Glenn Van Ekeren gives his thoughts on how to steer culture in the right direction and the vital importance leaders have in cutlure I have very fond memories of working for her at Farmland We had a lot of fun it was a great group of people I learned a lot from them She was a very special lady and I have very fond memories of her © 2025 Hamilton's Funeral and After Life Services Before Tracy Davidson’s father died in July 2008 he gave her one piece of advice: Get close to God Fifteen years later, Davidson is serving a congregation and surrounding community as the preschool director of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in El Cajon “It’s like God put me here,” Davidson said Davidson had a childhood she describes as “unstable,” characterized by multiple relocations “I went to Sunday school in Colorado when I was 6 or 7 “I think it was just something my mom did so she could clean the house I still had that connection with God even though I didn’t attend church after that.” Davidson’s father was a Vietnam War veteran who died of complications related to AIDS “I know Lutheran pastors are in the military and I’m wondering if that’s how he learned about faith,” she said John in late 2009 after the older of her two sons started “hanging out with a friend at church.” and I hadn’t been to church in quite a long while and found a church where my son wanted to go and I wanted to go.” a longtime public and private school educator had a couple of chance encounters with the director of St In February 2010 she accepted an offer to work as a teacher at the school and in 2014 became its acting director with the “acting” tag removed the following year Davidson said that when she started with the school there were 10 students and that she helped boost the total to 46 combined with California’s push toward “universal prekindergarten” (publicly funded preschool) has knocked that number back down to a dozen “I’ve had this calling to be a preschool teacher since the 12th grade,” she said “COVID and [universal prekindergarten] have been hard on us but I keep pushing myself to keep this place going as I feel like it has been my mission for the last 10-plus years it can be kind of a lonely job sometimes.” Her husband and children do all they can to assist which includes setting up and taking down special events and helping run the preschool’s summer camp The preschool has a pair of teachers, both of whom speak the Chaldean dialect of Aramaic. This is a significant asset because more than 10% of El Cajon’s 100,000 residents are Chaldean Catholics a persecuted religious and ethnic minority in Iraq for 5,000 years Davidson also leans on the resources and camaraderie of the Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA) and the Church Related Early Childhood Education Fellowship (CRECEF) “It really does speak to what early childhood centers and schools can be to our congregations.” “The ELEA and the CRECEF have both been an inspiration to help develop my experience to become a better director and teacher,” she said “I love that I can connect with other directors from all over and be able to educate myself and develop my gifts for working with children.” Cory Newman says Davidson’s work and personal story exemplify what ELCA-affiliated K-12 schools and early childhood centers are all about but they take this call to serve in an ELCA institution and provide rich education and faith formation to children,” said Newman whose organization serves and advocates for about 1,300 schools and early childhood centers throughout the ELCA “Part of what they’re doing is as employees but then they learn more about what the ELCA is and their feeling is to be part of that community “It really does speak to what early childhood centers and schools can be to our congregations,” Newman added and when we have thriving school ministries or early childhood education ministries more diverse families from the neighborhoods.” ELEA-affiliated schools and centers bring families from a variety of backgrounds into a space where they know their children will be in the care of people whose teaching and values they appreciate “When kids thrive and can be safe and be loved it gives us such huge opportunities to reach out and build relationships.” We are a church that values and encourages diverse voices and lively dialogue in our faith and life Living Lutheran is an opportunity for church members to express individual perspectives and does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here The international school in Ekeren (Antwerp) was evacuated this morning following a bomb alert after a threat was made in an email The school's five buildings were combed out using a sniffer dog that can detect explosives no explosives were found and the evacuation order was lifted police officer Kim Bastiaens insisted no risks could be taken under such circumstances The Children had been taken to a nearby sports hall The Antwerp International School provides schooling for some 400 pupils from more than 30 different countries Police are examining the bomb threat notification Whether any particular nationality is being targeted is not clear You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Close-up of the Kansas City illustrated map by Mario Zucco The puzzle finally fits together this holiday season for Tim and Stefanie Ekeren as the couple discovers the missing pieces that kept Kansas City Puzzle Company boxed on the shelf for more than a year most featuring Kansas City-area landmarks or illustrations by local artists manufacturer with 100-percent recycled materials soy-based ink and biodegradable plastic packaging Click here to shop Kansas City Puzzle Company The excitement for their product has been building steadily during this gifting season — retailers are now using “ASAP” in their restocking request emails Stefanie said — but the company got off to a slow start after incorporating in January 2020 “It’s funny that we were maybe the only puzzle company in the world during a pandemic that didn’t sell a single