Door County Medical Center (DCMC) and Prevea Health are teaming up to provide a Community Nurse Navigator and health programs, respectively, at the Algoma Wellness Center.
Starting November 6, 2019, DCMC’s Kim Swiggum, RN and BSN Site Supervisor at the DCMC Algoma Clinic, will fill the Community Nurse Navigator role at Algoma Wellness Center on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Prevea Health will regularly provide education and interactive seminars on wellness, intervention and health practices. There is no cost to the city of Algoma.
As a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health award winner, the Algoma Community Wellness Center is part of a mission to help improve the overall health and well-being of Algoma’s community members. At the facility, community members have access to fitness equipment, health and wellness programming, a variety of fitness classes, professional fitness staff, and a community Nurse Navigator. The services provided by the community nurse includes blood pressure screenings, glucose checks, health education, healthcare navigation, and medication checks to name a few.
These roles were previously filled by Bellin Health Systems. When the previous Community Nurse Navigator left the role, the wellness center director stated that they are open to any healthcare organization providing those services, as long as the nurse is the right fit for the center and the community members. The community was invited to two meet and greet events with Kim Swiggum on October 2nd and 4th at the Algoma Community Wellness Center and she was received well.
“I grew up in Algoma. I attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and graduated from Algoma High School. Many of the patients who come to the DCMC Clinic in Algoma are people I have known all of my life. One of my patients asked me why I came back to Algoma to work and I told them, ‘It is nice to give back to the town and people that raised me.’ The opportunity at the Algoma Wellness Center to work with people in a different venue is exciting. It gives me another way to give back to a community I am very passionate about.” Kim Swiggum, Registered Nurse at Door County Medical Center
The focus of Prevea Health and DCMC has and will continue to be improving the health of the community while increasing access to healthcare at the right place and at the right time.
“We are excited for this new partnership between Door County Medical Center, Prevea Health and the Algoma Community Wellness Center. Providing healthcare resources to community members through empowerment, education, screenings and navigation at a place where they are comfortable and familiar is something you don’t see in many communities. And the combination of Kim’s healthcare knowledge and experience, her dedication to the community, and her passion for helping others will help drive success at the Algoma Community Wellness Center and with their goal to improve the health of the entire community.” Josh Gustafson, Sr. Manager, Business Development at Prevea Health.