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RAHH Board of Directors Welcomes New Member

Photo Caption (above) Corey Vatnsdal of Roseau joined the Roseau Area Hospital and Homes and District Board of Directors in 2007.

Roseau Area Hospital and Homes is pleased to welcome Corey Vatnsdal to the hospital’s Board of Directors. A native of Roseau, Corey joined the Board in January 2007 and will serve a six-year term.
The Hospital Board of Directors, which is made up of a dozen residents from throughout Roseau County, is responsible for overseeing the long-term planning and direction of Roseau Area Hospital and Homes.
“I honestly was surprised when they contacted me,” Vatnsdal says, recalling the day he was asked to consider a place on the Board. “I’d never thought about it, since my background isn’t in healthcare.”

That, says Board Chairman Mike Hetteen, is not a criteria for being chosen. A strong loyalty to community, on the other hand, is. He says Vatnsdal, who returned to Roseau with his wife and children after living in Tennessee for nearly ten years, embodies many qualities beneficial to the Board and RAHH, including a sense of giving back to the community.

“It was impressive to see how much the Board thinks about the community and not just the bottom line. It’s the overriding theme to everything the Board does. Every decision is weighed to see how it will add to the quality of life for the people of Roseau County, more so than how profitable it is,” Vatnsdal says.
One example of this, he says, is the recent addition of Convenience Care to the hospital’s list of services. He says having an after-hours walk-in clinic for non-emergency patients is much more common at larger hospitals than at a rural health system like RAHH.

“Financially, many smaller city hospitals wouldn’t be able to justify it, but Roseau Area Hospital and Homes has made it happen because the Board determined it to be a necessary service and a good alternative to emergency room care.”

Since joining the Board, Vatnsdal admits he was most surprised by the size and scope of Roseau Area Hospital and Homes.

“Even after growing up in Roseau it wasn’t clear to me what an impact this organization has on the area. The biggest eye opener was realizing the large number of patients, the range of services, and the number of people it employs,” he says.

A proud husband and father of three, Vatnsdal is co-owner of Lake of the Woods Title and Abstract Co. in Roseau, a career change he made after 10 years in sales for Marvin Windows and Doors.

He also holds a business administration degree from Bemidji State University.
Vatnsdal looks forward to drawing on his business background as he joins the Board.

“It was an honor to be considered for this role and I look forward to contributing to the group and the overall long-term health of Roseau County.”