puzzle,” Tim said The idea for the business was sparked by the couple’s then-3-year-old daughter She and the family were “obsessively puzzling” over a winter activity the Ekerens had spent much of their time exploring the metro Loretta commented that she wished they were doing a Kansas City puzzle “It was like a bolt of lightning,” Tim said The couple couldn’t stop thinking about it looking for the best images of Kansas City landmarks they thought would make good puzzles and reached out to the photographers and artists to work out licensing details Kansas City illustrated map by Mario Zucca “The first thing we found was the Kansas City map by Mario Zucca and that kind of cemented that we were going to do this,” Tim said I don’t know how it’s not already a puzzle!” The Ekerens were met with many positive responses to their cold emails everyone we’ve talked to liked the idea of their work being a puzzle,” Stefanie said they thought they could make the puzzles out of their basement but then discovered the equipment to do that would be prohibitively expensive they contacted manufacturers and tried to work out a deal for a small initial run “And every manufacturer we called laughed us off the phone They realized they would have to jump in with both feet so the duo placed a full manufacturing order with the first shipment due to be delivered in March 2020 the couple saw the beginnings of the pandemic unfolding They even had a prescient prediction: “Maybe everybody’s going to be housebound and they’re going to be super into puzzles Maybe it’s the right idea at the right time,” Tim said recalling their discussions as they waited on their order the timing was wrong for Kansas City Puzzle Company The manufacturer shut down in March and canceled the order They couldn’t get any other manufacturers to pick it up Their first puzzles ultimately weren’t delivered until March 2021 Kansas City Puzzle Company at Made in KC Midtown Stefanie said the timing was probably for the best despite missing the boat on the puzzle mania of the coronavirus lockdowns “[Early last year,] I had a newborn and a 3-year-old,” she said and I feel like I’m barely treading water with a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old Enthusiasm is still high for puzzles, the couple has found. Stefanie has attended many markets and pop-ups, where she gets to interact with customers. Some choose a puzzle with the goal of framing it. She’s had groups buy a variety of puzzles with the intent to trade after each person finishes. The puzzles are also available at a variety of stores throughout the metro area A post shared by @kansascitypuzzlecompany Building the business has come with a learning curve the couple both worked in the service industry deciding how to handle Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and understanding how to use QuickBooks: “I think it’s harder than taxes,” Tim said Even the language used in business is new to them “So many times we get a response from someone and have to Google ‘What does this mean?’” they’ve escaped the supply chain difficulties plaguing many retailers receiving their entire shipment for the holidays in early October The couple is already working on expansion outside of Kansas City The company has partnered with Mario Zucca on illustrated map puzzles of Detroit One in the works is a custom illustration from Cooper Malin of native plants and insects that will be 1,000 pieces but some ideas they’re working on are an illustration with national appeal They’d also like to add children’s puzzles to the lineup “It’d be cool if we had a puzzle that (Loretta) could do,” she said flipping over the pieces is her least-favorite part of puzzling.” the couple has big dreams for Kansas City Puzzle Company They agreed that longevity and creating a classic high-quality puzzle that people can keep and return to for decades is one of their top goals They’d ultimately like it to be their full-time pursuit “We don’t have to be millionaires or thousandaires but doing this full-time would be absolutely wonderful.” This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful M&A Seminar on Preparing Your Company for Sale Presented by Maslon LLP and Northborne Partners Top Women in Construction 2024: Unsung Hero Our Top Women in Construction awards feature women from across 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simulations to desi[...] Lakeville Court Apartments sold for $6.83M as affordability rules near expiration Greco Properties plans a 20-unit memory care facility on a tough-to-develop Edina lot Medical office buildings in the Twin Cities are in high demand as investors seek stable assets amid [...] Staring Lake Corporate Center in Eden Prairie and 30+ acres in Ramsey’s COR district are on the ma[...] Listen here analysis and commentary on Minnesota business We are the only independent daily newspaper dedicated to business reporting Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions HOWARD (WLUK) -- There could soon be a new recreational center for families in Howard Wisconsin Swim Academy is behind the project which is currently seeing success at its facility in Appleton The facility provides personalized swim lessons for kids and adults in Northeast Wisconsin “When you have good quality swimming lessons for children and you start at a very young age statistics show that reduces drowning by 88%," Wisconsin Swim Academy owner Susie Van Ekeren said Van Ekeren said drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among kids under four years old It's been her goal to lower that statistic by expanding Wisconsin Swim Academy's services to the Green Bay area with a brand-new facility in Howard at 2938 Shawano Avenue There’s a huge need in the area and we’re super excited and we just want to service as many families as we can and save as many lives as we can,” Van Ekeren said learn-to-swim facility would be the first of its kind in the Green Bay area excluding multi-purpose health clubs like the YMCA The academy also won't need much room The Appleton facility is