Rob Stowe, CEO of Baraga County Memorial Hospital, speaks to a crowd of about 80 people at a meet-and-greet at the Ontonagon Theater Thursday night. Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette

ONTONAGON — The sudden closure of Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital earlier this year left Baraga County Memorial Hospital as the closest hospital for Ontonagon residents seeking emergency care and many other services.

Thursday night, BCMH administrators and providers spoke to a crowd of about 80 community members at the Ontonagon Theater to introduce them to the hospital and the types of care it provides.

One resident had asked the hospital to come to Ontonagon for a meet-and-greet, said CEO Rob Stowe. And over the past few months, many more have called wanting to know more about the emergency room and the rest of the facility.

“Some people hadn’t been to that facility, and somewhat involuntarily, we just became their new hospital,” he said after the meeting. “And I think that they wanted to be more comfortable with what that meant.”

The former Aspirus hospital downgraded to a primary care clinic with pharmacy services, and is closed on weekends.

Since then, Baraga has treated 103 patients in the emergency room, a 10% increase. The hospital has also seen 25% more in-patients, typically six to eight people.

“It tells me that just generally speaking, the people from this community that are coming to our ER have higher acuity, meaning they’re more likely to get admitted,” Stowe said.

The hospital has 15 beds, plus another 59 in a separate building for long-term care. The increased demand is still well within the hospital’s capacity, Stowe said. The hospital is also looking at staffing to make sure it can meet the needs. All of its nurse positions are currently filled, along with two nurses hired as extras, Stowe said.

“We’re fully staffed at this time for nurses, we’re fully staffed for radiation, we’re fully staffed for lab techs,” he said. “We’re just really, really fortunate in our recruiting efforts.”

BCMH also offers new services for veterans. Last fall, BCMH became only the third hospital in the United States with a VA representative embedded at the facility. Lori Karvonen works with veterans to help them determine what benefits they can receive, and where they want to be treated. Recent legislation opened those benefits to a wider group of people, Stowe said.

And if they prefer, people will be able to access that care without traveling to Iron Mountain.

“Because it’s so far from us, from the community we primarily serve, to the nearest VA facility, we can transfer your care to our physician group,” Stowe said. “…We’ll even help you do the paperwork to change your primary care to the clinic in town, like to UGL or to wherever.”

The hospital has nearly 30 in-service providers. For referrals, as an unaffiliated hospital, BCMH will refer patients based on what’s determined to be best for them, including UP Health-Portage or hospitals in Marquette, Duluth and Milwaukee. It also partners with the Mayo Clinic, where BCMH cardiology patients can receive primary care and screenings through Mayo’s hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

“We’re trying to leverage that independence and form those relationships that make the most sense for the patients we serve and form those relationships that make the most sense for our community,” Stowe said.

Stowe also encouraged interested people to call the hospital to set up a tour.

“We’re happy to have you come in, show you around, show you where the ER is,” he said.

The hospital’s next big potential addition is a hyperbaric chamber for wound care, Stowe said.

Residents were happy with the presentation, and the services available to them.

Sharon Csmarich and Mary Roehm were still working out which hospital they will go to, but praised it for sounding like a community hospital, rather than a corporation.

“I liked what they had to offer,” Csmarich said. “I really thought that they had more than what we ever had.”

“And it’s nice to know what our options are, because obviously we have to leave here,” Roehm said.

Dee Gerzetich had come to find out more about services, such as specialty doctors, and how to get appointments.

“There were some good questions and good answers,” she said. “It makes me feel a little safer to know what I can do there.”

For more information on the hospital, to go bcmh.org.