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Kittson Memorial Hospital Association dba Kittson Healthcare is a fully integrated, health service delivery organization nestled in the northwest corner of Kittson County, MN. It is a 501(c)3 community based, privately owned facility providing hospital services since 1922. We promise to provide personalized, competent lifetime care for the health and wellness of the whole person and the entire community. Our passion is a better quality of life for our families and neighbors. Our mission statement reads: "Caring for family and friends, Kittson Healthcare collaborates with others to ensure area residents have access to services necessary to maintain their health and well-being." We provide our rural population a 15 bed hospital with laboratory and imaging, 60 bed nursing home (with a dedicated memory care unit), 8 bed assisted living facility, home health, public/school health, cardiac rehab, 24/7 emergency room and ambulance, retail pharmacy and medical clinic services. In addition, Kittson Healthcare offers on-site outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy through contracts with Big Stone Therapies based in Big Stone, SD and a number of outreach services such as cardiology, orthopedic, dermatology, eye procedures, colonoscopies, OB/GYN, and limited mental health services. Kittson Healthcare is a Minnesota Department of Health recognized Essential Community Provider, a Sole Community Provider and it is in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area and Frontier County. Its hospital is a designated Critical Access Hospital (CAH) since 2002 and its two medical clinics, both with imaging and laboratory services (Hallock, MN and Karlstad, MN) are federally designated Rural Health Clinics. The satellite clinic in Karlstad, MN is located 30 miles away in the southeast corner of Kittson County.
Kittson Healthcare is currently the only primary healthcare facility in Kittson County, MN. Kittson County has a population of approximately 4,298 residents (U.S. Census Bureau), has been the only primary medical center serving this area for over twenty-five years (when the Karlstad hospital closed its doors in January 1995) and is the fourth smallest county in the state. The hospital was built on its current location in 1958. The facility is in good condition, and many visitors and patients comment on what a nice, clean, home-like environment it offers to the community. The next closest tertiary hospital is Altru Health System located 73 miles away in Grand Forks, ND and the next closest retail pharmacy is located 30 miles away in Karlstad, MN. We service primarily Kittson County residents, however, we also extend our reach into the northern tier of Marshall County, western Roseau County, the eastern area of Pembina County in North Dakota, and southern Manitoba, Canada. Patient populations served range from pediatric to geriatric, from all social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Health care services are coordinated across the continuum to meet patient/family needs utilizing all sources available. Furthermore, with our county's aging population, 24.9% of our county's population is persons 65 years and over (U.S. Census Bureau), it is vital that we provide hospital, clinic, emergency, and ambulance services locally. The distance to other healthcare facilities often makes travel difficult during many months of the year, especially for the elderly in severe Minnesota winters. Besides providing the important primary care services to this area, Kittson Healthcare plays an equally significant role in its economic well being too. Kittson Healthcare is currently the county's largest employer, employing approximately 200 full, part-time, flex, and seasonal staff. The hospital and clinics are currently staffed by 2 full-time nurse practitioners, 2 full-time physician assistants, as well as 2 part-time physicians, 2 full-time pharmacists, 1 full-time pharmacy technician, and locum coverage as needed.