In the past two years, you have heard a lot from us about "Vision West". All the hard work put into the project is starting to pay off. The Vision West ND Consortium, a community-level coalition of leaders and citizens who have advocated for addressing their individual community needs, has been highly engaged. At the same time, Vision West ND has endeavored to promote cooperation, unity and volunteerism as a region. Close to 1,000 volunteers put in thousands of hours to put together local plans, which coalesced into the recently released "Regional Plan for Sustainable Development." You can read the full plan and a plan summary here: http://www.visionwestnd.com/regionalPlans.php. Please share the plan with your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.
 |
|
Members of the Golden Valley County Commission listen as Shirley Brentrup, Vision West ND Program Director, explains the Vision West ND Regional Plan.
|
Vision West ND Admin Team members Shirley Brentrup and Vicky Steiner traveled to Stark, Golden Valley, Billings, and Slope counties last week as part of the HUD grant requirements to share the Vision West ND Regional Plan.
Commissioners asked questions about how funding will match the priorities in the Regional Plan. Slope County commissioners were curious about a new section road needed for an oil well site and if the township could require the oil company to provide the new road's upkeep. The township didn't want to add it to their system. The commissioners planned to visit with NDDOT staff on the laws of section line roads.
One of the five major topics identified in the Vision West ND regional plan is Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The ND Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties (NDAOGPC), a Vision West ND partner, commissioned a study on EMS response and accident rates in western North Dakota last year. The initial study showed vulnerable areas near Mandaree and Alexander where there is an increase in traffic, rise in accident numbers, and farthest distance from responding EMS agencies. This year, the NDAOGPC did a follow-up study based on suggestions from the McKenzie County Ambulance Service. In discussions with Watford City EMS leader Kerry Krikava, the NDAOGPC hired Deb Nelson at DLN Consulting and Ray Ann Kilen at the Dickinson State University Strom Center to look at the feasibility of "transfer stations". Krikava said the transfer of patients from McKenzie County Memorial Hospital to hospitals in Minot and Bismarck took her volunteers out of the area when they were needed for more critical incidents in the EMS district. Kilen and Nelson recommend adding paid staff dedicated to transferring patients, especially non-emergency patients.
 |
|
In a study commissioned by the NDAOGPC, it was found that "transfer units" in Watford City, ND would potentially free up other units, like the one pictured above, for critical care responses.
|
The EMS transfer station feasibility study, completed earlier this month, shows that an ambulance transfer station can work given the numbers of transfers done today. The NDAOGPC Executive Committee heard the study report Friday at their regular June board meeting in Medora. Nelson and Kilen told the Executive Committee that the business model they constructed will work in western rural areas where volunteers are stretched thin due to increases in accidents. Dennis Lindahl, Stanley City Council member, had asked if it could also work for other cities; they said it depends on how many transfers are run each month. The feasibility report is available here.
The Vision West ND Consortium will meet on Thursday, June 25 at the Tioga Senior Center (17 Benson Street North) in Tioga, ND from 2:00pm to 4:00pm CDT. Consortium members will be meeting to discuss the Fair Housing Equity Assessment and the One-Stop Child Care Portal. Regional Plan summaries will also be distributed to local Plan Directors, Consortium Members, and key Consortium guests in attendance. The tentative Consortium meeting agenda is available here.
Everyone is invited to enjoy the region's "One Million Barrel Celebration" preceding the meeting. More details on the celebration are available on the ND Petroleum Council's website, accessible through this link.
Y
ou can join the Vision West ND discussion on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vision-West-ND/281965481972432 and on follow VWND on Twitter at https://twitter.com/VisionWestND @VisionWestND
It is an exciting time here in western ND, and Vision West ND is a reflection of the values, culture, and ideas for the future of our region, and will be an important tool as we work to get ahead of this unprecedented growth and development.
