, which makes the ride much easier on the patient. The condition of a patient and the type of care he or she needs dictate whether a paramedic goes on a transfer to Duluth. If a patient needs pain medication or intravenous medication, a paramedic goes along.
“We’re really glad you guys are here,” said Board Member Howard Abrahamson.
“It’s a great job,” said Denniston.
2012 levy
This time of the year is when the board sets its budget and decides what the levy will be for next year. Administrator Kimber Wraalstad said she doesn’t anticipate a need to increase the levy from this year’s amount, which is $800,000. The hospital needs information technology upgrades and corresponding staff training, and some capital investments need to be made, she said, which will be costly.
Board member Tom Spence recommended that they start with a levy of $1.2 million when they set the preliminary budget. This can be lowered when they decide on a final budget in December, but it can’t be raised after the preliminary budget is submitted to the county in September.
The board passed a motion setting the preliminary levy at $1.2 million.
Collaborating on care options
Administrator Wraalstad said she would be meeting with Spectrum Health Companies in Silver Bay to discuss the assisted living facility the company has proposed building in Grand Marais. She said she hopes they can work collaboratively instead of competitively in order to provide the best continuum of care possible for the community.
Wraalstad said she would like to get all interested entities together to discuss community needs: the Cook County – Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA), which Spectrum has approached regarding land for an assisted living facility, the hospital, Cook County Public Health and Human Services, Spectrum, and outlying communities such as Grand Portage and Tofte. “I want us all to be successful,” Wraalstad said. “That’s the ultimate goal, I hope.”
Board Chair Howard Abrahamson said the hospital is not interested in operating an assisted living facility but believed the board and administration want to see these services available. He said they would like to see hospital and assisted living services dovetail. “We have limited resources in a community of this size,” he said.
Tom Spence said he would like them to find out whether one bigger facility or several smaller ones scattered throughout the community would be better. County Commissioner Jim Johnson, liaison to the hospital board, said Spectrum is considering a 30-unit facility in Grand Marais. Board member Sharon Bloomquist thought that might be bigger than what would be needed. Spectrum is a business, Abrahamson said, and they would be careful to build whatever size facility would maximize their success.
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