Exceptional Care Starts with Exceptional People [MJ Bolstad]

My name is MJ Bolstad. I was born in Wisconsin, ended up in Texas for 35 years, retired from Texas, moved back up north, and parked it in Brookings, South Dakota, to be closer to family on both mine and my husband's side.

What services have you received at Brookings Health System?

I have received X-rays, MRIs, both with and without contrast, CTs, with and without contrast. I have also had surgical procedures here. I've also had to come here after major surgeries I've had in Sioux Falls, where I was having some issues with my recovery, and came to the emergency room and was just thrilled with the level of care that I got there after everything that I had been going through.

How was your experience with the staff?

So they put you at ease. They're nothing but professional. Everyone here seems like it's not a job, that they want to be here, that they're happy to be here, and that just transponds right back to you. I mean, you need to feel that energy of, you know, people that aren't being forced to be here at 2:00 in the morning, when you come in for the most horrendous thing that you've ever gone through in life, and you walk out of here going, "Hey, it wasn't too bad to begin with." So I just, I love it. I love the staff. That's the big part of it because they're always so friendly, and there's so much positive energy.

How would you describe the atmosphere at Brookings Health System?

Let's say I have to have any lab work done. I'm a little bit hard to draw blood from, so we kind of make a game of it a little bit. They keep my blood pressure down, let me just say that much, but they're excellent. I don't have to worry about it when I get lab work done. And from there, straight to the techs, whether it's X-ray, like I said, MRI, CAT scans. They're so helpful. So, you know, sometimes, for some people, it can be a little bit hard for them to get on the table, maneuver things, have to be moved, plus they're in pain. They do so well with the process on preparing you, answering any questions, talking to you during, letting you know they're there for you afterwards. And they're just a wonderful group of people to be around.

How does the team make radiology procedures comfortable?

I don't have any problems. I never have had any problems doing MRIs and CAT scans. And if you're claustrophobic, there's ways to deal with that. Whether you're getting with or without contrast, they're, you know, very careful as far as the dye that you're not allergic to anything. They put you at ease when you have to come in to do these tests because, yes, some of them are tough, tough to have to be still for and not move, but they'll talk to you the whole time or let you listen to music. They're very, very conscientious about your health.

What difference does having care close to home make?

It's made all the difference in the world just being able to come here because traffic-wise, it seems like if you have an appointment in Sioux Falls, you're dealing with 50 minutes' worth of traffic. You don't know what's going to happen. If something does happen and you're backed up, or you're going to be late or whatever, your stress level is so high by the time that you get there to do something. No wonder why your blood pressure is up. Here, basically, you know, you're 5, 10, 20 minutes away, and you can come in, you can get the test done that you need to have done. Before you even get in the parking lot leaving the clinic, you're getting the information on your phone that, you know, the test is in. If you have any questions on anything that you just did, you know, you can send a message. You can communicate that way. You don't have to drive an hour out of your way to get something done for communication-wise, when there's many other ways to do it right now. And it's so convenient to be right here and be able to communicate quickly if you need to in person. And I just love that. I love the convenience of this institution being right here that can handle everything you need.

How is the communication between multiple health systems?

Communication has been absolutely excellent. They communicate. I have to go back to MyChart again. To MyChart, you can see everything on MyChart. There's no guessing. There's no, "I wonder if Dr. So-and-so brought up, you know, whatever they were supposed to with your specialist." All you got to do is get in there and look. It's got your tests. It even has pictures, if you want to look at them. It has every form of communication you can possibly need to put your mind at ease because, if you're in a doctor's office, you're being deluged with things, especially new things that you didn't know were a thing that are now. Your brain is going 100 million miles an hour. You can sit there and go, "Yeah, okay, okay." You walk out that door and you get to the parking lot, you're like brain-dead. It's like deer in a headlight glow. You get onto MyChart and you check to see the notes. "Oh yeah, they did do that. Oh yeah, they did do that." So when somebody calls to schedule something at Brookings Health, you know what they're talking about. You understand because you took charge, you looked at it, and you worked with them on the best possible, you know, track of, "This is what we're going to do now. Then we're going to do this." And then, you know, it's like, "Okay, baby steps. Okay, take a breath. Baby steps. All right, we're going to get through this." And the communication is just stupendous.

What do you appreciate most about your care?

It will always stand out to me, the professionalism and the caring. You know, it's one thing to know what you're doing. It's another thing to be able to project that in a kind manner, to where it's actually genuine. And the staff here is genuine. When they're doing something for you, when they're helping you, when they ask you if you have any questions, they're really looking for input. They want to know everything is okay. And that's what stands out is the humanity of the level of staff here, as they project a very caring, considerate atmosphere.

Are you one of Brookings Health System's grateful patients who would like to give back to us? Learn more about how you can give back at brookingshealth.org/MyThanks.