Riverwood vision – Progress 2020 | Health – Aitkin Independent Age

Food equity, employee housing, quality local schools, on-the-job training for local youth, volunteer opportunities for community members and living wage jobs for over 400 employees.

What do these have to do with being a state-of-the-art full-service health care campus like Riverwood Healthcare Center? They have everything to do with it, according to Riverwood CEO Todd Sandberg.

Sandberg and the Riverwood senior leadership team met in February to talk about the organization and what has changed over time, what kinds of things are part of their vision for the future and how Riverwood plans to become integrated into and responsive to the life of the community it serves: Aitkin County and the Garrison/Lake Mille Lacs area of Minnesota.

Sandberg acknowledged the importance of Riverwoods very dedicated 11-member volunteer board of directors. Board members who each represent various areas of expertise and life experiences assist in making important decisions about the future of health care in the region. The board of directors is very engaged in participating in a variety of educational opportunities to continue to learn about the challenges facing rural hospitals. Many have attended trustee boot camp and many board members have achieved a special trustee certification through the Minnesota Hospital Association.

In April there will be an annual retreat for the board of directors to refresh the existing strategic plan and vision for the health care center.

The pace of change in the health care industry requires the board to continually be thinking of how Riverwood needs to pivot to meet the needs of the individuals we serve, Sandberg explained. One outcome from the retreat is providing the senior leadership with strategic priorities and expectations to focus on in the coming months. Our board members help set the tone for the hospital and they are advocates for the needs of the community.

Riverwood has 330 full-time equivalents on staff. Some are part time, so there are actually 425 unique individuals employed there. A challenge in finding and keeping employees is local housing. The lack of daycare providers is also a limiting factor for new employees.

Sandberg and his team have a vision of becoming more collaborative with other parts of the communities they servethe school boards, schools, other businesses and service organizations. Together they will be able to build relationships and create a compelling story of community collaboration and cohesion.

Building a future workforce is high on the list of priorities for Riverwood. Physician recruiter Tanya Pietz encourages students at local high schools to consider careers in the medical field early. There are many ways that interested students can do internships or other in-service activities to get a feel for whether a career in a medical or supporting field like hospital administration or finance would work for them as a career. There are also clinical rotations available in almost every department in the hospital. For physicians who complete their training in urban hospitals, Riverwood participates in a Rural Physician Associate Program to help them experience working in a rural environment.

Developing and fostering these kinds of relationships is one way of keeping talent in the community, rather than having young people leave Aitkin County to work elsewhere when they leave high school.

We are currently experiencing a shortage in several areas and it is anticipated the gap will continue to grow over the next 10 years, said Sandberg. We know recruitment will be an issue for us in the future, especially in some hard-to-fill positions.

COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS

In 2019 a community health needs assessment conducted for Riverwood gathered input from many different community stakeholders within its service area. Two issues rose to the top as being the highest priorities for the current period: Behavioral health and substance abuse.

Riverwood Healthcare Center uses that information to inform and adjust its path forward, focusing efforts around and funding on these two top-tier issues, in addition to myriad others that keep the center on a path to continuous improvement. Riverwood leadership has also identified food equity as a key issue to address in the community.

Behavioral health will continue to be a high priority for Riverwood going forward. The hospitals behavioral health unit, led by Janet Larson, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, has moved to a nearby services building on Bunker Hill Drive this spring. Two new professionals have been added to that unit. They are Liz Thompson, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, and Kirstiane Bilyeu, a licensed clinical social worker.

Bringing key stakeholders into developing a process to address the continuing opioid crisis is a part of the vision for addressing the substance abuse priority that was identified in the community health assessment. Riverwood hosts an Aitkin County Opioid Task Force that engages key community stakeholders to reduce opioid abuse through care coordination and increasing access to treatment for people experiencing opioid use disorder.

Patients might see us here at Riverwood two or three times a year, Sandberg said. The rest of the time they are at large in the community living life. If we want to be effective, we need to engage the whole community in this effort to address ongoing challenges facing our residents.

Riverwood plans a food drive during Food Share Month in March. The campaign has a goal of collecting 2,020 lbs. of non-perishable food for donation to local food shelves, along with raising awareness. Food equity and social isolation have been identified as serious concerns, especially among lower income and older residents of Riverwoods service area. Often, individuals need to decide whether to buy medications or groceries. Inadequate nutrition or not taking needed medication can both lead to an emergency room visit or hospital admission. The goal of population health initiatives like addressing food disparities is to prevent health emergencies.

Purposefully building a collaborative, positive, friendly culture at Riverwood is a result of involving employees and leadership in planning, prioritizing and decision making. Creating a family friendly environment for patients, visitors and employees is a high priority. While Riverwood enjoys patient and employee satisfaction that are ranked very high in surveys, the organizations leadership strives to continually improve.

Riverwood CFO Casey Johnson observed that, Compared to other organizations where I have worked, Riverwood has an incredible sense of ownership among employees. They feel that their opinions and concerns matter.

Transparency in decision making is a key way of empowering employees to become engaged. Riverwoods values are shared by employees because they help identify them and are involved in upholding them daily.

Riverwoods leadership team is proud of the movement the healthcare center has made toward developing specialty clinic services and programs. This is in part a response to the needs of patients. Increased efficiency, simplicity and effectiveness are attributes patients desire when they seek a place to get treatment or have surgery.

The da Vinci robotic surgery system, minimally invasive surgeries, joint replacements with rapid recovery, a hand and wrist specialist, and innovative treatment for reflux and heartburn are some of the features that draw patients from outside the local service area. Today individuals are consumers of health care; they know what they want, and they are willing to shop around to get what they expect.

People these days expect to be able to perform well into their later years, and Riverwood can play a major role in making it possible for them to keep moving, working, and living life. We have a team committed to making these expectations a possibility, said Sandberg.

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Riverwood vision - Progress 2020 | Health - Aitkin Independent Age