Courtesy photo This year’s fourth session of Delta Force was held at OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group on May 18. Pictured are students getting a tour of the Guardian Flight Helicopter and Hangar from one of the helicopter pilots.

ESCANABA–Delta Force students learned from leaders in the healthcare field during their tour of OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group on May 18.

On Health and Human Services Day, DF students explored the issues impacting healthcare in our rural area, and went on a guided walking tour of the hospital. They gained a wider understanding of the complexities in healthcare today.

The day started with breakfast and introductions and presentations by Public Relations/Communications Coordinator Joanna Wilbee-Amis and Mari Bower, OSF business development specialist.

OSF SFH President Kelly Jefferson then gave an overview of the hospital, including its history and future growth plans. Students also learned from Lacey Crabb, vice president of patient care/chief nursing officer, and Nursing Manager Emily Noblet.

Several of these OSF leaders gave DF students a tour of the hospital, including the Medical, Surgical/Special Care Unit and Ambulatory Care Unit, OSF Lab, and Obstetrics/Gynecology Department. OSF Laboratory Manager Kim Mahoney gave the students a tour of the lab, and explained the lab processes, including how blood and tissue samples are processed.

Mahoney shared interesting statistics, one being particularly astounding: To date, OSF St. Francis Hospital has performed over 1.4 million COVID tests since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Mahoney. She also showed students the area where the hospital stores blood donations, and stressed the importance of donating blood.

OB Acute Department Nurse Manager Merrisa MacGregor then gave students a tour of her department and the nursery, showing DF students the Teladoc machine they recently obtained–through a grant from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay–for TeleNICU telemedicine services.

Becky Sliva, BSN, RN, then briefly explained some of the processes in the Emergency Department, of which she is the manager. “Delta Force is a really great community program,” Sliva said. “It helps a lot with networking,”

Next, DF students learned about how OSF benefits from being a Critical Access Hospital and having a Rural Health Clinic designation from Kayla Weise, Director of Entity Finance.

In the Patient Care Experience segment of the day, DF students heard from Megan Maki, Quality and Safety Manager, who discussed the hospital’s complaint and grievance process. She also explained HIPAA Rules and what constitutes a HIPAA violation.

Dr. Brian Burnette with Green Bay Oncology then presented about his role as an oncologist and hematologist, and explained that though chemotherapy is done at OSF; the hospital does not currently have radiation capabilities. He discussed the community’s need for the new Daniel J. Kobasic Cancer Clinic currently being built.

Students then walked to the Guardian Flight Hangar and saw the Guardian Flight helicopter up close, hearing from pilots about what it is like working as a crew member and being called out for patients’ critical medical needs at a moment’s notice.

In the Public Health portion of the day, Mike Snyder, Health Officer with Public Health Delta-Menominee Counties, discussed some of the 54 different programs that are run by PHDMC, from WIC and Family Planning to restaurant and campground inspections, water/wastewater testing, and even radon testing and lead screening.

Snyder discussed the role of PHDMC in the outbreak of 118 blastomycosis cases at Billerud Paper Mill, and said that it was “the biggest outbreak in U.S. history.” He then shared good news that the blastomycosis exposure is likely gone, adding that “we are at the end of the bell curve.”  He then added some great news that a new mobile clinic is in the works that will serve community members on the outskirts of our area, such as Garden, Rock and other rural areas.

After touring the hospital and seeing how the staff works together to help patients, DF students left with a new understanding of their community’s healthcare system, and were impressed by the vast amount of knowledge that Jefferson and her staff have.

Jefferson, who is a Delta Force graduate herself, said she feels DF is an excellent program for people to find out about the inner workings of Delta County.

“Delta Force is an amazing program, and is a supplier of our future leaders. It really is the voice of the community,” she said, adding that OSF St. Francis Hospital sends two people per year through Delta Force.

In the next Delta Force session on June 29, Law and Order Day, students will learn about the challenges that our sheriff, circuit court judge and law enforcement officers face.

Created and facilitated by the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, Delta Force encompasses a series of full-day sessions covering key segments of our community. Visit HYPERLINK “http://www.deltami.org/delta-force-leadership-program” www.deltami.org/delta-force-leadership-program for more information.

— — —

Victoria LaFave is communications director with the Delta County Chamber of Commerce.