around 6,000 square feet and the new one would be closer to 7,500 square feet it will look similar to this one in Appleton you try and get in here and all the classes are sold out so there definitely are a lot of families out there looking for access to swim lessons,” parent Jess Buss said the Appleton facility serves roughly 60 families from the De Pere area “Knowing that they can save some time and have closer resources to them all of which will be funded by the Wisconsin Swim Academy Land was approved for rezoning and conditional use by the Howard village board Monday The next step for the swim facility will be to get approval of the site by the Howard plan commission Wisconsin Swim Academy hopes to have the facility complete by the end of the year KC Guide to Shopping KC Makers Last-Minute Forget naughty and nice: one Kansas City-pieced business has a puzzling present for each person on Santa’s “weird and mellow” list Locals can still find them on KC-area store shelves — while they last Birdie — a sister company to Stefanie and Tim Ekeren’s popular Kansas City Puzzle Company — packs each eye-catching box with Earth friendly soy-based non-toxic inks and biodegradable plastic packaging “As we’ve grown and started branching out into new designs that weren’t KC-oriented we learned that only KC wanted Kansas City stuff and the rest of the world didn’t like the name Kansas City Puzzle Company,” Tim Ekeren said “So we split the company into two; Kansas City Puzzle Company only offers KC designs and Birdie Puzzles (a subtle nod to the Nelson Shuttlecocks) does all the weirdo art and other city map puzzles that we love and can grow beyond KC with.” Click here to see the latest puzzles from Kansas City Puzzle Company and Birdie Puzzles Click here to see where the puzzles are sold in stores From the archives: Their KC company didn’t sell a single puzzle during the pandemic; today the best-sellers need restocked ASAP The sold-out “Mama Told Me” puzzle design by Emily M This holiday season, designs by UK artist and illustrator Emily M. Reay have proven to be trippy Birdie best-sellers at Made in KC locations “Mama Told Me” and “Party Down” have lead the way for puzzle enthusiasts snatching up the colorful some-assembly-required art pieces “We actually just sold out of ‘Mama Told Me’ today but it’s been our breakout hit nationally,” Ekeren said Tuesday afternoon “Really anything by her is universally loved because she’s so amazingly weird and wonderful.” Click here to follow Emily M “Working with and carrying Birdie/KC Puzzle Co has been fantastic,” said Keith Bradley “We’ve been working with them for about two years now and their puzzles filled a void in our store that our customers were looking for.” well designed puzzles that elevate local goods across the board,” he continued “Birdie Puzzles have become a top selling product and gift right out of the gate.” Birdie’s new range of puzzles extend beyond the original KC-focus, as Ekeren noted, offering illustrations from a team of artists, including Mario Zucca, who is well-known for his popular Kansas City illustrated map — first released in 2017 as a print, then a puzzle. (Zucco’s work with the City Series also depicts a number of other cities “The KC map continues to be our biggest hit, but this year people have been loving the collaboration we did with McLain’s Bakery, the retro Matchbooks puzzle,” said Ekeren “We’re also seeing people buy some Birdie puzzles notably ‘Road Trip’ by local artist Josh Cotter and ‘Lawn Art’ (which is actually a puzzle of the Nelson-Atkins Museum) by local artist Cooper Malin The “Lawn Art” puzzle design by Cooper Malin; photo courtesy of Birdie With “Lawn Art,” Lawrence artist and firefighter Malin adds to the Birdie mix with his poppy The surreal piece reflects the concept of letting the art out of the Nelson Atkins Museum for a picnic Tapping into a team of independent artists like Reay Zucca and Malin gives Kansas City’s “humble jigsaw puzzle company” a deeper catalog of illustrations from which to box their latest releases Keep reading for more can’t miss gift options featuring products by Kansas City makers — all of which can still be found on store shelves across the metro even after online shopping delivery deadlines have passed Plus click here to check out more holiday gift ideas for Kansas City sports fans The “Moonlight” puzzle from Birdie puzzles at Made in KC’s Country Club Plaza location; photo by Taylor Wilmore KC Puzzle Company + Birdie puzzles – $35 There’s nothing better to brighten family bonding on a long winter’s night like a puzzle Find at: Made In KC Someday Sunday body cream and lip repair gift sets at The Porter House KC 811 Retail Incubator; photo by Taylor Wilmore Someday Sunday body cream and lip repair gift sets – $55/$25 but the skin can always use some extra love in the winter especially with all-natural and vegan products Find at: The Porter House KC 811 Retail Incubator Kansas City Runs on Coffee shirt from Associated Humanity at Made in KC’s Country Club Plaza location; photo by Tommy Felts Associated Humanity Kansas City Runs on Coffee long sleeve shirt – $45 Help the coffee lover in your life celebrate coffee culture in KC with this shirt and raise money to support local underserved students Find at: Made In KC, Cafe Ca Phe, Blip Roasters, and Rochester Roasting and Brewing Company Phone and money holder Poptarts from artist Natalia Link at the FUERZA Retail Space within the Chicano Center for the Arts; photo by Tommy Felts Luna.mia_kcmo Phone and money holder Poptarts – $10-$20 Soft and fuzzy creations by Natalia Link can protect some of your most valuable personal items this holiday season and beyond Find at: FUERZA Retail Space at Chicano Center for the Arts Festive Absorb-lumen towels at Shop Local KC; photo by Tommy Felts Absorb-lumen KC kitchen towels – $27 These highly absorbent towels — made of recycled materials — are a perfect hostess gift Find at: Made In KC and Shop Local KC Paulina Otero earrings and hair accessories at 12th Street