North Valley Hospital: Review of 2017

North Valley Hospital is celebrating 2017 and looking back at a wonderful year of community partnerships, service, and progress. As always, we are honored to provide patient-centered care in the community, and pleased to make our Planetree philosophy and culture of safety a core value for employees, administration, staff, and everyone we serve.

In 2017, we happily celebrated 10 years in our beautiful facility and 15 years as a Planetree affiliate. Being a Planetree affiliate is very important to our culture and we are pleased that the community understands and appreciates the Planetree philosophy at North Valley Hospital.

We also announced our three Planetree award winners in July of this year. Our Planetree Caregiver of the Year was Leilani Swan, RN, as profiled in the Whitefish Pilot in August 2017. The Physician Champion Award was given to J. Douglas Muir, MD at North Valley Behavioral Health, and Joan Werner, RN, received the Jake Heckathorn Spirit of Service Award. Congratulations again to these employees for exemplifying patient-centered care and the spirit of Planetree.

With 2017 coming to a close, we have completed the first full year as an affiliate of the Kalispell Regional Healthcare System. Thanks to this affiliation, we have streamlined patient care and communication between hospitals, and we have seen system-wide collaboration, especially between physicians and providers as they leverage the resources and facilities available to offer high quality care. We also welcomed new Kalispell Regional Healthcare CEO Pam Robertson, whose passion and energy are inspiring. We are excited about the future and continued collaborations to effectively serve our patients.

One of the greatest examples of valley-wide partnership was during the North Valley Hospital Foundation’s fundraising campaign to bring 3D Mammography, or Digital Breast Tomosynthesis, to North Valley Hospital. The Foundation worked with Dr. Melissa Hulvat from the Bass Breast Center at KRMC, and Dr. Amanda Beer from Northwest Imaging to kick off the campaign. This was an effective way to work together to get the best outcome for patients in the North Valley Hospital service area. In conjunction with the Whitefish Community Foundation Great Fish Challenge, the North Valley Hospital Foundation and teams of dedicated volunteers (sometimes memorably dressed in fish costumes) raised almost $500,000 in just three months. We are thrilled with the success of this effort and are excited to bring the benefits of 3D Mammography to Whitefish in early 2018, allowing better access to those in Whitefish and surrounding communities.

At North Valley Hospital, we are extremely grateful to serve our community and our patients. We appreciate your support as we adapt to healthcare needs in the area and continue to prioritize access and community partnerships. Please stay tuned for our 2018 Annual Report with additional details on the hospital’s efforts throughout the past year. Again, thank you for allowing us to serve the people of Whitefish and beyond, and we look forward to being the center of healing in our community for years to come.

Allison Linville handles marketing and community relations for North Valley Hospital.