The Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital is keeping "business as usual," even as some staff have been preparing to evacuate their homes when fires approach. Hospital CEO Patti Banks says the lessons learned during the COVID pandemic have been key to responding to the area's latest emergency.

Host: Tim Nelson, Minnesota Hospital Association

Guest: Patti Banks, Jodi Martin, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital

Kirsten Anderson, CEO at AspireMN has been advocating relentlessly to improve the response to rising mental health needs for Minnesota kids, including better reimbursements, new facilities and other developments. But too many of the state's kids are still winding up waiting for comprehensive care in the wrong place: hospital emergency rooms. We talk with Anderson about how we got here and where care needs to go. Host: Tim Nelson, Minnesota Hospital Association

Guest: Kirsten Anderson, AspireMN

Data shows the great resignation during the COVID pandemic is still echoing through the workforce – but hospitals are coping with new challenges now, including generational change, a recalibration of immigration by the Trump administration, and a big expansion of the availability of the N-CLEX test. We'll hear more about that from Patti Artley, chief clinical officer of Medical Solutions Group, a healthcare workforce solutions partner, about what's going on in nursing, a key sector of the hospital workforce.

Host: Tim Nelson, Minnesota Hospital Association

Guest: Patti Artley, Medical Solutions Group

Federal regulations that went into effect this spring require hospitals that care for Medicare patients to meet new standards, including participation in a so-called "patient safety organization." MHA has partnered with ECRI, a PSO, to be a resource for hospitals in Minnesota that don't already have a patient safety organization in place.

Host: Tim Nelson

Guest: Anna Thomas, Principal Safety Consultant at ECRI

Lakewood Health is joining programs in Grand Rapids and Wilmar, hosting University of Minnesota medical school grads for residencies focused on family practice and rural hospital care. Dr. Kaitlyn Schoeck, who trained in Staples herself, talks about why programs like this are important for the future of health care outside Minnesota's major cities.

Host: Tim Nelson, Minnesota Hospital Association

Guest: Dr. Kaitlyn Schoeck, Lakewood Health System

This week, Minnesota Hospital Association vice president of finance policy Joe Schindler and director of state government affairs Danny Ackert talk about this spring's high profile debate over the federal 340B drug discount program in Minnesota -- and why it is important for hospitals and patients.

Host: Tim Nelson, Minnesota Hospital Association

Guests: Joe Schindler, Danny Ackert, Minnesota Hospital Association

In Ely, child care is at a premium, and that was having an impact on staffing at the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital, as parents struggled to find care for their kids while they cared for patients. The EBCH foundation and leadership decided to tackle the problem head on and set up their own child care center close to the hospital for staff. CEO Patti Banks even got licensed as a child care provider to fill in when needed. This week, hear from her and nursing services assistant Erin Manning and registered nurse Emily Lakner, who both utilize the child care center.

Host: Tim Nelson

Guests: Patti Banks, Erin Manning and Emily Lakner, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital

Non-emergency medical transportation is the system that helps people get to hospitals and clinics for routine care, and get home or to a post-acute setting when they no longer need to be in the hospital. But northeastern Minnesota is facing a growing shortage of this transportation. New research from the University of Minnesota Duluth shows how this shortage is affecting patient access to care and hospital discharge planning.

Host: Tim Nelson, Minnesota Hospital Association

Guests:

• Anna Solem, system manager, acute care coordination of the Minnesota region, Aspirus Health
• David Beard, professor of rhetoric, University of Minnesota Duluth
• Gavin Bukovich, senior planner, Arrowhead Regional Development Commission

Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving across the health care industry. In this episode of Hospital Matters, Dr. Steve Berkowitz shares insights on how AI applications are beginning to influence clinical care and operations, and what health care leaders should be watching for in the future.

Host: Tim Nelson, Minnesota Hospital Association

Guest: Steve Berkowitz, SMB Consulting

This week, we bring you another segment from a recent WCCO Radio special report on the crises facing Minnesota hospitals. James Hereford, CEO at Fairview, Aspirus Lake View president Greg Ruberg, and Winona Health CEO Rachelle Schultz talked with WCCO host Blois Olson about long-term solutions to the challenges facing health care right now.

Host: Blois Olson

Guest: James Hereford, Fairview Health Services

Guest: Greg Ruberg, Aspirus Lake View hospital

Guest: Rachelle Schultz, Winona Health