Post; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu Paulina Otero earrings and hair accessories – $25-$60 These “playful accessories that will make you stand out” are perfect for the person who can’t get enough color in their life Find at: 12th Street Post, 1501 W. 12th St., Kansas City, and the Hallmark Christmas Experience Greeting cards from CRWND Illustrations at The Porter House KC 811 Retail Incubator; photo by Taylor Wilmore CRWND Illustrations holiday and greeting cards – $10 These hand-crafted cards are perfect to show that you really did put some thought and care into that gift card Untamed Supply charcoal incense cones at 12th Street Post; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu Untamed Supply charcoal incense cones – $15 Coal in their stocking never smelled this good with various scents including whiskey smoke Find at: 12th Street Post Ornithology ornaments for sale at Made in KC’s Country Club Plaza location; photo by Tommy Felts KC Jazz Bird ornament – $49.95 These ornaments/sculptures are perfect for the Kansas City and jazz lover in your life RELATED: How KC’s most iconic new art installation became this season’s must-have holiday ornament (plus where to find the 14-inch version flying) More than 10 million Africans died when the king ruled over the Congo from 1885 to 1908 Antwerp has become the first Belgian city to remove a statue of Leopold II — but not for the reason that activists had sought Image: Reuters/ATVLaura Uwinema couldn't believe her eyes. Until June 9, the tall stone statue of King Leopold II had "tortured" her every day when she walked by Now there was a pile of battered bricks where it had stood asked where the "bad guy" had gone "Is he gone?" asked Uwinema, who came to Belgium as a refugee from Rwanda. "I'm still in shock. I'm so happy!" She planned to pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate the disappearance of the reminder of the colonizer of Congo who oversaw the deaths and disfigurement of an estimated more than 10 million people during his rule of the region from 1885 to 1908 Uwinema said she felt tormented by the statue given the king's brutal reign in Congo Image: Teri SchultzUwinema said her son had asked: "Did they throw him in the trash?'" "I said: I hope so!" Uwinema laughed and he was still there in 2020," she said "I hope all the Leopold IIs go away." "I'm totally amazed," Audimba told DW She helped organize the massive Black Lives Matter rally in Brussels on Sunday and has been protesting for years to have Leopold II statues removed from the capital "I would have never imagined that the statues would fall that quickly," she said Ekeren District Mayor Koen Palinckx is pouring some cold water on activists' glee He told DW that he helped make the decision to remove the statue on Friday before the large rallies against racism in Belgium and across the European Union He said the statue was not removed because of the legacy of Leopold II — at least not in the sense of solidarity that anti-statue campaigners had hoped for Palinckx said the statue needed to be restored after protests "I certainly would have left it there if it hadn't been vandalized and there hadn't been that much damage," he said Palinckx said the statue was removed following vandalism — not because of pressure Image: privatThe politician is also a historian and he said he didn't believe that removing symbols of colonial figures was the way to address injustice "You won't erase the history by doing that," Palinckx said "You won't turn back the clock by doing that." He noted that this particular statue had been created before Leopold II's rule in Congo even began giving some details about the monarch's brutal acts "It was pretty clear — telling also what's happened in the Congo and that the people of Ekeren are in their thoughts with the people of Congo," he said Palinckx said activists went too far in trying to destroy the monument but do not vandalize objects that are that are not yours "That's a line you do not cross." Palinckx didn't entirely rule out the notion that the statue could again stand in Ekeren after it is restored at Antwerp's Middelheim Museum — but he acknowledged that that would be pretty unlikely Audimba said she did not care why the Leopold was removed "The statue was taken down," she said said that while developments are moving quickly it will take a long time to see deep changes in Belgian society "A much more important issue (than the statues) is the hidden racism the higher unemployment among migration groups," he said Belgians have been unwilling to confront colonialism when he himself was a student at KU Leuven in the 1990s instructors spent "only one or two minutes" on the country's role in Congo "This was completely being silenced," he said 03:28European Journal # Belgium: A Shadowy Legacy in the Congo # 21.07.2010Justification ranged from refusing to believe Leopold II had actually overseen such atrocities to not wanting to weaken the current monarchy Belgium is suffering from a severe identity crisis," Goddeeris said "so criticizing the colonial past is also criticizing the Belgian identity and in this way And and many intellectuals didn't want to do that." Educators may soon no longer have the option of remaining silent Both the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking education ministers have proposed that school curricula be changed to require the teaching of the full history of colonialism for the first time "This history is too often ignored," Wallonian Education Minister Caroline Desir said in a video posted to Twitter "We can no longer tolerate this shortcoming," she added an online petition demanding the removal of all Leopold II statues in Brussels has more than 70,000 signatures at the moment Brussels State Secretary for Urbanism Pascal Smet will propose to the city government that a working group be set up to decide what to do "We need a debate about the statues of Leopold II in Brussels about our colonial past," Smet told DW he proposes a competition for artists to reconfigure the statues