The Tri-County Health Care Ottertail Clinic (TCHC) will reopen to patients on Dec. 15, after several months of renovations after a storm nearly ripped the roof off the building.
The clinic in Ottertail sustained extensive storm damage on June 20 and closed for repairs. The National Weather Service shortly after confirmed that weather spotters in the area recorded wind gusts of around 80 mph.
Patients and staff were relocated to other facilities, most notably to the TCHC satellite clinic in Henning, where calls were rerouted for appointments and other medical needs.
High winds and heavy rain severely damaged the roof of the clinic. The interior of the building received extensive damage that required a total overhaul.
Joel Beiswenger, President & CEO of TCHC said a team was quickly mobilized to get their providers set up at the nearby Henning clinic.
“We were mostly able to cover the extra patients out of the Henning clinic. The teamwork with everybody involved to make the necessary adjustments, compromises. We’ve been able to make it work with the affected patients. The damage was very extensive. The whole was essentially blown off into the parking lot. One of the situations we faced was that our building didn’t look damaged to the outside viewer, because you couldn’t see the flat roof,” said Beiswenger.
He also said the expense and waiting on the insurance and being in the middle of a supply chain shortage were also big factors.
“The sheet rock, the finishes, the insulation, the finishing material all had to be replaced. First we had to work through the damage mitigation process, so we had to get a temporary roof put on and we were very fortunate to get a roofing contractor, working in collaboration with the insurance company, because we are actually a tenant in the building (in Ottertail). To get that all together was a monumental task but we were able to do it,” said Beiswenger.
The clinic is not only re-opening, but will be getting an aesthetic upgrade, complete with new amenities. Additionally, they will now offer chiropractic services. Carissa Mitchell, DC, will see patients every Tuesday beginning on Dec. 20. Chiropractic appointments can be scheduled online at TCHC.org/chiro.
Michael Denny, with TCHC media relations, says that clinic organizers have coordinated a community open house on Jan. 11 and an opportunity for residents to see the upgrades.
Prior to the Dec. 15 reopening date, patients are encouraged to call the Henning Clinic at 218-583-2953 to see their Ottertail Clinic provider.
In the midst of the reopening, TCHC officially announced its brand transition to Astera Health. Beiswenger said that once the new facility is opened in Wadena, the official name change will take place.
“A new facility is on track in Wadena, with the bulk of the construction by the end of this month. We will take occupancy in early January and then, begin our staff training and orientation and the mobilization process and get all the new equipment and furnishings brought in. We want to make sure we’re doing this in the safest way possible for our patients and our staff. A lot of training will be taking place for our 400 plus staff coming in and out of the building, We will then celebrate a week of grand opening festivities Mar. 13-18, with the ribbon cutting on Mar. 18,” said Beiswenger.
Beiswenger said the goal is to begin taking patients at the new Wadena facility by Mar. 24. To learn more about the new building, visit tchc.org/build2023.
Starting out as the Wesley Hospital which opened in 1925, the current Wadena headquarters were built in 1974 and at that time the organization was renamed Tri-County Hospital. The name was modified again to Tri-County Health Care years later.
For more information about the new clinic and upcoming open house, visit TCHC.org or follow Tri-County Health Care on social media.
