Submitted by St. Francis Memorial Hospital
With the fall weather here, and daylight diminishing every day, we look back on our busy summer season at St. Francis Memorial Hospital (SFMH). Summer patient volumes are always higher than other months, and this year was no different with visits increased over past years. Above: Registered Nurse Joanne Plebon and Dr. Steven Chen are two members of staff who worked extra shifts over the summer months. Photo supplied.
“As the Emergency Department Director, I am proud when I review our accomplishments,” said Dr. Daniel Ostapowicz. “We helped many people over the summer season.”
Health Human Resources is one of the biggest challenges facing small, rural hospitals such as SFMH. Many hospitals faced emergency department closures over the summer, a fate SFMH was able to avoid due to a dedicated team of healthcare professionals.
The Board and senior administration thank all our staff for their efforts, but special thanks need to be said for our physicians and nurses who helped to fill empty shifts, often working through weekends and vacations to ensure that high quality care was provided.
SFMH Chief of Staff Dr. Jason Malinowski noted, “Our physicians, nurses, allied health and support services staff deserve our praise and thanks for their commitment to the community. We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of our staff. They go beyond every shift.”
Pecarskie,J.,St.Francis Memorial Hospital(2023,Oct.2) St. Francis Thanks Staff for Hard Work Over Summer Months [media release]

Hear! Hear! We are very fortunate to have this resource in our midst. Thank you to the remarkable staff.
As someone who used the Emergency services of our hospital several times this summer, I want to add my voice of thanks to the dedicated workers who made those times of stress as easy as they could with their competency and hard work. We are fortunate to have this hospital in our area.