“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” – Hal Borland
It’s hard to believe we’re at this moment again, year-end. Over the past 365 days, we have celebrated many milestones, and it’s clear 2023 was a good year for us. We celebrated many work anniversaries, grew relationships in and out of our facility, and helped nearly 10,000 patients get back to living a life they love through our services.
One of the things that we are most proud of is our ability to do good in our community. When our founder, Dr. Joseph Belshe, who passed away this year at the age of 102, envisioned the future of St. Cloud Surgical Center, he prayed for a company that paid it forward whenever possible. To continue his wishes, we support various organizations that are near and dear to our hearts through fundraising.
In 2023, St. Cloud Surgical Center teamed up with the following organizations.
Pockets of Hope (Day of Service)
We started our year of good by packing backpacks for Pockets of Hope during our Annual Day of Service. This organization in our community does incredible work helping children who are rescued from abuse, neglect, and abandonment. When children leave these situations, they are often separated from belongings that give them comfort and enter foster care with nothing. Pockets of Hope provides these children with new backpacks filled with personal care items that they need and comfort items they can call their own. Our team was able to fill backpacks for 48 special children.
Make-A-Wish Minnesota
We participated in Jersey Mike’s Subs Day of Giving for the second year in a row. This year, all sales, not just profits, from their Minnesota-based sub-shops, were donated to Make-A-Wish Minnesota. To join their mission, we catered in subs for our staff, who were also celebrating National Doctor Day, and collectively raised $357 for Make-A-Wish. In total, Jersey Mike’s was able to raise $580,844 for the foundation, and we are proud to be a small part of that.
Pack The Porches
In March, our generous team partnered with Catholic Charities to raise $1595 and 20 lbs of food for their Pack the Porches Food and Fund Drive. Did you know monetary donations allow the food shelf to purchase three times the amount of money raised?
Harvest to Holidays
The holiday season is all about giving, and we do just that at the St. Cloud Surgical Center. Our Harvest to Holidays basket fundraiser is a fan favorite. Each department puts together themed baskets, and employees bid to take them home. This year, we adopted seven families to receive the money raised from bidding. The holidays can be a challenging time for many and there is nothing sweeter than putting a smile on the faces of our adoptive families.
SCA Values Heroes Program
St. Cloud Surgical Center is partnered with SCA, a national surgical solutions provider committed to improving healthcare in America. For more than a decade, all SCA Health teammates and physician partners come together to nominate and recognize those who best represent our values through the Values Heroes program.
At St. Cloud Surgical Center, we turn this opportunity into a special celebration for our employees by honoring a select few who go above and beyond for our patients and community. This annual event allows us to recognize outstanding teammates who are committed to our seven core values and showcase the care, inclusion, and effort our patients expect and deserve. Simply put, team members who do GOOD.
Values Heroes is a nomination of peers. We ask our employees to nominate a co-worker they feel represents our organization the best. This year, six St. Cloud Surgical Center Employees from all different teams were nominated.
Ashley Bischof, RN
Cheri Korman, CST
Robine Schaap, CST
Mary Storms, Cook
Cameron Schroeder, Maintenance
Melissa Stang, BO Manager
Our Good Neighbor
To round out the year of good, we couldn’t forget to mention Our Good Neighbor, Bob. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram (if you don’t, you should), you may have heard of Neighbor Bob. He came into our lives during the height of the pandemic when he would visit our team outside in the testing shed. With him, he would always bring his “Share A Smile with a Stranger” buttons, which he designed in honor of his wife Evie, who passed away in 2018. Bob cared for Evie during her journey through Alzheimer’s and is passionate about early detection and community support for caregivers.
This year, Bob turned 90, and we threw a big party at our facility to celebrate. His contribution to our team during the pandemic and beyond has been uplifting. We devise ways to visit with him often, and our staff enjoys hearing about his adventures. Bob has lived an enormous life filled with so much love and happiness. He’s even authored three books and has appeared in several Minnesota movies! Read more about his living legacy here.
We are all better because of Our Good Neighbor, Bob!
Happy Holidays from Us to You.
