Special Services

St. Joseph's Area Health Services provides a large range of services that goes beyond traditional medical care to meet our community's preventative health care needs.

Guest Relations Liaison

St. Joseph's Area Health Services is highly committed to ensuring all the needs of each patient are provided. In its quest for this 5-star service, St. Joseph's offers the services of a guest relations and advocate for patients.

Sr. Margaret Smith serves in this role; she was one of the Sisters of St. Joseph's who founded the hospital in 1946. She visits patients in waiting rooms before they go to surgery. She helps to make patients comfortable and listens to fears and concerns. She's there for a patient's family if they have needs, even if it's to let them know where they can get a bite to eat or a place to stay in town. She makes daily rounds to visit patients in their rooms, and, with her ecumenical sensitivity, will pray with them if they desire.

Ethics Committee

There may be a time when you are called on to make a decision about health care for yourself or for a loved one. This can often be a confusing, frightening, or painful task. Increased understanding among patients, families and health care providers may lessen your fears and help relieve the burden that such difficult decision-making may cause.

St. Joseph's Area Health Services has a Medical Ethics Committee to help you in such circumstances. The Ethics Committee is a group of people who are prepared to listen and respond to you. They can help get all the facts you need to make a decision, and they can offer feedback and suggestions. They will never come up with a final answer or tell you what to do, however they have been educated in medical ethics and can bring their ideas together. To get in touch with the Ethics Committee, please call our Spiritual Care Services at extension 516.

Spiritual Services

At St. Joseph's Area Health Service we make a special effort to respect the individual's spiritual needs of all our patients. Our Spiritual Services program provides support through times of crisis and joy. Our Spiritual Services Coordinator, Rev. Randy Hachfeld, along with area clergy and volunteers schedule regular visits with patients.

Rev. Hachfeld is chairman of the Ethics Committee which provides consultation for difficult medical dilemmas and education for staff. Assistance is also provided for patients and families in preparing The Minnesota Health Care Directive, a tool which combines the general purposes of the living will and durable power of attorney for health care. Education on advance directives is provided for the community.

Hospice also has a part-time Chaplain who visits patients and families in their homes and in nursing homes.

We believe that total patient care demands attention to the spiritual, as well as the physical and emotional needs of each patient. Members of the Spiritual Services staff are available to assist you, whatever your religious tradition. Your priest, minister, or rabbi is always welcome to visit you while you are here.

Parish Nursing

A Parish Nurse is a licensed registered nurse committed to the wellness of the church and the community.  Parish nurses work directly with the people in faith communities in a wholistic way, looking at the health of their mind, body and spirit. 

Before the advent of modern medical systems, churches were actively involved in tending to the needs of the sick as part of their ministry.  The Parish Nurse Program revitalizes this function.  The program helps to reclaim the church's role in ministering wellness to the members of a faith community.

Parish nurses meet with people to discuss and listen to concerns that are troublesome whether physical, relational, or spiritual.  A Parish Nurse serves as a referral source and is knowledgeable of resources in the community.  The Parish Nurse presents or arranges health topic educational programs and supplies health information, arranges blood pressure screenings and health fairs

Parish Nurses are advocates for people.  They help to obtain care, serve as health navigators, work to acquire needed services in a community, raise awareness of  legislative issues related to health.

Spiritual Services Volunteers

Spiritual Care volunteers such as Loraine Bridge believe in healing not only the mind and body, but the soul as well. Several times a month volunteers visit patients at St. Joseph's Area Health Services under the direction of Spiritual Services Chaplain Rev. Randy Hachfeld.

Volunteers take care to be receptive of the desires of patients. Perhaps they just stop to talk, or visit to help pass the time for a patient. At other times the patient may request spiritual comfort. They might offer a prayer or read Scripture.The Spiritual Care Volunteer may also remember the patient in his or her prayers at a later time.

"For me it's probably the most uplifting, inspiring, comforting thing I do," Bridge says.

Volunteers go through an interview process, receive an orientation and mentor with a fellow volunteer until they feel prepared to make visits on their own.

Anyone who feels they have been "called" to this type of service can call Hachfeld at 218-237-5516.

Guest Relations Liaison

St. Joseph's Area Health Services is highly committed to ensuring all the needs of each patient are provided. In its quest for this 5-star service, St. Joseph's offers the services of a guest relations and advocate for patients. Sr. Margaret Smith services in this role; she was one of the Sisters of St. Joseph's who founded the hospital in 1946.

Sr. Margaret visits patients in waiting rooms before they go to surgery. She helps to make patients comfortable and listens to fears and concerns. She's there for a patient's family if they have needs, even if it's to let them know where they can get a bite to eat or a place to stay in town. She makes daily rounds to visit patient's rooms, and, with her ecumenical sensitivity, will pray with them if they desire.