On Sunday night, Michael Fulkerson received a call at his Huntingburg home. On the other end was a women wanting to know when Fulkerson, a 65-year-old lab assistant at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper, would be at work because she didn’t want her blood drawn by anyone else.
Fulkerson’s friendly story might seem like a small one for a hospital network that sees 230,000 outpatients annually (that’s 630 per day), but he feels it’s a great example of why Memorial has been successful.
“It’s not just another face coming in, sticking them with a needle, sending them on their way,” Fulkerson said of his hospital duties. “People come here and they know us. We’re neighbors, we’re relatives, we’re friends. They know they can come here and get the best possible treatment they can. They know people truly care about them here.”
Fulkerson, who’s worked at the hospital for 21 years, and other Memorial employees believe their care for patients and upper-management’s care for Memorial employees is the backbone of the hospital’s success.
According to data gathered by the Associated Press, rural hospitals have been closing at an increasing rate since 2010. In that time period, 50 rural hospitals have closed and another 283 are considered vulnerable to closure, and though the shutdown predates the statistics, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Huntingburg closed in 2007.
Depending on who’s measuring, Dubois County can be considered rural or urban. The U.S. Census considers Dubois County a micropolitan, an area with a population of more that 10,000 people, but less than 50,000. John Dillon, Memorial’s vice president of ambulatory services said Memorial’s isolated location has been beneficial to the hospital — the closest hospital is Daviess Community Hospital, about 25 miles away in Washington — and that since the 1990s, the hospital has added health care centers in seven surrounding counties, serving a population near 100,000 people.
“We’ve expanded that base, which certainly allows for the fingers to be pointed in this direction,” said Dillon, who has held the ambulatory VP position since he joined Memorial 16 years ago. “That helps us serve the communities better because there’s economies of scale and size to provide services that you normally wouldn’t see in a community of (15,000 residents like Jasper).”
The extra population reached by Memorial’s satellite facilities made expansion within specialties necessary. Dillon said that with increased population comes the need for more specific doctors and procedures. Memorial is home to 30 specialty areas such as radiology, urology and pulmonology. Dillon said Memorial has heavily invested in oncology and cardiology since cancer and heart treatment are the two of the biggest needs at a hospital of Memorial’s size. Memorial opened the Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center in 2007. From 2010 to 2014, the Lange-Fuhs center at the hospital campus on Ninth Street saw its patient load grow tenfold, and in 2014 the center underwent a $2.7 million renovation, adding 4,800 square feet on the hospital’s west side.
“Everything that we’ve done really feeds upon itself and allows us to continue growing,” Dillon said.
To best assess the community’s needs, Memorial employs a combination of talking to residents and customers as well as and literature research, Dillon said. Every three years, Memorial releases a community health assessment — the most recent was released earlier this year — which measures quality of care, access to care and weaknesses and strengths for care in Dubois, Spencer, Pike and Martin counties. That assessment paired with focus groups, medical journal research and data on patient transfers provides Memorial management a good idea of areas that need improvement.
“We seek input from those that are impacted by our decisions,” Dillon said. “If we do the right thing in meeting our community needs, then the business standpoint falls into place.”
Angi Blessinger, a 47-year-old activities coordinator who has worked for Memorial for 15 years, said meeting communities needs is simple, since hospital employees generally enjoy their work and the hospital’s environment. She senses a vibe of inclusiveness, where employees feel upper-management values their opinions.
“When we’re doing a new process,” Blessinger said, “we’re always asked, ‘What do you think? What do you think would make this best for you and your team?’ They could very well say, ‘Here’s our changes, there you go,’ but that’s not going to get us very far. They’re searching for input to make it the best experience for us and patients and future workers.”
Abby Schmitt, a 32-year-old nurse who’s worked at the hospital for 11 years, said Memorial’s environment makes employees want to work harder. Also, they’re are proud of where they work.
“Even employees who aren’t from this area, they feel it, too,” Schmitt said of Memorial. “People that drive here from an hour away to work. It’s the pride. People want to feel something good.”
Making his patients feel at home is essential for Fulkerson. When drawing blood, he has chatted with folks about everything from planting tomatoes to mining coal. A man approach Fulkerson after a church service and jokingly unfurled his arm as if he wanted Fulkerson to draw blood right there on the spot.
“People will say, ‘You used to draw my dad before he passed away, you used to draw my mom,’” Fulkerson said. “‘They always liked it and I think I know why.’”
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