Our staff would like to thank you for supporting St. Cloud Surgical Center this year. Every blog read, every photo liked, every comment cheering on our staff, and everyone who chose our facility for their surgery, you made our year. We exist to bring good back into your life and good into our community. It is with the utmost gratitude that we continue to serve you!
As we approach the six-month mark of Dr. Joseph Belshe’s passing, we feel compelled to honor him one final time. The following story has been on our desk for over a year, and it’s too good not to share with the community he built. TIME Magazine even published an article about the heroic act back in 1957! Whenever we think of Dr. Belshe, we are reminded how fortunate we are to have been a part of his legacy..
Shocking The Heart
In January 1957, in the small Wisconsin town of St. Croix Falls (pop. 1,500 at the time), history was made when three doctors conquered a medical first. When resident William F. suffered a massive heart attack and his heart stopped beating, it was assumed he was dead upon arrival. However, no one knew that his team of doctors had other plans, our very own Dr. Joseph Belshe among them.
Given the town’s size, the St. Croix Memorial Valley Hospital was small and slightly underfunded. This meant technology was lacking, and there was no fancy defibrillator on site. When the patient arrived, Dr. Belshe made an instant decision to act. He ripped open his clothes, made an incision, and plunged his hand into the man’s chest to massage the stilled organ. After 10 to 15 minutes of massage, all the team received was a flutter – “ventricular fibrillation,” usually a sure sign of a dying heart. With no aforementioned defibrillator, the team had to get creative.
Dr. Riegel, one of the other doctors on staff that day, looked around the room and spied an extension cord. Quickly getting to work, he cut the outlet off the cord in the emergency room, stripped the insulation off the ends of the wires, and plugged the other end into the other ordinary house current. With gloves on, he touched the wires to the opposite sides of the patient’s heart. The results were not immediate. The shock failed twice. Yet, the team did not get discouraged. Dr. Riegel wrapped each wire around the base of a hypodermic needle and plunged the needles into the heart muscle. Under this heroic stimulus, William’s heart resumed its natural beat.
After a week in the hospital, William was able to go home, and he went on to live a long, healthy life into his mid-80s. All because of our founder, Dr. Joseph Belshe, and the incredible doctors on his team who devoted their lives to saving others.
In August, we published a blog on the patient experience at St. Cloud Surgical Center. In that article, we discussed everything from preparation and surgery to rehab and recovery. Of all the things we are known for, outstanding patient care is the accolade we hang our hats on. If our patients feel well taken care of from start to finish, we know we have done a good job!
Read more about one patient’s experience at the St. Cloud Surgical Center. Their last-minute surgery turned into an experience they’ll never forget.
“Recently, I had to have a last-minute foot and ankle surgery and was referred to St. Cloud Orthopedics. I met with Dr. Lindsey Hjelm on a Thursday afternoon, fully expecting to have to wait until the following week for surgery. Thanks to the quick work of Dr. Hjelm and the staff at St. Cloud Surgical Center, I was scheduled for surgery the next morning! From there on, I knew this experience was going to be different.
When the surgical center called me to start surgery prep, I could tell they felt a little rushed, given the quick turnaround. However, they handled it like the professionals that they are and did a great job preparing me for my surgery the following day. You could tell they were very sweet and professional over the phone. Truly, you could hear their high level of compassion!
When I arrived at St. Cloud Surgical Center the next morning, bright and early, might I add, the first nurse I saw helped me get around as much as I needed. Even though it was 6:30 AM, she smiled through it all and never balked at my questions. She helped keep my nerves down, that’s for sure! When it came time to place my IV, I had to advocate for myself on placement based on prior experiences earlier this year with other medical professionals. The RN who was working with me was so understanding and placed the IV higher up into my forearm as I asked. It was placed perfectly without issues. Honestly, everyone who came to help me prepare and get me confidently into surgery mode was absolutely amazing.
When it was time for surgery, and I arrived in the OR, the nurses and even my doctor were all there waiting with a smile on their faces. They helped me get comfortable and explained everything that would happen in the next hour. After that, I was quickly under anesthesia, the surgery was performed, and I woke up with my support person sitting beside me in a recovery room. The surgery was successful!
