Focus group helps hospital connect with community

*Image from the Granite County Medical Center website*

PHILIPSBURG – Members of the Granite County Medical Center staff held a focus group session Tuesday, seeking ways to better serve the community and communicate what services the facility actually provides. The meeting was held at the Philipsburg Public Library.

Chief Executive Officer Brian Huso and Board of Directors Chairman Kristi Manwaring were among those in attendance, listening to concerns expressed by the community. One resounding response was that there had been issues with the care provided in the past, and that the stigma of those experiences was still present. Both Huso and Manwaring, as well as several community members, expressed that the people involved in those circumstances were no longer at the medical center and that several services had been added that the public may not be fully aware of.

“So, our emphasis is on being outpatient,” explained Huso at the meeting. “If your provider says, ‘Hey, you need a CT’ (computerized tomography) we can do that here and provide that (images) to whomever you need it sent to.

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"If you come to this hospital, you’re not going wait, you’re going get in immediately. If you go to Missoula, you could end up waiting on a cot for an hour." ~ Brian Huso, GCMC CEO

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“We’re doing a cost analysis on bringing in an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) trailer. We’ll maybe start with one day a month. We’ve also ramped up to do Echo’s (Echo Cardiogram). Most places you have to wait two to three months to get those.”

Huso also noted that the medical center had a PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) machine that was sitting unused on site. With a few adjustments it is now up and working as well.

With nearly half of Montana’s rural hospitals operating at negative financial margins (49%, National Rural Health Association Report 2022), facilities like the Granite County Medical Center must make decisions that are also fiscally responsible.

“We’re just never going to have surgery,” Huso told the group. “We know that. It’s just not something we strive for.

“The thing we can offer, and that we’ve made huge strides in, is a stabilization ER (Emergency Room). If you come to this hospital, you’re not going wait, you’re going get in immediately. If you go to Missoula, you could end up waiting on a cot for an hour. In that time, we could give you … Like a stroke, we have that medication here. Since I’ve been here, we’ve given that medication to people 10 or 12 times.”

Part of that readiness also lies in the hospital’s facilities, one of which is an upgraded helipad for emergency transport like Life Flight. The new pad was recently poured and has heated tubing underneath to prevent ice and snow build up, making it safer for both the crews and the patients.

GCMC also installed a button to specifically signal Life Flight in case of an emergency. Pressing it immediately puts a crew in the air on its way to Philipsburg, with Life Flight calling the hospital to inquire of the emergency. This saves about 10-15 minutes of time which can make the difference in critical situations.

The group also learned about several improvements at GCMC that the public may not be aware of. These include:

· Lab Panels (99.9% CLIA Approved)
· Upgraded TCU (Transitional Care Units)
· Hospital beds that automatically turn patients to relieve pressure
· New Speech Therapist
· New Occupational Therapist
· Pediatric Treatments

The GCMC Lab recently underwent a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) examination, recently a 99.9% passing grade. The tests results, as well as that of the CT and other imaging, are all readily accepted by hospitals in Missoula, Anaconda, and elsewhere.

The concept that Huso and others at GCMC want to convey is the same as shopping locally. You can spend those insurance dollars in other venues, but by using the local facilities the money generated flows within Granite County first. And that money will trickle out into the community through those locally employed by the hospital.

The GCMC will have another Community Focus Group Monday, January 27 at the Drummond School & Community Library. Residents are encouraged to attend from 2-3:30, bringing their questions & concerns with them.