BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016 VOL. 54 NO. 24 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
TRAILS CLOSED: County closes snowmobile system due to shortage of snow. P8
BMC looks to align with Fairview Medical GRANTSBURG—Nothing is set in stone but it isn’t a secret either. Since early in 2015, Burnett Medical Center (BMC) has been researching the idea of integrating its medical care with one of the larger medical providers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. “We want to further strengthen the care we provide close to home,” Gordy Lewis, CEO of BMC, clarified. “Right now we are two parties acting in good faith to clinically integrate care.” He said the board first looked at Allina Health Care but when their umbrella didn’t offer long-term care, the concentration turned to Fairview. “We are in the initial stages of a non-binding agreement with Fairview — nothing is set for sure but we are hopeful,” Lewis stated. “It’s more about the fit and the culture of the two providers.” Lewis said the day-to-day operations of the hospital would not change. “We will still be a 24/7 provider and will continue to offer emergency care services, long-term care, swing-bed care — everything people have come to expect,” he explained. “I would anticipate additional specialists in the areas not already providing services to our patients — that is the strength of integration.” Ever since BMC’s governing board has been considering this kind of move, the beginning of 2017 has been the target date. “January 2017 has been the aiming stake the board has been aiming for,” Lewis concluded. By Todd Beckmann, Sentinel
TODD BECKMANN | SENTINEL
Frigid Five or spring fling? A few runners in Saturday’s annual Frigid 5K, run as part of Mid-Winter Sports Day in Grantsburg, donned shorts for the run. With temperatures at race time in the 20s, it might not have been reasonable, but it wasn’t unreasonable.
Texan, 90, loves Wisconsin winters BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
WEBSTER—Tucked back in the woods overlooking a lake, not far from Voyager Village, lives a transplanted Texan named Smitty. If you plan to stop by for a visit on a winter afternoon, you probably should call ahead. He may be out riding his snowmobile or watching the holes in the ice through the floor of his fish house. Maurice “Smitty” Smith, age 90, concedes he hasn’t met another snowmobiler his age, but he hopes to meet some of the over-75 members who ride with the Wonderland Snowmobile Club. He and his daughter, Paula SEE SMITTY, PAGE 7
No hiccups on first-run of Voter-ID BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
SIREN—The first of four elections in 2016 is in the books. “It was a very smooth election although the voter turnout for Burnett County was low,” Wanda Hinrichs, county clerk reported in the wake of last Tuesday’s primary election. Of course the main issue last week was Maurice “Smitty” Smith
SEE ELECTION, PAGE 6
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