in an accurate historical context that would also commemorate the king's victims should the working group determine that Leopold II has to go he will deliver the permits to remove the statues from the capital DW sends out a daily selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here. who serves as the chief medical officer at the hospital in Mitchell current regional president and CEO of the hospital He will continue to serve as regional president and CEO of the Avera Sacred Heart region that includes the Yankton hospital of the same name and the surrounding facilities who first joined Avera Queen of Peace in July 2014 is expected to take over the position July 1 She currently serves as an emergency medicine physician at Avera Queen of Peace and has served as chief medical officer since March of 2020 She was among the first graduates of Avera’s Dyad Leadership Academy in 2021 and has been a regular voice on the Mitchell leadership team The Dyad Leadership Academy builds and improves the working relationship between administrators and physicians Participants receive leadership training and develop professional relationships with colleagues from across the Avera system Rockwell is a relatively well-known figure in the Mitchell community having served as one of the public voices for the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic Rockwell said she was ready for the new challenge and was looking forward to the opportunity to lead and she thanked Ekeren for the mentorship she said he continues to provide “Avera Queen of Peace Hospital has a rich 116-year history in Mitchell since the Presentation Sisters accepted the request to build what was then St I will honor that legacy and seek ways we can continue to respond to the evolving health care needs of our community,” Rockwell said and I am proud of the work they do every day Our patients and residents today and in the future are depending on us and we will continue to answer that calling.” Ekeren and Rockwell will be working closely over the next nine months to ensure a smooth transition of leadership Rockwell is prepared for this challenge and will foster continuing success for Avera Queen of Peace,” Avera President and CEO Bob Sutton said in a statement “Doug has done an incredible job of advancing the needs of both the Avera Sacred Heart and Avera Queen of Peace regions the last two years and all he will continue to do for our health care ministry.” Ekeren was named the interim regional president and CEO of Avera Queen of Peace in addition to maintaining his role at Avera Sacred Heart in Yankton stepping into the role previously held by Tom Clark who was named the Chief Strategy and Growth Officer for Avera in 2020 Ekeren said he had thoroughly enjoyed working with the board members employees and providers at Avera Queen of Peace “Working with this talented and engaged group of people has been rewarding on a personal and professional level and I am grateful for the trust put in me,” Ekeren said “I believe we made significant strides that will help maintain the stability of our healthcare ministry for years to come.” who joined Avera’s executive leadership team at the time of his departure from Avera Queen of Peace guides the health system’s strategic priorities in alignment with its vision for the future Avera has announced similar transition changes earlier this year to have separate regional president and CEO positions for Avera St That stems from the challenges facing modern health care as well as the needs of the communities in which its regional hospitals are based Avera leadership officials have stated they believe the approach will be beneficial to the organization and to the people it serves the Avera Queen of Peace region includes Avera De Smet Memorial Hospital in De Smet Benedict Hospital in Parkston and Avera Weskota Memorial Hospital in Wessington Springs MITCHELL — A change coming to how Medicare bills Avera Queen of Peace Hospital will not impact hospital services for most patients The hospital was recently granted a change in designation from a Prospective Payment System hospital to a Critical Access Hospital by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Officials at the hospital requested the change so that Avera Queen of Peace is in a better position to meet future challenges in the health care industry “I appreciate the great deal of work our team did to request this change because it will better cover the cost for the care we provide,” Doug Ekeren outgoing regional president and CEO of Avera Queen of Peace Hospital said “Approximately half of United States hospitals finished 2022 with a negative margin as growth in expenses outpaced revenue increases we need to be creative and focus on our financial health so that Avera Queen of Peace can continue to serve Mitchell and the surrounding area Being a Critical Access Hospital provides a better fiscal foundation upon which we can continue to build our services.” Patients will not notice changes to their care experience or the services provided who hosted a press conference at the hospital with other Avera officials on Tuesday afternoon The biggest change that comes with the designation is that Critical Access Hospitals can have a maximum of 25 acute care inpatient beds due to the health care industry shifts away from inpatient care into more outpatient care The Avera Queen of Peace Hospital census has only reached that number a handful of times in the past three years In a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic the Department of Health and Human Services could allow Avera Queen of Peace to surpass the 25-bed limit Avera officials stressed that the change in designation will not result in a loss of services something that is sometimes perceived as a result of becoming a Critical Access Hospital “It is important to note that there have not been any services identified that we will need to discontinue because of our (new) status,” said Hilary Rockwell the incoming regional president and CEO of Avera Queen of Peace which