ST. JAMES — The new St. James Health Services facility scheduled for completion in December was lauded by officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday as an example of a critical access hospital at the forefront in providing quality medical care for rural communities.

Advances in rural medical care using telemedicine technology were showcased in a video teleconference that included U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Under Secretary for Rural Development Tom Dorr, State USDA Director Steve Wenzel, State Representative Bob Gunther and Chairman of the St. James Health Services Board Mike Kircher. The presentation included participants from five states where Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) is utilized and funded by the Rural Development Program.

Johanns outlined proposals in the 2007 Farm Bill targeted at rural critical access hospitals like the St. James facility, which is using more than $19 million in guaranteed loan funds from the USDA Rural Development Program for the construction project.

“Having access to quality health care is absolutely critical to our rural communities,” Johanns said, noting DLT communication is a valuable tool in a rural medical center.

“Being able to have an X-ray, MRI or other test results seen by the right specialist at the right time can make all the difference. It can literally save lives.

“On a more everyday basis, just knowing that kind of care is available, knowing your health or the health of your loved ones won’t suffer because of where you live brings about a tremendous amount of peace of mind. And that’s a benefit everyone living in a rural area can share even if they don’t need medical care for themselves,” Johanns said.

Jerry Crest, Chief Administrative Officer at Immanuel St. Joseph’s hospital who manages the St. James medical facility, outlined the community’s need for a new facility.

“The population in south central Minnesota is growing older like many other parts of the country. They require more and more primary care and other acute care services. There is also a significant low-income population that has difficulty traveling to distant medical facilities,” Crest said, indicating a growing Hispanic population in the area also has “unique issues with communication and travel.”

St. James Health Services serves approximately 12,000 people in the area. As a Veterans Administration Community Outpatient Clinic, the facility also serves 1,800 veterans in 13 surrounding counties.

“It’s very important that we have quality health care services in this community readily available to people throughout the region. That’s why it was important that we look at St. James and seek some help,” Crest said.

The existing 40-year-old hospital was showing signs of its age. Citing the semiprivate rooms, limited bathrooms and other problems, Crest said the building could not be upgraded but had to be completely replaced on a new site.

“We felt that it was very important to move ahead with the project for area residents,” Crest said. “We believe it will excite people in the region to use services here and will be an attraction for us to bring additional providers and other health care professionals to this community. It is also an opportunity for us to serve the veterans who served this country. It’s one of two organizations that is here to service the general public and also the community outpatient base the clinic services for the VA.”

Vietnam veteran Roger Frenzel of St. James has utilized the health center’s services and attested to the benefits of local care with telecommunication. Saving time in emergencies and skipping the inconvenience of travel to distant Veterans Administration medical facilities were cited as advantages for Frenzel.

“In the future I believe this is going to be something the veterans can use quite a bit,” Frenzel said.

As the St. James facility has acquired more digital equipment, medical professionals have increasingly used it in teleconferencing to share CT scans, MRIs and digital mammography with specialists in remote locations. In this way, a radiologist at ISJ and the local physician are able to view a digital image simultaneously and discuss the images and patient care.

USDA assistance with a construction loan was vital for the project, Crest said. He is optimistic that the request for an additional $2 million in funding to purchase equipment will also be approved. Telecommunication will be more widely used as more technologically advanced equipment becomes available in rural areas.

“The capabilities we have seen demonstrated today are lifesavers, but they are also community savers,” Dorr said, summing up the conference. “Health care availability keeps communities thriving.”