Around the Office and on the Road in North Dakota

A simulation-in-motion program brings synergy to medical professionals across the state

By andrew weeks | Prairie Business Editor

This month’s Around the Office has a unique twist. We’re taking you on the road, so to speak, with a medical bus that is part of a statewide mobile education program.

Called SIM-ND – for Simulation in Motion-North Dakota – the program has four buses that provide onsite training to critical access hospitals, EMS agencies, and other medical providers across the state. The bus can serve as both an ambulance and mobile hospital and is equipped with medical equipment, computers, and high-fidelity computerized manikins “that talk, breathe, have heartbeats, and can react to medications and other actions of the learners,” said Jessi Nicola, program administrator at the University of North Dakota. The university partners with hospitals to make the bus a unique experience in North Dakota.

“Our mission is to improve patient care by the educational enrichment of rural and frontier healthcare providers,” she said. “Our vision is to enhance, support, promote, and facilitate healthcare education through the use of simulation.”

In early December, Nicola, Simulation Education Specialist Andrew Lundstrom, and Tom Tomaino, one of the program’s drivers, were at a safety and health conference in Fargo, where they gave Prairie Business a tour of one of the buses.

Nicola, who is based in Fargo, answered additional questions for Prairie Business about the program:

Q. A.

HOW LONG HAS THIS PROGRAM BEEN AROUND AND HOW DID IT START?

SIM-ND came into existence in August 2012, when the University of North Dakota’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences was awarded a grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Foundation for the purpose of creating a statewide resource that could be used to bring healthcare education to rural EMS agencies and emergency departments. Before we could begin offering education, our trucks had to be built and outfitted with all of the equipment that you can find in an ambulance or emergency department. We also needed to develop our educational offerings and train our educators. All of this took almost a year and we began offering training in June 2013.

Q. A.

HOW MANY MEDICAL BUSES ARE THERE IN THE PROGRAM AND WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED?

We have four identical trucks located throughout the state that cover each of the regions. The truck in Grand Forks covers mainly the northeast and is operated by Altru Health System staff. The truck in Fargo covers the southeast region and is operated by both the Essentia and Sanford staff. The truck in Minot covers the northwest region and is operated by Trinity Health Staff. The truck in Bismarck covers the southwest region and is operated by CHI St. Alexius Staff. For larger events our trucks and staff will help out each of the regions. SIM leadership at UND oversees and manages the operations.

Q. A.

WHO ARE ALL THE PARTNERS AND PLAYERS OF THE PROGRAM?

This program is a partnership between Altru Health System, CHI St. Alexius Health, Essentia Health, SanfordFargo, Trinity Health, the ND Department of Health, and the leadership of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences Simulation Center. Each of the hospitals has a coordinator and staff who teach and facilitate the events.

Q. A. IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE SYNERGY BETWEEN THE PARTNERS HELP THE PROGRAM ACCOMPLISH ITS MISSION?

This program is unique in that the five hospitals throughout the state would be considered a competitor in the business world, yet they have come together to support and provide education to our rural areas within the state. I believe and have heard that each of the hospitals share the same vision with this program to help educate staff in hopes to provide better outcomes for patients who need care.

Q. A.

HOW IS THE MEDICAL BUS PROGRAM FUNDED?

This program was originally funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, along with the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the North Dakota Department of Health. This grant provided funding for the purchase of the four trucks, including supplies and manikins, the development of the educational curriculum, and operating expenses for the first three years. The program is currently funded through financial and in-kind contributions from each of the five partner hospitals, the University, and the Department of Health.

Q. A.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH THE PROGRAM AND WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?

I’m the program administrator for the simulation center and the program director for SIM-ND. I oversee all of the operations, which includes financial, marketing, scheduling, human resources, and instructional delivery methods. I have only been with this program since the end of August. I have a background in healthcare, previously working as a radiology manager at Altru Health System.

Q. A.

THE BUS SERVES AS AN OFFICE, TECH CENTER, AMBULANCE AND HOSPITAL, IS THAT RIGHT? WHAT IS THE BUS EQUIPPED WITH? TELL US ABOUT SOME OF ITS UNIQUE FEATURES.

The truck is 44 feet long by 8 feet wide and about 13 feet tall. It is equipped with slide outs that allow for the truck to expand and provide more space. The front of the truck is set up as an emergency room and the back of the truck is set up as an ambulance. This allows for training to occur simultaneously or to simulate care in different spaces. The set up of this truck will also allow for training to occur from the ambulance to the ER trauma room, by moving the manikin from one side of the truck to the other. Between the two spaces is a control room that allows for controlling audio and visual operations. A facilitator can control the patient within the control room. This includes things like voice control, the manikin’s blood pressure, and heart rate.

Q. A.

HOW MANY PEOPLE STAFF THE BUS WHEN ON ASSIGNMENT OR MEDICAL CALL?