will still provide the same care on a 24/7 basis that it has in the past we’ve been willing to take everybody who comes through the door We want people who need us to come through the door We’ll still have 24/7 and offer the same high-quality (emergency room) service that we always have,” said Darren Manthey incoming chief medical officer for the hospital “We want to keep all the people who come to Mitchell if we can The change is also not expected to impact staffing at the hospital “It is simply a change in the way we get paid by Medicare We will have staff that we need to take care of patients and the (needs) literally change day to day,” Ekeren said changes to hospital operations will be virtually indiscernible “Medicare patients will notice a little (change) on their statements because Medicare requires us to bill a little differently based on copay amounts,” Ekeren said “There is literally no change for non-Medicare patients.” Some of the conditions needed to become a Critical Access Hospital include having 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds being located more than 35 miles from another hospital or being more than a 15-mile drive from another hospital in an area with mountainous terrain or only secondary roads maintaining an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients and providing 24/7 emergency care services There are benefits that come with being a Critical Access Hospital including allowing flexible staffing and services to the extent permitted under state licensure capital improvement costs included in allowable costs for determining Medicare reimbursements and access to flex program education resources While there may not be a reduction in services Rockwell suggested patients could actually see an expansion of services in some ways “We will continue to explore ways that we can expand our offerings to the community such as with our addition this spring of acute dialysis services that will enable patients who once needed to go to a different community for that care to receive it in Mitchell,” Rockwell said if you are a chronic dialysis patient and you get pneumonia and need to be hospitalized we often have to transfer them to Yankton or Sioux Falls Our hope is as we get this set up we could keep those patients here.” Expansion and improvement of services is always a goal of the Avera Queen of Peace and the Avera system in general “We are always looking at ways to grow our services and availability,” Rockwell said Quality care will remain a focus with the new designation and that commitment was reflected in the fact that Avera Queen of Peace was recently recognized as a Top 20 hospital by the National Rural Health Association The Top 20 hospitals each year are gleaned from the Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals as determined by the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance Index “Avera Queen of Peace is one of only 17 hospitals in the nation to be recognized in the Top 100 list each year since it was started in 2016 we have been on the Top 20 list three times,” Ekeren said “That is an exceptional track record of high-quality care and this new CAH designation won’t have any impact on our commitment to that.” Sign in Join now, it's FREE! Much loved wife of Robert (Bob) William McKinley mother to Darren Leslie McKinley (Nancy) and Shannon Elizabeth Van Ekeren (Chris) Beloved sister to Dennis Monk (Nancy) and predeceased brother David Monk (Fran) Beloved by all her extended family members and cherished by many close friends the sparkle in her eyes was being Nana to her 6 grandchildren The family is very appreciative of the care she received at Royal Victoria Hospital in the ICU Alida Pokoradi and the entire Oncology team In memory of Donna, donations made to the Royal Victoria Hospital https://www.rvhkeeplifewild.ca/ would be greatly appreciated by the family There will be a funeral mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church 2024 at 11am with refreshments to follow in the church hall.  Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time the Victorian head of one of the most powerful medical unions in the country will be putting on her scrubs and stepping into help at the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s emergency department It’s one sign of an extraordinary and incredibly difficult period for the health system After hearing countless stories of nurses being “smashed” every shift Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick felt it was her duty to help ICU nurse unit manager at the Northern Hospital and her colleagues are gearing up for an influx of COVID patients in next three weeks.Credit: Justin McManus “It was something I needed to do,” said Ms Fitzpatrick who undertook her hospital induction last week and plans to work every Saturday They can’t see light at the end of the tunnel intensive care patients are zigzagging across the city and are being transported as far away as Geelong The massive undertaking called load sharing has been described as a “saving grace” for the hospital system enough to fill a major metropolitan hospital and more in some cases transporting them well away from their homes doctors have been ensuring no one unit finds itself overloaded without the capacity to admit the gravely ill But it also comes with some risk to the patients Putting on her scrubs: Australian Nurses Federation secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick.Credit: Luis Ascui “Any transport is something that all of us are trained for and think about but it would only be a fool that didn’t consider it a big evolution,” said Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society president Anthony Holley It’s one of a number of seismic changes that are being progressively introduced to hospitals in Victoria neurologists and even psychiatrists are being seconded to help in coronavirus wards and moved into other sections of hospitals to help with the COVID-19 response Several senior health sources not authorised to speak publicly said