Medical community strives to keep up with growth

The Flathead Valley is growing. As this growth transforms the area, community needs are increasing. From retail to infrastructure, the area is compensating for the increase in population. The medical community is no exception.

The medical system in the Flathead is one of cooperation. Kalispell Regional Medical Center is at the heart of this collaboration. As the primary hospital in the Flathead Valley, KRMC serves numerous communities including Bigfork. Keeping up with growth has resulted in facility renovations, increased staffing, and increased diversity of services.

"We embarked about four years ago on a master site plan, which included a variety of pieces that will take us well into the future," KRMC Vice President Jim Oliverson said. "The first test we have to pass in anything we do is "Is it going to improve our patients' convenience, satisfaction and safety?'"

The plan has included an expansion of the overall space of the main hospital building from 220,000 square feet to more than 330,000.

"A hospital wears out in about 30 years, so we were at the point that we needed to either build a new hospital or renovate," Oliverson explained.

Renovations to KRMC began four years ago, and Oliverson predicts there are 18 to 28 months of remodeling left. Renovations have included upgraded or new facilities that target specific needs relating to aging.

"Communities are going to continue to grow. Communities are going to continue to age," Oliverson said.

Even so, of the 126 medical schools in the U.S., only three have departments of geriatrics, Oliverson added. With the aging of communities comes higher numbers of both cancer and heart disease, he went on to explain. To address those needs, Kalispell Regional Medical Center has completed a cancer facility within the last year. The facility utilizes cutting-edge technology for intensity modulated radiation therapy. KRMC is also in its third year of its open-heart program in association with the International Heart Institute in Missoula. It has also seen the addition of pulmonary care for respiratory ailment.

KRMC has also started to investigate and implement preventative medicine practices.

"We're driving the whole wellness program," Oliverson said.

KRMC's "Lifeworks program" is being used as preventative medicine among its own employees. The program, offered through The Summit, includes a very detailed survey-17 pages worth-that details medical history and current health practices. Through the survey, the center has found that the top three issues of concern are lack of exercise, obesity, and diabetes. Participants are given educational materials, nutrition counseling and an exercise regimen to become healthier. Director of The Summit Brad Roy said the program shows results for any age group.

"It's never to late to get started in any program," he said. "For older people, it can help them maintain independence and have a better quality of life. Our goal is to help people become healthier."

Emergency care is on the rise in the valley, despite preventative measures. Air transport is an important factor to expedient care. ALERT is a key component of KRMC's ability to service the Flathead Valley. The air ambulance is able to transport individuals with serious injury or illness. Recently, ALERT 2, a fixed-wing aircraft supplied by Native Air, was added to help free up the ALERT helicopter. The number of ALERT dispatches each year has steadily increased. In 2003 the lowest number of dispatches was 24 in April, while the highest, 110, was in July.

"The total continues to increase year after year. There's no trend-it's just that things continue to get busier across the board," Oliverson explained.

The Quick Response Unit is also a crucial component to the medical collaboration.

"Between the QRU's assessments and bringing patients and us here to take care of their needs, I think (the process) works very well," Oliverson said. "The QRU is so beneficial."

Bigfork's QRU registered with the state of Montana in 1978 and became a licensed transporting ambulance in 1984. Bigfork QRU director Eda Taylor has been a part of the team since 1983. Taylor said she could remember a time when the number of QRU calls a year averaged 60. There were 408 last year. From June 21 through July 6 of this year, the QRU responded to 39 calls.

"The call volume increases because the area has grown so much," Taylor said.

This increase has resulted in funding and manpower issues. Currently, the QRU has 20 members, 12 of whom are active or have "the time and ability" to volunteer for a weeklong on-call time. According to Taylor, The QRU's biggest need is volunteers Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The QRU has recently hired one person to work at the station and be available to go on calls. There is always another person on call to ensure the community at least two responders at all times.

"They are a wonderful group. We have such an awesome group of people who have such busy lives anyway, but they are still taking calls and are here for the community," Taylor said.

Funding for the QRU comes from transport fees, donations and memorials.

"Our community is very supportive of what we do," Taylor noted.

Even with the increase in population, Taylor does not foresee a change in the volunteer status of the group.

"We don't have the call volume to support a paid organization," Taylor said.

The QRU's participation in the medical community is another example of the cooperative nature of the system, Taylor noted.

"The emergency medical system is all part of the same team and it starts with the dispatchers. All the pieces have to be in place to give the patient the best care," she said.

The ability to more fully address patient care has also culminated in the addition of staff at KRMC.

"Since June of 1996, we've added more than 100 doctors to our staff," Oliverson noted. "As we grow, it allows us to have a richer diversity of physicians."

The addition of employees also contributes to the area economy. There are about 1,400 individuals employed at the medical center in a full-time or part-time capacity, which results in a $42 million payroll. Included on that payroll are 78 people from Bigfork.

"It's a huge economic engine," Oliverson said.

As with any business, competition provides incentive to excel. Oliverson said that KRMC has really started to work with other hospitals in the area to ensure the best patient care.

"We try to do as much as we can locally and do it well," he said. "I think there are areas we'll always compete on, but I think that's healthy. What was in the past bare knuckles competition has become real collaboration."

Oliverson also stressed the importance of communication between primary care doctors in the patient's home community and medical center specialists.

"It's great medicine, but it's also great patient care," he said.

For a complete listing of all KRMC services or for more information, call (406) 752-5111 or visit www.krmc.org. For more information about the Bigfork Quick Response Unit, call 837-2521 or e-mail Eda Taylor at ewtaylor@centrytel.net