News: Clark County (Health Care Center 1983)

Contact: Kathleen E. Englebretson

Email: kathy@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Mills, Duncan, Haselow, Harms, Mulvaney

----Source: Marshfield News-Herald (15 July 1983)

The Clark County Health Care Center is a facility undergoing constant change, yet it has tradition that has been maintained since its founding.

Administrator Arlyn A. Mills, during a recent tour of the Center's building and grounds, talked about the center's changes as well as the tradition that he himself is part of.

The facility is in the midst of a construction project slated for completion in 1984. Even though there will be extensive remodeling and renovation, he said, attempts are being made to preserve and maintain some aspects, because there is great deal of pride with the traditions here.

Thee have only been four superintendents -- M.H. Duncan (1922-35; M.G. Duncan (1936-45); Calvin Mills (1945-70); and Arlyn Mills (1971-) -- two fathers and two sons. The center has had only two directors of nursing and two medical directors. This is a very stable organization and there is a great deal of history here, he said.

The present construction project was no surprise for the Center. "I knew years ago that we would have to face some major decisions," Mills said. "We have been operating on waivers and we had to face the choice of renovation, going out of business or constructing a new building. and it was a matte of time before we had to make the decision."

Major renovation and additions were recommended. Mills explained that the Center includes certain areas that are modern and capable of meeting future needs. These include the kitchen, laundry and water and electric sources. And there was enough quality in the old building that lent itself to remodeling.

The present three-phase construction project,focusing on patient areas, began in June 1982 with a completion date of July 1, 1984.

The Center had to comply with fire and safety codes and accessibility regulations for the physically handicapped. During the tour, Mills pointed out the extensive sprinkler and smoke detector systems now located throughout the buildings. Doorways in the remodeled sections are wide enough now to fit beds through and door handles can be used by the handicapped. The windows are ebergy-efficient.

A centrally located lounge will be accessible to the handicapped. That area had been an auditorium before and the stage area could only be reached by stairs.

There will be separate visitor and business entrances; a dentist's office; doctor's examination rooms on all units; library-lounge waiting area and a beauty shop.

New patient rooms are bright, spacious, colorful and will look even better in a year when matching bed spreads, drapes and some new furniture are in place.

Mills pointed out that even curtains are different in every room.

The Nursing station, the focal point for patients, is a central control and monitoring area during evening hours, according to Dianne Harms, L.P.N., who was staffing the area.

A board decorated one wall near the lounge and the day and date were written there in large blue letters, Mills explained that staff members try to keep residents in touch with reality and they constantly keep track of the days of the week and Center events.

There also is a multi-purpose room with stage, accessible to the handicapped, that also will be available, that also will be available for county-sponsored groups.

Physical therapy will be provided for community residents as well as patients, he explained, in the new physical therapy area, which also includes a patio for summertime use.

The only thing remotely resembling the stereotypical "padded cell" is a seclusion room on each unit. The room contains no furniture or objects on the wall that a patient May use to cause injury. Medications, Mills explained, are being used to minimize injurying-causing behavior.

"We want this to be as comfortable as possible, and to maintain a degree of dignity." he said.

Besides providing skilled medical, developmental disability, adult behavior and adult geriatric care, there is also is a locked geriatric unit. The facility restricts patients only by court order and there are some who need the security of a locked door, Mills said. "We keep residents in the least restrictive environment as possible while sill maintaining a degree of safety for them," he said.

Karen Haselow of Owen, has been director of nursing for 1 1/2 years. The Owen native worked in Milwaukee before returning to her hometown and her present job, and she considers it a challenge to work at the Center.

"I think what we are doing is very exciting, It's unlike regular nursing, We're serving a population with many needs.

"But it's probably the only nursing home in the state that has shining deer as an activity."

The construction project is addressing additional patient need, she said, and "...by improving the facility you can improve the care."

Staffing will remain about the same. No one will be laid off because of increased efficiency with the addition. Mills said that because of the economic situation in the area, there are at least 40 applicants for each job opening. Employee turnover is minimal and most have resided in that area all their lives, Mill said.

New Horizon, the Regional In-Patient Center for the Chronically Mentally Ill, is on the third floor in the center portion of the building and has been a part of the Center for 1 1/2 years.

This is the first regional center for the chronically mentally ill in Wisconsin. It is a 20-bed behavioral unit. Mist patients are ages 18 to mid-30s and have shown little response to more traditional forms of therapy. The program is very structured and supervised. It demands involvement and participation by the patients. Positive behavior is rewarded and people are held responsible for maladaptive behavior and its consequences.

Dr. John Mulvaney of Marshfield Clinic who works with the Center patients explained the program involves freedom with responsibility, and therapy is set up that way.

The supply storage areas, contained in a 1976 building addition, look like a small warehouse for stores. Large washers in the laundry room were sill washing some of the 12,000 pounds of clothing laundered in a week. There are 50 outlying buildings on the land and the Center has its own water and sewer systems.

The facility also has a room solely for floor maintenance equipment; its own root cellar and paring room. Crates filled with last year's potatoes occupy one corner of the paring room, while fruits and vegetables shipped in are stored on shelves.

All the canning done at the Center is completed in an adjacent area. Large containers fill storage area waiting to contained canned foods from this summer's harvest.

"This area is really different,: Mills said. "I don't know of any facility in the state with an area like this."

The dietary staff preserves 1,000 gallons of pickles and relishes each year and freezes about 4,000 gallons of vegetables and fruit for use in winter. Fresh garden produce is served every day throughout the growing season.

More than 1,200 meals a day are prepared for 315 residents, employees and nutrition centers. About one steer and three pigs are slaughtered, processed and served each week. About 25 gallons of milk are processed and consumed each day at the Center, and bakery items are prepared in the Center's bakery.

Things are running smoothly at the Center, despite the construction, remodeling and shifting of the patients in living areas. The building projects also has provided entertainment for residents, who keep check on its progress.

"It hasn't been easy, though," Mills said.

When the west wing was involved in construction, patients residing there had to be moved over to the other wing, doubling its population. This has created a strain on employees and patients, he said."But just wait until all of this is done," Mills said. "You'll have to come back and see all of this in a year."