Nurse to manage heart program
Pamela Kolschefski, a registered nurse with 16 years of nursing experience, has been named case manager of Trinity Health's HeartLine Tel-Assurance program, according to a news release.
HeartLine Tel-Assurance is a phone and Web-based system that supports patients with heart failure by having them call in or go online daily to report information about their health status. Studies show that daily monitoring of heart failure patients can improve clinical outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions.
Kolschefski said her role will be to promote the program to patients and providers and monitor the progress of patients who enroll.
"I'll be tracking the daily progress of patients through the patient phone surveys and then communicate variances with care providers," she said. "I'll also be educating patients and caregivers about how to better manage heart failure."
Formerly of Washington state, Kolschefski moved to North Dakota in 1987 and earned a bachelor of arts degree in nursing from Minot State University. Her experience includes perioperative and geriatric nursing in outpatient surgery and long-term care settings.
- Jill Hambek
Clinic holding substance training
BISMARCK - Medcenter One Occupational Health Clinic will be holding reasonable suspicion training for supervisors, according to a news release. This training will help the supervisor identify substance use in the workplace, take action and get the employee any assistance that may be needed.
There will be one training session at each location for those supervisors working for Department of Transportation-regulated companies and one session for non-regulated companies that want to promote safety in the workplace. Training will take place at the Medcenter One Occupational Health Clinics on Thursday, Sept. 13 in Bismarck; Thursday, Sept. 20, in Dickinson; and Thursday, Sept. 27, in Minot.
Registration is required and seating is limited. Please call Jennifer McGregor, Medcenter One Occupational Health Clinic drug testing program manager, at 323-5891 or complete the registration online at (medcenterone.com/occhealth).
American businesses lose more than $100 billion a year due to substance use in the workplace, according to the news release. In fact, 75 percent of substance abusers hold some type of job.
Medcenter One Occupational Health Clinic provides one central location for all occupational health medicine services. With locations in Bismarck, Dickinson, and Minot, the goal of occupational health is to develop programs specific to each employer that keeps their workers safe, well and productive.
- Jill Hambek
Vaccination clinics for children
BISMARCK - Large enrollment numbers are expected in schools across the oil patch in North Dakota as the population in the western part of the state continues to increase, according to a North Dakota Department of Health news release. With all of these new students, the department is reminding parents in this area how important it is that school-aged children are fully immunized for the new school year.
To meet this pressing need, a coalition of healthcare partners will be teaming up to offer easy, affordable immunizations to any school-aged children or teenagers through vaccination clinics scheduled in Williston or Watford City.
The Department of Health, Southwestern District Health Unit, Trinity Health in Minot, Mercy Medical Center in Williston, McKenzie County Hospital in Watford City, Craven-Hagan Clinic and Upper Missouri District Health Unit are joining together to provide this service in these two communities. The vaccination clinics will be open in Watford City on Sept. 14 and 28, and Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Watford City Fairgrounds. Clinics will be open in Williston on Sept. 15 and 29, and Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Williston Fairgrounds.
"By increasing access to these required immunizations in this region of the state, we hope to minimize the spread of preventable illnesses in their schools and provide children with a healthier environment in which to learn," said Molly Howell, Immunization Program manager for the North Dakota Department of Health.
All children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Everyone seeking vaccinations must bring insurance information and their complete immunization records. Any individuals from out of state should bring vaccination records from the states they previously lived in. For more information on how to find your immunization records from North Dakota or for contact information for all other states' health departments, visit (www.ndhealth.gov/immunize). Staff at the clinics will make every effort to look up records for anyone who shows up without theirs.
For more information on school immunization requirements, contact Molly Howell, North Dakota Department of Health, at 328-4556, or visit their website at (www.ndhealth.gov/immunize). For more information about the vaccination clinics in Williston and Watford City, contact Sherry Adams, Southwestern District Public Health Unit, at 290-8518.
- Jill Hambek