On Tuesday, Nov. 2, voters will chose board members for the Paynesville Area Hospital District. Contested races are
for the at-large representative (between incumbent Carolyn Swyter and Doug Ruhland, who currently represents the city
of Eden Valley on the board) and for Eden Lake Township (between incumbent Joe Gruenes and challenger Ross Amundson).
The entire hospital district - cities of Eden Valley, Lake Henry, Paynesville, Regal, Richmond, Roscoe, and St. Martin and townships of Eden Lake, Paynesville, Roseville, Union Grove, and Zion will vote for the at-large representative
At-Large Representative
Carolyn Swyter
Carolyn Swyter, 61, lives in Paynes-ville and has worked at a bank for 41 years. She was appointed to the hospital board in 1986 when it was still owned by the city and has served as the at-large representative since the hospital district was formed in 1992.
With all the technological
advances in health care, how can an independent PAHCS affort to have state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities in the years to come? Would you ever support using the hospital district's ability to tax?
We need the people and/or patients. That's what makes a hospital grow. We are blessed to have as many doctors and PAs as we have. Most communities are happy to have one or two doctors. "If the people come, we can build it or buy it." We are very pleased of the services we offer.
I am not in favor of taxing the district.
How important is long-term care
to the future of the hospital district?
Well, as one of the baby boomer gang, I'll have to say that there is going to be a lot of us retiring in the next 10 years. Not everyone is able to keep their health and so then long-term care becomes necessary. I hope that sometime in the future we can add on to the Manor as we had planned to do, so that everyone can have a private room with bath.
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At-Large Representative
Doug Ruhland
Doug Ruhland, 52, is an attorney who has represented the city of Eden Valley on the hospital board since 1995. Moving from the city limits of Eden Valley prompted Ruhland to run for the at-large representative to the board.
With all the technological
advances in health care, how can an independent PAHCS affort to have state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities in the years to come? Would you ever support using the hospital district's ability to tax?
Certain technology is necessary; others are luxuries and we do not need to try to do everything for everybody.
The hospital district's ability to tax should not be used, especially to purchase expensive specialized technology.
How important is long-term care
to the future of the hospital district?
I believe it is an important component in the health care system. There is a need, and I feel we have a responsibility to take care of our elderly.
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Eden Lake Township
Ross Amundson
Ross Amundson, 48, works as an attorney with a law office in Paynes-ville and lives on Rice Lake in Eden Lake Township, where he has lived for ten years.
With all the technological
advances in health care, how can an independent PAHCS affort to have state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities in the years to come? Would you ever support using the hospital district's ability to tax?
We can afford state-of-the-art equipment by being wise about our purchases. Buying equipment that generates sufficient income to pay for itself is one way to do so. We want to maintain modern and up-to-date facilities. If we do not have them, people will eventually find other providers. Fortunately, we have a large hospital district to support PAHCS, and I would support taxing if it was critical to PAHCS.
How important is long-term care
to the future of the hospital district?
As I mentioned earlier, it is extremely important. We are living longer, and as the baby boomers age, there will be greater demands for long-term care. I think that the key is to be aware that long-term care no longer means just nursing homes. It also means resources such as assisted living facilities and home health care. I believe that PAHCS has done an excellent job in this area and must continue to do so.
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Eden Lake Township
Joe Gruenes
Joe Gruenes, 64, has represented Eden Lake Township on the hospital board for two years. A retired farmer, he previously served 18 years on Eden Lake Township Board of Supervisors.
With all the technological
advances in health care, how can an independent PAHCS affort to have state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities in the years to come? Would you ever support using the hospital district's ability to tax?
I don't feel we can afford all the modern equipment that we'd like to have. We need to share some things with other hospitals like Willmar or St. Cloud. We made some major changes this year, like refinancing and switching to critical access. This cut our payments by over $2 million a year.
I don't think we'll need to tax.
How important is long-term care
to the future of the hospital district?
Long-term health care is very important to PAHCS. With advances in medicine, people are living longer. Our world has a large number of older citizens, so many people will need help in the near future.
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