Growing number of patients choosing rural hospitals like Hamilton for treatment.

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

A growing number of patients who want to skip long waits that often accompany trips to the emergency department at large hospitals are opting to seek treatment at rural hospitals like the one in Hamilton.

Angela Newton is the assistant director of nursing services at Hamilton General Hospital.

She works with patients alongside three physicians - Dr. Luke Killian, Dr. Bradley Bartels and Dr. Timothy Rudolph – inside the hospital’s five-bed emergency department.

Newton has worked for Hamilton Healthcare System for 15 years and has witnessed numerous changes in the healthcare industry.

“One thing I am most proud of is that we have stayed true to our motto of being a small community hospital that gives compassionate care to our neighbors,” Newton told Beneath the Surface News.

With state-of-the-art medical equipment and highly-skilled doctors and nurses available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, patients receive the kind of personalized care not always available in metro areas.

Hamilton’s emergency department is a level IV trauma center.

“That means we are surveyed on a regular basis and have been given the designation to provide trauma care to patients; it means that we are a stabilization center for trauma patients and can provide them with the lifesaving care they need,” Newton said. “It is 75 miles to the next hospital that is able to provide a higher level of care and that’s a long way when you don’t have a stable airway or stable vital signs.”

Newton said the hospital’s small setting allows the team of doctors, nurses and other emergency personnel to build trust and work closely with patients and their families.

“We build relationships that allow us to collaborate and give patients the best care possible,” she said. “Our doctors are great educators and are so knowledgeable.

“When my family member has an emergency, I want them to come to a place where they matter. At Hamilton General Hospital, we treat our patients like they are somebody’s mom.”