WLM | health
do not exceed 25, and they are at least 35 miles from the
nearest hospital. For five years in a row, SVMC has been
named one of the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals. “Two
of those five years SVMC was in the top 20,” Johnson adds
proudly. While the addition of electronic medical records
almost two years ago created a few hurdles that the center
has worked to overcome, they are near achieving the same
level again. “We’re working very hard to get back onto that
Top 20 list,” Johnson adds. SVMC has also been ranked
in the top 10% across the country for lowest infection rate,
and its Star Valley Care Center (a long-term care facility)
has received four and five state ratings consistently. This
bright, clean facility, a home-away-from-home, provides
24/7 care and activities. Residents are bussed to the local
schools to see plays and concerts, and in the summer go
out to picnics and to visit local ranches to connect many
of these elder farmers and ranchers with their beloved
outdoor surroundings and horses. The center even has pets,
including a cat, fish and birds!
Johnson shares that SVMC is the first medical facility he’s
ever worked in. “I’ve never been involved in an industry
that is more passionate about what they do,” Johnson
asserts. While we all hope we’ll never need these services,
it’s good to know that a well-trained, educated, and
compassionate staff will be there to help us if we do – and
to have such a facility in a rural setting is a true labor of
love and devotion. W L M
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