Additional Services
The mission of St. Mary's
Healthcare Center is to nurture the healing ministry of the Church by bringing
it new life, energy and viability in the 21st century. Fidelity to the Gospel
urges us to emphasize human dignity and social justice as we move toward the
creation of healthier communities.
Ancillary Services play a key role in the quality of care for our in-patients, out-patients, residents and families. Some of these services are clinical, such as Laboratory, Pharmacy, Physical therapy, Radiology and Respiratory care.
Other important services we offer those we care for are Food and Nutrition, Environmental Services, Plant Operations, Business Office, Admitting, Central Scheduling, Medical Records, Infection Control, Quality Assurance, and Corporate Responsibility. Many people's impression of the quality of their care at St. Mary's Healthcare Center is not shaped solely by the care from their physician or the nursing staff, but rather, by whether their food was hot, their room was cleaned, and that their insurance company got the correct billing information.
In the Mission Statement above, the last sentence has an important focus that this Catholic facility strives to reach towards daily, as we work to holistically meet the physical, mental and spiritual needs of our patients, residents, families and our staff. The Spiritual Care Department includes staff and many clergy and lay-ministers to bring hope and healing to people in need.
Working closely with Law Enforcement and Capital Area Counseling, St. Mary's developed a Community Crisis Room. This room provides as safe a place as possible, treating people in mental health crisis with human dignity rather than the previous method, which was jail. From the Crisis Room, plans for further mental health assistance are formulated and enacted.
Another cooperative project with Law Enforcement and other agencies is the Central South Dakota Child Assessment Center. As we move toward healthier communities, the most vulnerable need to be protected. Children who may be victims of rape, violence, or at risk for exposure to drug environment are medically evaluated and interviewed.
Children's Special Health Services is a contract with the South Dakota Department of Health to provide case management services to children with health issues, such as diabetes, genetics, heart issues and asthma. St. Mary's employees staff these clinics to meet the needs of these children.
St. Mary's realizes that many procedures are not as cut and dry as they may appear on the surface. With many procedures patients will have an entire Care Team. This team is made up of several specialties to ensure the overall health of the patient. Respiratory Care is part of the Care Team for several procedures. You will see the staff from Respiratory Care after you have had any kind of surgery. They help get you well by keeping your lungs clear. You may not like breathing into the machine, but it will keep you healthy.
St. Mary's has a 24 hour laboratory that works every day. When there is an emergency, or even a planned surgery, your physician needs results from lab tests. While in the hospital, your phlebotomist is often the first person you see in the morning as they draw your blood for tests. Our lab has extensive monitoring for safety and accuracy, which is all important in patient care.
Pharmacists assist physicians in getting the right medicines to patients in an accurate and professional consultative manner. Pharmacy services at St. Mary's Healthcare Center are for patients and residents only. We do not have a retail pharmacy. Patients and residents keep the pharmacists and pharmacist technicians plenty busy, with all medications being dispensed throughout the healthcare facility.
Almost all patients are touched by Social Services, though they will never see a bill for these services. Social Services help people navigate their health care needs and choices, financial arrangements, and discharge plans. A social worker helps families at the Child Assessment Center, locates appropriate facilities for behavioral health care for people in our Crisis Room, answers questions of families and residents in long term care, and is the patient advocate in any issue such as potential abuse or neglect.
Whether it is a traumatic injury that brings you to the emergency room, or a physician's orders to have an MRI to get a better idea of what is causing you pain, St. Mary's Radiology is available when you need them. A physician Radiologist reads all scans and x-rays and works with your physician to determine what is happening. St. Mary's Radiology offers the newest advances in radiology, including nuclear medicine, CAT Scan, MRI, and mammography.
The Sleep Study unit offers two rooms for people who have sleeping or breathing disorders. Respiratory Care monitors patients, with results read by a specialist physician and shared with your personal physician. Sleeping disorders cause serious physical and emotional problems. A sleep study helps in the diagnosis of the problem and direction towards solutions.
Healthier Community initiatives at St. Mary's include collaborative efforts, such as PierreObics, to build awareness of nutrition, exercise, and a healthy life-style. www.PierreObics.org outlines some of these initiative ideas.