I am now three days post-surgery, and the communication hasn’t stopped. A nurse from the surgical center just called to check up on me. I know that is part of their protocol, and I am not getting special treatment, but it made me feel so valued as a patient. The nurse was extremely friendly and genuinely cared about my pain levels and recovery.
With how rushed this surgery was, I’ll admit I was a little anxious, even though I have had many surgeries in my lifetime. The staff at St. Cloud Surgical Center made it a fantastic experience for me, and I can’t thank them enough. Their quick response to my needs, fast scheduling, and top-notch care make them easy to recommend.”
If you need surgery and are interested in experiencing the difference between an outpatient surgery center, like St. Cloud Surgical Center, contact us today. We can set you up with a surgeon and a care plan.
Ambulatory Surgical Centers, like St. Cloud Surgical Center, started their roots in the 1960s and have seen immense growth throughout the last 50 years and counting. Having celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2022, we are honored to have been a part of this community since the early days. As the second surgical center in the country, it is safe to say that St. Cloud Surgical Center and the late Dr. Joseph Belshe have left their mark on the world of ASCs.
While going to an ASC vs. a traditional hospital for your next procedure may be relatively new, the concept is not. And through years of research, paired with technological advancements, it is just as safe and effective to receive care at a same-day surgery center as a hospital, not to mention often more affordable.
The ASC model has grown from an idea to a flourishing business model, providing patients with a mission to provide quality, safe, and efficient patient care. Take a trip down memory lane with us as we dive deeper into the world of ASCs from inception to the present day.
1960s – Healthcare professionals and government officials begin calling for affordable, accessible, quality outpatient surgery alternatives.
1966-1967 – Facilities dedicated to providing ambulatory surgery care open in conjunction with hospitals in California and Washington, DC.
1968 – Wallace Reed, MD, and John Ford, MD, develop objectives and commit their idea for a freestanding ambulatory surgery facility to paper for the first time. They begin collecting endorsements from governmental bodies and members of the healthcare community to obtain financing for the project.
1970 – The first ASC opens for business on February 12. By the summer, 225 surgeons working in that ASC have the support of more than 40 insurers.
Early 1970s – St. Cloud Surgical Center is the 2nd surgical center in the country, opening its doors in 1972—a handful of other ASC’s opened throughout the United States thereafter.
1971 – The American Medical Association (AMA) adopts a resolution endorsing the concept of outpatient surgery under general and local anesthesia for selected procedures and selected patients.
1973 – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) established some of the first standards for the ASC community when it released “Guidelines for Ambulatory Surgical Facilities,” a list of nine criteria approved by the ASA House of Delegates.
1975 – Rapid growth—A total of 42 surgery centers were in operation in the US by 1975.
1976 – An additional 25 facilities open.
1979 – The ASC community continues to grow as the number of ASCs reaches triple digits.
1982 – Medicare approves payment to ASCs for approximately 200 procedures.
1987 – Medicare expands its list of covered procedures in ASCs to 1,535 procedures.
1988 – The number of ASCs in the United States reaches 1,000.
1994 – Beth Derby is elected the first woman president of the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA) and becomes the first nurse to serve in this capacity.
1995 – ASCs go international with the formation of the International Association for Ambulatory Surgery (IAAS).
1997 – FASA moves to expand services to its members and demonstrate the quality provided in ASCs by offering an industry-wide Outcomes Monitoring Project.
2004 – More than 4,000 ASCs in the US perform eight million surgeries annually.
2006 – The ASC community establishes the ASC Quality Collaboration to develop ASC quality measures, publicly report data, and support high-quality care in ASCs.
2010 – The number of ASCs exceeds 5,000.
2011 – More than 5,300 ASCs in the United States perform 23 million surgeries annually.
2015 – The number of ASCs grows to 5,400.
2020 – On January 1, CMS finalizes the addition of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and six new cardiac codes to the ASC-payable list.
A lot can happen in 50 years, and we are proud to say we’ve been there since the beginning, providing innovative, top-of-the-line care to patients in Central Minnesota. If you are considering our facility for your next surgery and have questions, please contact us today to discuss your options. We would appreciate the opportunity to care for you.