Staffing is dependent upon the number of learners and types of scenarios. Each of the five hospitals has a coordinator who coordinates the learning requests and staffs each event according to needs.

Q. A. HOW OFTEN IS THE BUS USED?

This is used mainly for rural outreach education. It is much harder for rural areas to send staff for training, and cost for training and continuing education can be expensive. This allows us to come and train onsite and sometimes within the environment of their work. The hope is to make the training feel as real as possible. One of the benefits that our partner hospitals receive is that they are able to use the equipment internally when it is not scheduled elsewhere. This saves them the costs of purchasing the simulation equipment, developing or purchasing the educational curriculum and training educators.…We have conducted over 300 training events for 4,200 learners in 2019.

Q. A. WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM?

Currently our four trucks have been able to manage the workload throughout the state. I see a future of growth with this program as we continue to expand our service requests and needs. I see opportunities to partner with other non-medical facilities. We have worked with military bases, nursing homes, and industrial businesses. I see lots of opportunity to grow.

Q. A. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE PROGRAM?

My favorite thing about this program is that we are helping to improve patient care and outcomes. My teams are passionate about what they do and provide high quality education to the learners throughout the state. We have worked with military bases, nursing homes, and industrial businesses. I see lots of opportunity to grow.

A SIM-ND BUS, ONE OF FOUR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA’S SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES PROGRAM, IS SEEN ON DEC. 3 IN FARGO. THE BUS, WHICH CAN SERVE AS EITHER AN AMBULANCE OR MOBILE HOSPITAL, IS EQUIPPED WITH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, COMPUTERS, AND HIGH-FIDELITY COMPUTERIZED MANIKINS. IMAGE: ANDREW WEEKS/PRAIRIE BUSINESS

Bill Heegaard

Essentia Health Hires New West Market President

FARGO, N.D. – Essentia has hired Dr. Bill Heegaard to serve as president for Essentia Health’s West Market, which includes eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. He will start work this spring.

Most recently, Heegaard served as chief medical officer and chief clinical officer at Hennepin Health System in Minneapolis. He is a professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and has been practicing the full spectrum of adult and pediatric emergency medicine at Hennepin Health since 1994.

Heegaard, who received his medical degree and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University in Illinois, currently serves on the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors, the American College of Emergency Physicians Council, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine as an oral examiner. He also is a former chair of the LifeLink III Board.

Enclave Hires New Vice President Of Construction

Fargo, N.D. – Enclave Companies has hired a new vice president of construction.

Derek Hoeschen brings more than 20 years of experience to the position, including having worked as a project manager, superintendent, project engineer, office engineer and field engineer.

Most recently he served as general manager at McGough Construction. In his new role, Hoeschen, a graduate of North Dakota State University, will apply his knowledge and expertise to provide executive leadership to Enclave Construction while supporting the organization’s mission of creating spaces where people are inspired to do their best work and live their best life.

VALLEY CITY STATE UNIV. HAS NEW CAREER SERVICES DIRECTOR

VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Kari Klettke has joined Valley City State University staff as director for career services. She will provide career counseling services and direct internship and other experiential education programs, such as job shadowing and mentoring. She will also work with area and regional employers to assess workforce needs and assist students with employment opportunities.

Most recently Klettke served as director of accessibility resources at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Her higher education experience includes roles in counseling, career development, disability services, teaching and advising at several institutions.

Klettke resides in West Fargo.

Kari Klettke

Flint Group Hires New Junior Copywriter

FARGO, N.D. – Flint Group, a full-service communication and marketing agency, has hired Mia Duncan as a junior copywriter.

Duncan earned a bachelor’s degree in English and mass communications, with minors in writing, public relations, and a certificate in publishing from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Prior to joining Flint, she worked as an operations coordinator for a nationwide nonprofit.

New Ceo Announced At Rr46

FARGO, N.D. – Andy Reierson has been promoted to CEO of RR46, a family of nine companies established to serve and solve the marketing communications needs of clients in several industries. He succeeds Roger Reierson, who has served in the role since 1983. Roger will move to executive chairman.

Andy joined Flint Group, a business unit of RR46, in 2006. He was promoted to COO of RR46 in 2016. He has been an account manager with Flint Group in Fargo, N.D., and Duluth, Minn., and as president of Flint Group’s Duluth office and digital marketing business.

Roger will remain active as RR46 board chair, working on client projects and building community and industry relations.

Starion Bank Names New President

BISMARCK, N.D. – Starion Bank has named Don Morgan president, with Craig Larson continuing in the roles of CEO and chairman of the board for the bank. As president, Morgan manages the day-to-day operations of the bank, while Larson focuses on the overall strategy and vision for the company. Morgan, a certified public accountant, has been with Starion since 2012 when he joined the bank as vice president for credit administration. In this new role, Morgan will partner with and develop high-performance leadership teams, focusing on all operational aspects of the bank and building relationships within the bank, with customers and in communities.