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Mena’s Charms Attract Retirees, New Healthcare
The small town lies along the Talimena Scenic Byway, 13 miles southeast of Queen Wilhelmina State Park. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Ouachita Mountains, Mena’s attractions are wholesome, simple pleasures: a restored train depot, a downtown of antique stores and car museums, and an idyllic city park. The abundance of rivers, lakes and the accompanying outdoor recreation attract hundreds of vacationers and tourists each year. Many of them come back to retire, lured by the slower pace of life, traditional values and beautiful, affordable land. That has created a growing, aging populace with comprehensive healthcare needs in a relatively isolated rural location, said hospital CEO Vincent DiFranco. Though he is immensely proud of the city-owned hospital’s recently completed $9 million renovation and expansion project, DiFranco said he wants his legacy to be more than bricks and mortar. “I think the legacy is more how you influence the people, how you expand services for the community,” DiFranco said. That comes largely from promoting a long-term vision for the future and getting the community and the hospital committed to, and invested in, each other’s growth. The construction completed in 2006 added over 31,000 square feet and updated over 11,000 square feet. It included, among other things, a new emergency department, the Women’s Center for obstetrics, expansion of radiology, expansion and renovation of surgery, and a new foyer and waiting area full of natural light. Inpatient services at the 65-bed hospital include acute care medical/surgical services, a 6-bed ICU, labor and delivery services, a 12-bed geriatric psychiatry unit, and a 12-bed physical rehabilitation unit. The rural health system serves people in a 45-mile radius in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Some services, such as obstetrics and senior behavioral health, treat patients from much farther. As the regional healthcare market began to change and the hospital began seeing more patients in other areas, the board realized it needed to promote a more regional and comprehensive approach. “We started going to county fairs and handing out materials so people would know who we are, what we offer,” DiFranco said. “Especially in rural areas, it helps for people to know you. Building that relationship gives them some comfort and security, and it helps us provide better care.” Mena Medical Center changed its name in 2004 to Mena Regional Health System; a moniker DiFranco says more accurately reflects its mission to the surrounding area. The hospital’s expansion left plenty of room to grow. Specialists and allied health professionals are at the top of DiFranco’s wish list. Orthopedic and ENT surgeons are in highest demand, and though Mena has two obstetricians, it needs a third. He also sees a great need for expanded cardiology and diagnostic services, and more cancer care. Interestingly, nursing is less of a shortage in Mena than in many places. “We get a lot of older, more experienced nurses getting out of the rat race in big metropolitan areas, who still want to stay active,” DiFranco explained. For instance, a 2007 new employee orientation had five new nurses; four were from Dallas, one was from California. “Two had each worked at Baylor, but never met until then,” he said. An LPN program at Rich Mountain Community College, across the street from the hospital helps. The health system also offers tuition assistance to employees which has enabled a number of LPNs to earn RNs through online courses. The severe shortage of pharmacists and of other healthcare professionals such as medical technologists is more problematic. To address that demand, the Board of Directors charged the hospital foundation with a new mission: to support local students pursuing needed healthcare professions. “It’s a long-term strategy, costly at first, but we’ve got several students in the pipeline now. They have a four-year obligation to work here, but we’re hoping they’ll decide to stay,” DiFranco said. Through other mechanisms, five new physicians joined the health system in the past year, DiFranco said. And he said the past few weeks have seen another big need crossed off the list. For years, people in the community asked him over about the prospect of a dialysis clinic for the town, DiFranco said. “Every time I spoke somewhere, that’s the most frequent question I got asked, so we started looking into it,” he said. He persistently called the Oklahoma offices of DaVita, a national dialysis company he’d encountered in other states, asking them to look at Mena. After a few years, it paid off. The new facility began its initial pre-Medicare survey phase of operations in late 2007. A Hot Springs nephrology group acts as medical director. Clinic director Pam Clark has more than 20 years of experience in dialysis, but is only starting to become familiar with Mena. She commutes more than an hour each way from her home in Greenwood, but says it’s easier on her to travel those distances than it has been for area patients. Since dialysis is a four-hour treatment three times a week, patients previously had to travel at least 90 minutes to reach a clinic. “That’s pretty much their whole day, plus it takes them the next day to recuperate,” Clark said. “Now, they can come, get treatment, go home and rest, and have the next day for themselves. It’s going to allow folks to stay home and not have to move to a larger city.” DiFranco said the hospital has no financial interest in the clinic, but understands it enhances the local healthcare community. People in Mena tend to act cooperatively like that to make things happen, he said. He cited a local artists’ group, a Senior Citizens’ Center and a proposed assisted living facility as examples of projects the locals and retirees have undertaken in recent years because they saw a need. Clark said she’s impressed so far. “They have a pretty good healthcare system from what I can see here. For such a small town, it seems to be fairly comprehensive,” she said. “And everyone here is super nice.” February 2008 Tags:NoneBookmark:
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