Heart of America Medical Center made changes to their employee benefits package recently that administrators say they hope will catch the attention of area job seekers.

The package, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022, includes enhancements in health insurance coverage and retirement savings contribution matches, according to HAMC CEO Erik Christenson and Human Resources Manager Sara Radomski.

“HAMC’s really been able to advance our benefits package and make it a much more attractive place to work in the long term,” Christenson said. “Over the past three years, we’ve taken the cost of a family health insurance plan down from $1100 a month to $476 a month. It’s a huge reduction.”

“We have added short-term disability that the insurance pays for on top of the long-term disability we already pay for. We offer life insurance for people who work here. We’ve also increased our 401(k) match. It was 1.5 percent; now it’s up to 2.5 percent for the 401(k) match,” Christenson added. Christenson said the 2.5 percent match kicked in after employees contributed five percent to their accounts.

“We offer vision and dental to employees,” Christenson added. “So, we’ve really been able to enhance our benefit offerings.”

Radomski said the new health insurance coverage is offered through Blue Cross-Blue Shield of North Dakota.

“We have a low deductible plan and a high deductible plan,” Radomski said. “The difference with the low deductible plan is you have less out of pocket, however, the premiums are a lot higher. We were able to make some changes with those, but not nearly the significance of what we’ve been able to do with our high deductible plan. The high deductible plan is a $2,800 deductible per person, then it varies based on whether you (add a person) or family. You’re responsible for that out of pocket, then it pays 100 percent.”

Radomski said the new high deductible plan “reduced the out-of-pocket to $2,800, so we’ve made some great strides with that.”

Christenson said, “The reason we’ve been able to get those better benefits was Heart of America is now part of the North Dakota Hospital Association Health Benefits Trust. So, we’re in a group of critical access hospitals that do a partial self-funded plan. We’re no longer standalone in our insurance. We’re part of a partially self-funded trust.”

Joining the trust means better benefits for more than than just the approximately 150 HAMC employees who were covered by the hospital’s former plan, according to Christenson.

“We’re going to have over 1,000 lives in that trust,” Christenson noted. “It really helps our negotiating power. There are other facilities in that trust from around the state. Getting involved in that and the North Dakota Hospital Association creating that was a huge benefit for this organization.”

Radomski said she hoped the new benefits package “Is more inviting. There’s less cost for health insurance, which is such an important thing right now; better match for our 401(K) – that’s important for planning for the future. Those are the two biggest things. Also adding short-term disability, we’ve already had long-term and life insurance, but adding those makes the whole package so much more attractive in the employment world.”

Christenson listed other reasons for job seekers to consider a career in health care.

“In the health industry, one of the things you’re seeing among employers is one of the things that keeps people in the industry is upward mobility,” Christenson said. “And in rural health care, there’s a lot of upward mobility for people. I was a front-line employee; now I’m the CEO,” he added, referring to his start at HAMC as a pharmacist.

“Certainly, there are a lot of people including Sara who, working over periods of time, could move up into the CEO position as well,” Christenson added. “There’s so much you get used to and see, and really, if you have the ambition, it’s there. So, I think people who join health care, there are certainly options for upward mobility.”

Christenson called the transitions the facility is undergoing “exciting.”

“Obviously, reimbursements to the employees are getting stronger. We’re looking at a new facility. That’s exciting. That’s something, many times you don’t get to be a part of – to see what a new facility would look like and get into that. There’s a lot of exciting times right now I think in health care in that regard,” Christenson said. “For young people looking at career opportunities, if they’re looking at a career that is obviously rewarding, health care is it. It’s financially rewarding and also career-rewarding in terms of upward mobility.”

Radomski encouraged job seekers to check out www.hamc.com for more information on employment opportunities.

Radomski said HAMC has “lots of opportunities for any kind of experience. I say ‘any kind of experience’ because we are more than the medical side of it. We need our support staff. We have positions in our kitchen, dietary, cooking; we have openings in maintenance and housekeeping. Housekeeping is a vital part of that.”

“We don’t have business office positions right now, but those are opportunities. Then, there’s medical staff beyond that. We have a radiology position right now; physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing and CNAs,” Radomski added.