there had been high-level discussions about the prospect of creating ‘streamline’ hospitals for emergency surgeries like ruptured aortas and how this could be done without compromising patient safety Major hospitals with pediatric units are also weighing up whether to close down those wards and send all children to the Royal Children’s Hospital or Monash Children’s Hospital but not as busy as all the adult hospitals,” one source said Private hospitals including those run by Epworth Healthcare are now taking on the lion’s share of emergency and trauma surgeries The Sunday Age can reveal that states have been asked to ensure they have ready plans to deploy voluntary nurses or other staff to Victoria in a long-standing arrangement for responding to emergencies through the National Health Emergency Standing Committee This week, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley announced that 1000 healthcare workers living overseas, including Australians abroad, will be recruited and offered reduced relocation costs, in one attempt to ease the pressure on the hospital system dozens of nurses in Melbourne have received refresher courses preparing them for an intensive care deployment Victoria’s hospital watchdog Safer Care Victoria has developed guidance on surge workforce plans for health services and the Victorian Department of Health confirmed that some hospitals will be making changes to their “model of care” anaesthetists could be brought in to work with other doctors in intensive care are concerned that while hospitals each have their contingency plans to flex up hospital capacity the state’s response still lacks central coordination and there are growing concerns patient care could be compromised for non-COVID medical emergencies “It would be very useful if everybody across the state had a consistent and uniform plan of what they’re going to do rather than 81 different health services running on their own,” said AMA Victoria president Roderick McRae Saturday saw a dramatic spike in hospitalisations - an increase of more than 100 admissions in a single day COVID-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar explained that the hospitalisations being reported were a result of cases first detected 10 to 14 days ago COVID specialist medical staff at Sunshine Hospital last year.Credit: Jason South triage tents started going up outside major metropolitan hospitals in an attempt to take the pressure off already strained emergency departments – including Sunshine and Footscray – with some nurses telling The Sunday Age this week it felt like they were preparing for a war New COVID-19 wards have been set up at the western suburb hospitals in recent days Western Health ICU director Craig French said entire families were scattered across beds in Sunshine and Footscray and this week all patients in intensive care were younger than the 56-year-old doctor “These people are incredibly sick and they’re needing high levels of oxygen and usually either invasive or non-invasive support with a ventilator,” Associate Professor French said The number of ICU beds available in Victoria has expanded by about 20 per cent since late September to 484 the number of COVID-19 patients needing intensive care has almost quadrupled to 163 Some extra capacity had been found by cancelling elective surgery with only those most in need of urgent treatment now having procedures go ahead “The reality is we have 700 beds being taken up today with COVID patients They are sick and they need that treatment and it means that others are having to defer the treatment where that’s possible,” Mr Weimar said the Victorian opposition highlighted the case of Chase Arnesen who said planned surgery to remove a tumour affecting his hearing and balance had been cancelled indefinitely He is among the more than 66,000 Victorians waiting on the elective surgery waiting list Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the state government had “18 months to prepare our health system [and] they have failed to do so” As has often been repeated by Premier Daniel Andrews and healthcare workers it is not a lack of physical beds or ventilators that will be the challenge And those working within the stretched system have been warning of burnout for months the PPE digs into your skin,” said the Northern Hospital’s ICU nurse unit manager Narkitaa Van Ekeren “Your skin itches and you end up with irritations There is a sense of thinking ‘when will this end?” But the staff just don’t give up They continue to come back every day and I’m really proud of that.” Unlike last year when people with COVID-19 weren’t as sick almost every patient being admitted to the hospital’s ICU has lung failure and they are arriving in ICU extremely fatigued it’s like they have just run a marathon,’ Ms Van Ekeren said “We are seeing that on a huge level with Delta We have patients as young as 21 in the ICU.” Stage two of the five-stage plan was already triggered when COVID-19 hospitalisations reached 600 patients last week seeing more cancelled elective surgery and a shift to new workforce models in some hospitals If the number of COVID patients was to grow by another 200 people category one elective surgeries - meant to be performed within 30 days - could be paused If more than 2500 COVID-19 patients are admitted to hospital – a scenario seen in 63 per cent of road map simulations conducted by the Burnet Institute – hospitals may only treat the sickest patients This could see a twin peak of demand around December when COVID-19 cases are predicted to be at their highest but also when other patients start returning to hospitals in greater numbers - the result of car accidents “All those unvaccinated people will start to get COVID-19 as well as all the other things that happen when the community starts to open up so I think our hospital systems are really bracing for quite an overwhelming surge in presentations,” said emergency doctor Simon Judkins Ms Fitzpatrick said you would be hard-pressed to find any area of the state’s public hospitals which