For 17 years, the Roseau County community has come together every year to support and celebrate the excellence of its regional health care provider.
The annual Partners for Health LifeCare gala, presented by Marvin, raises money for the LifeCare Health Care Funds, funds within the family of funds at Northwest Minnesota Foundation that benefit the operations of the health care provider.
Each year, the gala highlights a specific project as the fundraising focus. At the most recent gala, held in April 2023, the focus was support for the LifeCare Birthing Center to support its staff in providing exceptional care to women in an ever-growing radius.
At the gala, Dr. Jessica Simmons, a LifeCare family medicine physician, spoke to the danger of “maternity care deserts” that have been created in rural areas due to the reduction in maternity services. Some women will drive up to two hours to LifeCare to receive care. In pregnancy, that can translate into needing one or two days off from work a month to receive the recommended level of care.
“Ultimately, less prenatal care increases the risk of missing a complication of pregnancy – maybe you have diabetes and we don’t know that or high blood pressure that’s undiagnosed … or the baby’s not growing well,” Dr. Simmons said. “The lack of prenatal care … really increases (the risk of) preterm labor and birth complications.”
Funds raised through the last gala supported the purchase of RealMom 2.0, an astonishingly lifelike birthing simulator that will allow staff to practice birthing scenarios and train on realistic crises that can occur in childbirth.
“This is how we stay current on our skills. It’s about the best you can do without an actual real-life situation,” Dr. Simmons said.
While staff already undergo regular training, this new technology will “add an extra level of reality” to those sessions, she explained.
The simulator is not a machine in how the general public might picture it. It looks and feels like a woman, with lifelike soft tissue and skin, and an active birth canal that can automate dilation and fetal station. RealMom can be programmed to facilitate numerous real-life birthing events such as breech deliveries, cord prolapse, post-partum hemorrhaging, even Caesarian deliveries.
“Instead of just verbalizing (our responses), you actually have to physically do it. That really helps with skill retention,” Dr. Simmons said. “It is a simulation that is much more realistic than anything we’ve ever had. It’s top-notch technology.”
Allison Harder, LifeCare’s Director of Community Relations, explained that the LifeCare Health Care Fund has a Maggi Adams Medical Equipment Fund dedicated to further strengthening LifeCare’s steadfast commitment to providing the best health care services and experiences to its’ patients. In addition, LifeCare itself has invested not only in well-trained staff but also in physical improvements to the birthing center to provide private suites in which labor, delivery, recovery, and post-partum all remain within the same room.
“LifeCare has always been progressive in its facilities, making sure the patient experience is consistent with the level of service by your physicians,” Harder said.
Dr. Simmons, a Roseau native who returned in 2015 to join LifeCare’s staff, said her goal for the future of the birthing center is that staff continue to put patient care first and build confidence in their already strong skillsets. “Ultimately, we just need to make sure that we’re taking good care of our patients,” she said. “I feel very confident in our facility and our staff, and I want to maintain that. LifeCare is thriving. We have a really great crew that will have longevity, which is huge. We just need to make sure that we are supporting that.”
LifeCare Health Care Family of Funds
The LHCF exists because of the generosity of individuals and businesses in our area. The funds we hold provide endowed resources to support the health and wellness of the people of Roseau County. We currently operate eight separate funds that support specific causes within our county: General Endowment Fund, Greenbush Manor Fund, Roseau Manor Fund, Maggi Adams Medical Equipment Fund, Eagles Auxiliary Diabetes and Dialysis Fund, Hospice Fund, Angel Baby Fund, Think Pink Breast Cancer Fund, and Roseau County Cancer Fund.
Save the date!
The 18th annual LifeCare Gala will held on Saturday, April 6th, 2024. This year, fundraising will raise support for Roseau County area senior living facilities. Senior Services in Roseau County includes; Warroad Senior Living, LifeCare Greenbush Manor & Assisted Living, LifeCare Roseau Manor, and LifeCare Senior Living in Roseau. All locations will be able to request grants for projects to enhance Roseau County area seniors’ overall quality of life.
Donate
To make a donation to the LifeCare Health Care Fund, please visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/nwmfoundation/restriction/LifeCare+Health+Fund
