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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981 06-10 St. John's moves health services to Maplewood THE REVIEW • St. John's moves health services to , Maplewood By JONATHON CLYDE GLASS Staff Writer While plans to relocate St. John's Hospital from St. Paul to Maplewood advance cautiously,the hospital's parent company,Health Resources,Inc.(HRI), has established several health-related programs in Maplewood. HRI purchased the Hazelwood Elementary School,2696 Hazelwood St., in September 1980 for$875,000 to house its Health Resources Center. The elemen- tary school building is now used for of- fices, community education classes, a home care program and a chemical dependency treatment center. Since its formation as a non-profit holding company in 1979,HRI also has purchased an ambulance service and medical equipment repair business.It is on the verge of merging with the White Bear Lake Care Center,a 151 bed nursing home,and is studying the possibility of constructing housing for senior citizens in the Maplewood-White Bear Lake area. "We were going through a lot of growth problems,"said HRI Vice President Gary French, explaining the purpose for organizing the holding company. The establishment of HRI enables the hospital administration to concentrate on providing hospital care, while HRI initiates and administers a network of diverse health services which com- plement the hospital facilities, French explained. Last June when HRI plans to operate its chemical dependency program at Hazelwood Elementary School,dozens of local residents came to a public hearing to express their fears about the impact of k the program's clients on their neigh- borhood. Parts of the chemical depen- dency program have been functioning in the former school since December without provoking any citizen complaints, according to Thomas Hagen,deputy chief of police in Maplewood. "THESE PEOPLE don't give us any problems. If they are seeking help they don't present any problem and we don't anticipate that they will," Hagen said. "It's the ones who don't go get help but who need it that present the problems," he continued. The chemical dependency program is divided into four departments: adolescent, adult, family care and after- care. Each department runs on an out- patient basis,enabling people to come for treatment during the day or evening and then return to their homes or jobs. The adolescent chemical dependency program has been located in the former school since December 1980, and had graduated 59 students thus far,according to secretary Casey Kelley. The program has a capacity of 20, but is averaging 14 students at a time.The students, between the ages of 12 and 18, come from White Bear Lake, Oakdale and other parts of Washington County, as well as Maplewood and North St. Paul, she said. The program operates in cooperation with School District 622 and the students spend their mornings in classes and their af- ternoons in treatment, she explained. The adult chemical dependency program moved into the new site on May 1, according to senior secretary Darlene Swenson. It is filled to its capacity of 40 and has a list of people waiting to get in, she said.Each patient participates in the program for about 20 days, and then continues to meet in after-care groups, she said. THE ONLY PROBLEM only problem they have encountered at the new site is the lack of evening bus service, Swenson said, The program staff has been forced to turn down several applicants who could not arrange transportation to the Hazelwood school building in the evenings, she added. Roger Downey, community relations officer with the Metropolitan Transit Commission, said MTC does not have money to enable it to generally expand evening service at this point. "It takes a fair number of riders to justify running bus service to an area. It is a fairly expensive thing,"Downey said. HRI's community education depart- ment provides a series of classes on Continued on page 3 St. John's Continued on page 1 giving birth and baby care, as well as natural contraception. The hospital in St. Paul offers classes on coping with cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes which it would like to relocate in Maplewood, according to Curtis West, director of community relations for HRI. `• In addition to its own services, HRI &; leases some space in the former school to the Wilder Foundation's Northeast Adolescent and Child Guidance Program. "There's a lot of program development yet to do," said French,noting that some ,. rooms in the school have not yet beer,fully HEALTH RESOURCES INC.(HRI),a holding company for St.John's Hospital and adapted to HRI's needs. The auditorium other medical businesses,has moved its offices to the former Hazelwood Elementary utilized and the gymnasium is used for School, 2696 Hazelwood St. These four executives of HRI are (from left to right): HRI's employee fitness program while Jerry Willcox, director of shared services; William Miller, fund development the company continues to evaluate how to dire-.tor;Bill Knutson,coordinator of youth services; and Steve Amundsen,director make the best use of the space, French of senior services.HRI invites the public to see its facilities and meet its staff at an said. open house June 17 between 2 and 6 p.m. and direction in their lives,he continued. to 80 percent of the hospital's staff, he HRI SPENT ABOUT $225,000 added. "retrofitting" classrooms for new uses, "WE'RE GOING at all deliberate While these factors strengthen St. French said. It lowered the ceilings to slowness," Amundsen noted, explaining John's rationale for moving to cover the iron-beams,added a number of that the studies will be in a cautious and Maplewood,a volatile economic situation new walls and improved ventilation and thorough manner. Results of the initial and changing health care trends corn- air conditioning. demographic and market surveys should plicate the planning process. "Air-handling is particularly important be ready in August, he said. in a smoking environment, like in HRI has obtained an option to buy 22 "I FEEL THE health care of the'80s will chemical dependency treatment cen- acres at the corner of Beam Avenue and be quite different than the acute care of ters," he noted. Hazelwood Street,two blocks north of the the past. The growth days of big central The wall-length chalk boards, coat former elementary school, as the future hospital buildings are over,French said.I racks and book shelves in the hall's, and site for St.John's Hospital. The company don't think the traditional hospital ap- knee-high drinking fountains,remind one has filed a letter of intent to move the proach of the past can survive," he however,still, remind one that this is an hospital with the Metropolitan Health continued. old elementary school. Board,according to French. But, French One important new trend is the in- Local residents will have the chance to told the Review, he is still compiling the creased emphasis on out-patient treat- see the new Health Resource center and initial data to write the statement of need, meat, which is less expensive than HRI offices for themselves on Wed- a massive document intended to convince requiring all patients to occupy hospital nesday, June 17. HRI is holding an open the health board that the relaction to beds. Fewer people are going to the house on that day, between 2 and 6 p.m. Maplewood will benefit the general hospitals, and those people are spending The general public may attend the event public. less time in the hospitals,explained West. to examine the facilities and meet the "We're gearing up to submit the cer- The rapid growth of health main- staff. tificate of need late this year or early next tenance organizations (HMOs) has in- The Health Resources Assistance year," said West, director of community troduced a new element of com- Corporation (HRAC), a profit making relations.The hospital has told the Metro petitiveness in health care, French said, subsidiary of HRI located in the former Health Board that it hopes to have con- HMOs generally contract with one elementary school is studying the struction underway by 1983, he added. hospital to handle all their hospital possibility of constructing a senior The principal advantage of the referrals at a fixed rate, so a hospital citizens housing complex in Maplewood or Maplewood site is its central location in must vigilantly scrutinize the types of White Bear Lake. The corporation is St. John's primary service area. The care it can provide at competitive costs, looking at three or four sites and layout present 346-bed hospital has long drawn he explained. According to the Health plans, including cooperatives, con- most of its patients from the eastern and Board, the metropolitan area has a dominiums and rental apartments, ac- northern suburbs which lack a major surplus of hospital beds, and St. John's cording to Steve Amundsen, director of hospital, French said. can not actually expect to increase its bed senior services for HRAC. St. John's is a family-oriented facility, capacity when it moves. "Housing is very important for both which offers a wide variety of primary "I'm willing to bet that we'll be smaller physical and mental health," Amundsen health care services rather than con- in terms of numbers of beds," French said. A range of housing options are centrating on a few specialties,according said in regard to the size of the new necessary to help seniors retain control to French.Family physicians make up 70 hospital.