isn’t under extraordinary pressure “There isn’t an area where people aren’t being smashed Emergency departments are very challenging you’re being pulled from your own area to help out and that leaves that area short.” She said healthcare workers were going to extraordinary lengths to ensure those who were dying comforted in their final moments or had a family member by their side “The lengths that people are going to is unbelievable,” she said “It is amazing and it just a testament to the quality of the people that we have working in our health system Stay across the most crucial developments related to the pandemic with the Coronavirus Update. Sign up for the weekly newsletter the Victorian head of one of the most powerful medical unions in the country will be putting on her scrubs and stepping into help at the Royal Melbourne Hospital\\u2019s emergency department It\\u2019s one sign of an extraordinary and incredibly difficult period for the health system After hearing countless stories of nurses being \\u201Csmashed\\u201D every shift \\u201CIt was something I needed to do,\\u201D said Ms Fitzpatrick They can\\u2019t see light at the end of the tunnel they know they just have to keep going.\\u201D The massive undertaking called load sharing has been described as a \\u201Csaving grace\\u201D for the hospital system \\u201CAny transport is something that all of us are trained for and think about but it would only be a fool that didn\\u2019t consider it a big evolution,\\u201D said Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society president Anthony Holley It\\u2019s one of a number of seismic changes that are being progressively introduced to hospitals in Victoria Several senior health sources not authorised to speak publicly said there had been high-level discussions about the prospect of creating \\u2018streamline\\u2019 hospitals for emergency surgeries like ruptured aortas Major hospitals with pediatric units are also weighing up whether to close down those wards and send all children to the Royal Children\\u2019s Hospital or Monash Children\\u2019s Hospital but not as busy as all the adult hospitals,\\u201D one source said Private hospitals including those run by Epworth Healthcare are now taking on the lion\\u2019s share of emergency and trauma surgeries Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley announced that 1000 healthcare workers living overseas in one attempt to ease the pressure on the hospital system Victoria\\u2019s hospital watchdog Safer Care Victoria has developed guidance on surge workforce plans for health services and the Victorian Department of Health confirmed that some hospitals will be making changes to their \\u201Cmodel of care\\u201D the state\\u2019s response still lacks central coordination and there are growing concerns patient care could be compromised for non-COVID medical emergencies \\u201CIt would be very useful if everybody across the state had a consistent and uniform plan of what they\\u2019re going to do rather than 81 different health services running on their own,\\u201D said AMA Victoria president Roderick McRae triage tents started going up outside major metropolitan hospitals in an attempt to take the pressure off already strained emergency departments \\u2013 including Sunshine and Footscray \\u2013 with some nurses telling The Sunday Age this week it felt like they were preparing for a war \\u201CThese people are incredibly sick and they\\u2019re needing high levels of oxygen and usually either invasive or non-invasive support with a ventilator,\\u201D Associate Professor French said \\u201CThe reality is we have 700 beds being taken up today with COVID patients and it means that others are having to defer the treatment where that\\u2019s possible,\\u201D Mr Weimar said Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the state government had \\u201C18 months to prepare our health system [and] they have failed to do so\\u201D the PPE digs into your skin,\\u201D said the Northern Hospital\\u2019s ICU nurse unit manager Narkitaa Van Ekeren \\u201CYour skin itches and you end up with irritations There is a sense of thinking \\u2018when will this end?\\u201D But the staff just don\\u2019t give up They continue to come back every day and I\\u2019m really proud of that.\\u201D Unlike last year when people with COVID-19 weren\\u2019t as sick almost every patient being admitted to the hospital\\u2019s ICU has lung failure and they are arriving in ICU extremely fatigued \\u201CThey\\u2019re breathing really hard it\\u2019s like they have just run a marathon,\\u2019 Ms Van Ekeren said \\u201CWe are seeing that on a huge level with Delta We have patients as young as 21 in the ICU.\\u201D There are worrying official forecasts about the impact of the growing wave of COVID-19 patients A brief document released by the Victorian government when it announced its road map out of lockdown in September of what Victorians should expect as they begin reclaiming their freedoms If more than 2500 COVID-19 patients are admitted to hospital \\u2013 a scenario seen in 63 per cent of road map simulations conducted by the Burnet Institute \\u2013 hospitals may only treat the sickest patients \\u201CAll those unvaccinated people will start to get COVID-19 so I think our hospital systems are really bracing for quite an overwhelming surge in presentations,\\u201D said emergency doctor Simon Judkins Ms Fitzpatrick said you would be hard-pressed to find any area of the state\\u2019s public hospitals which isn\\u2019t under extraordinary pressure \\u201CThere isn\\u2019t an area where people aren\\u2019t being smashed \\u201CIf you\\u2019re not in a COVID area you\\u2019re being pulled from your own area to help out and that leaves that area short.\\u201D \\u201CThe lengths that people are going to is unbelievable,\\u201D she said \\u201CIt is amazing and it just a testament to the quality of the people that we have working in our health system Stay across the most crucial developments related to the pandemic with the Coronavirus Update