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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

A life of public service

Cook Hospital leader Al Vogt calls it a career

Tom Klein
Posted 1/25/15

COOK – Cook Hospital Administrator Al Vogt, who grew up in the tiny farm community of Glencoe, seemed destined for a career in medicine even though he first planned to pursue a degree in …

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A life of public service

Cook Hospital leader Al Vogt calls it a career

Posted

COOK – Cook Hospital Administrator Al Vogt, who grew up in the tiny farm community of Glencoe, seemed destined for a career in medicine even though he first planned to pursue a degree in forestry.

His mother, Fran, worked as a nurse and went on to start a public health department in the county. “She was one of those inspirational health people,” said Vogt.

Although Vogt inherited his desire to serve the public and interest in health care from his mother, his strong work ethic was a gift from both his parents.

His dad, Albert, worked as a road grader and a farmhand. “That was back when people on the farm got paid in chickens, pigs or beef,” recalled Vogt, who said both of his parents worked hard to provide for their family.

Vogt has toiled just as hard for nearly four decades at the Cook Hospital and Nursing Home. He started at the hospital in 1976 as the hospital’s lab technician before replacing Linetta Scott as administrator in 1989. He will retire at the end of January. A special open house, honoring Vogt for his contributions to health care and the community, is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Cook Hospital, 10 Fifth Street SE.

Members of the Cook-Orr Area Healthcare District Board praise Vogt for his leadership and deep knowledge of health care issues.

“Al is extremely innovative,” said Don Potter, one of two board members who were on the board when Vogt first was named administrator. “He doesn’t like the term ‘status quo.’ I always backed him on every project because Al had a great understanding of what needed to be done.”

Julian Brzoznowski, who was also on the board when Vogt became administrator, said Vogt set goals for the district but also wanted the board’s input.

“He would listen to board members,” said Brzoznowski. “If you had a question, he would get you an answer.”

Judy Pearson, who chaired the board for several years, said Vogt’s leadership has been “rock steady.”

“What you see is what you get with Al,” she said. “He is as honest as the day is long and he always put the best interests of the Cook Hospital and the community it serves first.”

She also praised Vogt’s foresight in helping the hospital adapt to a changing medical world and keeping pace with advances in care. “He wasn’t afraid to think outside the box and look for new solutions,” she said.

That reputation extended outside of the immediate area, with Vogt recognized as one of the state’s top hospital administrators.

“Al is going to be greatly missed,” said Lawrence Maasa, president and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association. “Al served on a lot of different health care committees; he was a real trouper. He is very well respected by his peers for his efforts in rural health and providing good access to quality health care across the state.”

State Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, credited Vogt with making the Cook Hospital one of the best and most modern facilities of its type in rural Minnesota.

“His leadership brought us many, many services and he assembled a very capable work force,” said Dill.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said he recently took a tour of the hospital and was impressed by the facilities.

“Al’s done a very, very good job in developing a facility that meets the needs of the community,” said Bakk.

Creation of district

Vogt is quick to share the credit for the hospital’s success with others, including the staff and legislators who helped create the hospital district.

“Creating the district is the single most important thing that preserved the viability of our hospital,” said Vogt. “It’s my firm belief that if we were still city-owned, we would be closed by now.”

The legislation that created the district was the work of then-Sen. Doug Johnson and Orr activist Ernie Lund. In addition to creating a broader tax base for the hospital and involving more people in the hospital and nursing home operations, it provided revenue for the hospital to expand its operations. The legislation was drafted in 1988 and finally signed into law by Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990.

The initial levy was restricted to capital improvements and Vogt said the first purchase with levy dollars was a propane tank so the hospital could purchase fuel on the open market.

The levy was later amended in 2008 to remove a cap on how much the hospital could raise and lift the restriction against using the proceeds for hospital and nursing home operations.

Under Vogt’s leadership, the hospital has also undergone four major construction projects, the latest of which included updating the hospital’s emergency room.

“The only piece we have seriously have left to address is the nursing home,” said Vogt.

The nursing home, which is 50 years old, is in need of repairs and lacks the private rooms desired by patients, is the focus of proposed remodeling and expansion being contemplated by the board.

Vogt acknowledges it will require a major investment — between $6 and $7 million — but said a portion of those dollars can be obtained through grants and other financing. He estimates the levy portion of the project could range between $3 and $4 million.

Other needs

Vogt also sees collaboration with other regional health care facilities as a necessity for the future vitality of the hospital. The Cook Hospital has a good reltationship with St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth and recently joined a newly-formed collaborative dubbed Wilderness Health. The goal of Wilderness Health is to preserve the independence of small rural hospitals, but gain the benefits and savings that a larger organization can leverage.

“The members of Wilderness Health will be working collaboratively to share best practices and coordinate patient care, which is not always feasible working alone,” said Cassandra Beardsley, executive director of Wilderness Health.

Vogt said the board remains committed to being an independent hospital and to expanding the array of services offered locally.

“They feel the full weight of responsibility for the health of the community,” he said. “Our drive and goals and are the same.”

Physician recruitment is also key to the hospital’s future. The hospital, which works with Scenic Rivers Health Services in obtaining physicians, recently added Matt Holmes and Nick Vidor as physicians.

While the two new doctors are a welcomed addition, Vogt said other medical staff are aging and nearing a time when they may want to slow down or retire.

“Our two new physicians are the core and the base for our future, but we’ll be looking to expand that group.”

Vogt is proud of all the hospital has achieved in the past 40 years and of the positive reputation it has built. The hospital received high marks for its quality of care in the most recent Community Health Needs Assessement conducted by the National Rural Health Resource Center. Most respondents rated the overall quality of services as “good” to “excellent.”

Vogt also appreciated working in Cook for his career. “The Lord has blessed me in many regards and allowed me the opportunities to be innovative in how we approach many things and many of them have worked very well,” he said.

He said had he worked in a larger facility, he might not have had the opportunities he found in Cook.

“You wear many hats in a small hospital and get involved in many departments,” he said.

He’s enjoyed the challenges and said his overall goal has been to “make sure this little hospital has life in it all the time.”

“Little hospitals face huge challenges,” Vogt continued. “Just because we’re small doesn’t mean we don’t have to meet what I would classify as metropolitan health care. Everybody has the same expectations whether they walk into an emergency room in Hennepin County or walk into a room in Cook.”

He’s confident his successor Teresa Debevec will continue the good fight. Debevec started as a lab supervisor at the hospital 24 years ago and became assistant administrator about six years ago.

“She is loyal, dedicated and hardworking,” said Vogt. “Her heart is in the right place and she’s very smart. She still has a lot to learn but she has an excellent relationship with the board.”

Ready to retire

Meawhiile, Vogt is looking forward to retirement. Although his wife, Beryl, will still work at the hospital pharmacy for another six months before retiring, Vogt said he has plenty of projects to pursue.

He and his wife built a two-bedroom retirement home about seven years ago and Vogt purchased a boat this fall to indulge his love of fishing. The couple will also have more time to spend with family — a son and daugther-in-law in Minneapolis and a daugther, son-in-law and grandson, who are moving to Portland, Ore.

“Everybody’s been bragging about all the hot spots for fishing,” he laughed. “Now I’ll get a chance to see how good they really are.”