New device provides digital tracking
of brain wave activity

Roseau Area Hospital nurses Sophie Warne, LPN (left) and Connie Borowicz, LPN fit a patient with a special cap for an electroencephalogram which studies the patient’s brain wave activity.

Roseau Area Hospital has implemented brand new electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment for conducting brain scans at the hospital.

Often used to rule out a possible seizure disorder in addition to studying brain activity following a head injury, an EEG tracks the tiny electric impulses that occur in the brain. The device monitors a patient’s brain wave activity and displays the information on a computer screen.

“The test is completely painless,” says Connie Borowicz, LPN. She and fellow Roseau Area Hospital LPN’s Sophie Warne and Celeste Cain are qualified to conduct EEG tests.

An EEG technician performs the test by fastening a cap, with electrodes attached, snuggly onto a patient’s head. Each electrode is filled with a conductive gel. Cables run from the cap to a computer that records the information. The information is then sent electronically to an Electro Diagnostic Service where it is analyzed, with test results often returned the same day.

Event raises over $20,000

Guests preview the silent auction items during the Partners for Health fundraising event held at the new Roseau City Center this past November.

Philanthropists from throughout Roseau County raised over $20,000 at the Partners for Health dinner and auction Saturday, Nov. 18, at the brand new Roseau City Center.

Funds raised during this formal event go to support local health care projects or services through the Roseau Area Hospital and Homes Health Care Fund.

The Health Care Fund is a component fund of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, and was established to provide financial support for charitable and education activities related to health care and senior living in Roseau County.

Created in 2004, the Health Care Fund is led by an advisory committee that includes: Roger Helgeson (Chair), Trish Allen (Vice-Chair), Shirley Fugleberg, Jane Evans, Bob Foley Sr., David Wensloff, and Bill Wagner. The committee is advised by Caryl Turnow from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation and is assisted by Milly Prachar and Deb Haugen from Roseau Area Hospital and Homes.

The committee named the event Partners for Health because “we are all working together as partners for the health of our community,” says Trish Allen. “The success of the Health Care Fund depends on the support of our partners which include the residents, friends, and visitors of Roseau County and the surrounding area.”

Longtime local radio personality Jack Swanson served as master of ceremonies for the evening which featured a social hour, live and silent auctions, a five course meal, and live entertainment by several musical groups including Joe and Bonnie Olson of Warroad, high school sophomore Chantal Wilson from Greenbush/Middle River, and Bemidji State University students Sarah Restad, Robert Strand, and Fawn Bakken.

The meal was served by National Honor Society advisors and students from Badger, Roseau, and Warroad while Rentfrow Auction Company was in charge of bidding on the silent and live auction items donated by community members and area artists. The two auctions raised more than $8,000 putting the event’s total over $20,000.

Medication error prevention plan
tells patients to Speak Up

Plan provides free medication form to help patients track their medicines

Do you have your medication list with you today? Is it up to date?

You can expect to be asked these questions each time you come in contact with a healthcare provider.

To help keep track of all your prescription and non-prescription drugs Roseau Area Hospital & Homes is offering a free medication form as part of its ongoing patient safety improvement.

“It’s not unusual for some patients to take more than a dozen medications at a time,” says Marilyn Grafstrom, RN, RAHH’s Director of Quality and Risk Management. “National studies show the greatest harm to patients is often the result of medication errors.”

When doctors and nurses don’t know about all the medications a patient is taking, they don’t have enough information to make the best decisions about a patient’s care. The result can be a wrong diagnosis, a bad reaction to a drug, or more time spent in the hospital.

Grafstrom says a newly implemented patient safety plan at RAHH will help prevent medication errors by involving physicians, pharmacists, additional healthcare providers, and most importantly the patient.

“A medical professional will check the medication list every time there is a change in the level of care or contact with a healthcare provider. For our hospital patients this includes the time when you are admitted or discharged, or when you are transferred to a different department during your hospital stay.”

People are taking more medications and they don’t always remember why, or they lose track, Grafstrom says.

“Since doctors need to know everything a patient is taking, the medication list should include vitamins, herbal products, antacids, laxatives and any over-the-counter medication taken on a regular basis.”

Health care professionals will look for patients to bring this list each time they interact with a pharmacist, a physician, or any other healthcare provider.

Keeping Track
Roseau Area Hospital is providing free copies of a form called “My Medicine List” to help patients record and remember their medications. The form is available at Roseau Area Hospital, Altru Clinic—Roseau, Pamida Pharmacy, and Mattson’s Pharmacy in Roseau. Patients in the Warroad area may obtain the form at Altru Clinic—Warroad, Heritage Pharmacy, and Thomson’s Snyder Drug while patients on the west side of the county can get the form at Greenbush Pharmacy or Altru Clinic—Greenbush.

Also available through Roseau County Home Health Care and Ageless Options, the form is part of the Speak Up™ patient safety program. Started in 2002 and sponsored by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Speak Up™ urges patients to becoming informed and involved participants in the process.

Roseau Area Hospital & Homes Service Awards