Hospital board buys land for new clinic in Richmond

This article submitted by Peter Jacobson on 4/28/98.

The Paynesville Area Health Care System [PAHCS] Board of Directors voted at their meeting last week to purchase a lot in Richmond for the purpose of building a new clinic there.

The lot is located on County Road 9, about one block north of Main Street, and is contiguous to Rich Haven Senior Housing. This site was among four sites that were looked at and studied by Willie LaCroix, PAHCS administrator, Mike Hanson, PAHCS board member, and Richard Engen, architect.

“This lot fits the kind of business we want to establish in Richmond”, Board Member Doug Ruhland said. The lot is one-half of a city block in size, has all utilities accessible, and will cost $49,500.

Following two anonymous letters critical of smoking in a health care facility, the board examined the smoking policy.

Federal law prohibits smoking only in the hospital portion of the complex.

A single well ventilated room located in the Koronis Manor is available for those residents to use for smoking. “This facility is home to the Manor residents”, LaCroix said, and we need to provide a place for them to smoke”. Currently, staff who wish to smoke also use this room. Manor residents are prohibited from smoking in their rooms.

“Our current policy was established because we would rather provide one place for [staff] smokers than have them smoking in locked lavatories”, added LaCroix.

The current policy was left in place.

In other business, the board:
Accepted a used oxygen concentrator donation in memory of Jerry Kern by Mrs. Jerry Kern.

Approved ancillary staff privileges for Judith Scott, Clinical Nurse Specialist; medical student hospital privileges for Gene Beavers, PA Student; and Tim Mauling, M.D., for LEEP [cervex biopsy] privileges.

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