Business news from the Elena area

Helena Surgicenter is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare (AAAHC).

Accreditation sets this surgery center apart from many other outpatient facilities by meeting strict standards of care and safety.

The status of an accredited organization means that Helena Surgicenter meets the nationally recognized standards for providing quality health care as defined by the AAAHC. More than 6,600 ambulatory health care organizations in the United States are currently accredited by the AAAHC.

Ambulatory health care organizations seeking AAAHC accreditation undergo an extensive self-assessment and field survey by AAAHC’s expert surveyors—physicians, nurses and administrators who are actively involved in ambulatory care. The study is peer-based and educational, presenting best practices to help the organization improve its care and services.

While the field survey is an important component of the process, ongoing compliance and continuous improvement are part of the mindset of maintaining accreditation that a facility must integrate into its daily operations long after the survey is completed. The purpose of accreditation is for organizations to adopt policies and procedures that feed into ongoing CI and self-assessment every day.

Helena SurgiCenter is a caring, comfortable and convenient facility that provides patient-centered care in an outpatient setting. Our physician-owned and operated facility is home to the latest advances in technology and equipment, many of the area’s most renowned surgeons, and a hand-picked team of experienced and well-trained nurses and technicians.

For more than 20 years, Helena SurgiCenter has consistently maintained our signature commitment to caring for and improving the lives of patients by providing high-quality, cost-effective health care in the community.

Governor Greg Gianforte has declared November 13-19 as Apprenticeship Week to highlight the benefits of apprenticeships in empowering Montana workers and ensuring employers have a highly skilled workforce.

On Wednesday, he visited with apprentices and journeymen at Precision Plumbing in Billings to highlight expanding programs and a record number of registered apprentices in the state.

Since 2020, active apprenticeship enrollment in Montana has increased by over 20%.

Montana’s Registered Apprenticeship Program, administered by the Department of Labor and Industry, enables workers to receive paid, supervised on-the-job training in more than 100 different areas in Montana.

In 2022, Montana added more internships to the Registered Apprenticeship Program than ever before, many of which were added after a governor-backed rule change that went into effect that year.

While maintaining workplace safety and training standards, the rule change revised the previous journeyman-to-apprentice ratio from 2:1 to 1:2, allowing one journeyman to supervise two apprentices.

Employing over 40 apprentices and journeymen, Precision Plumbing is one of more than 600 businesses to have partnered with the programme, employing more than 3,000 apprentices across the country.

“It’s a blessing to be able to get more people trained in the field because there’s such a lack of plumbers and construction people in general in the industry,” said Dave Beagle, vice president of Precision Plumbing.

Beagle also shared that before the ratio changes, their employees will have to wait three to four years before starting an apprenticeship. Now they only have to wait three or four months.

The governor also created the Montana Trade Education Credit in 2021, providing employers with a credit for employee education and training. The governor nearly doubled the MTEC in 2023, his staff said.

Registration is open for the 2024 Montana and Wyoming Sugar Beet and Malting Barley Symposium, which will be held January 9-10 at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center.

The event is a joint effort of Montana State University Extension and the Mountain States Crops Education Association, or MSCEA. MSCEA is comprised of industry representatives and MSU Extension faculty members.

Events on January 9 will focus on barley production. Presentations will cover topics including precision agriculture, irrigation, disease and weed control. Jan. 10 will focus on sugar beet production, including topics such as disease and weed management, marketing and interpreting soil test results. A complete agenda can be found at mountainstateag.org.

Pesticide Applicator and Certified Crop Advisor credits will be available. Symposium registration and other details are online at mountainstateag.org. Advance registration for the event is $42.50 per day. Please note that a convenience fee will be added to online transactions. A special hotel rate of $98 per night is available through December 25th.

For more information, contact Trestin Feagler, MSU Extension representative in Yellowstone County, at 406-256-2828 or [email protected]