Employee Spotlight

At Bigfork Valley, we recognize that our greatest strength is our staff and the skill and compassion they bring to the organization.  Finding individuals who share and display our values through their actions and work is critical to providing our patients and community with the highest quality healthcare delivered with skill and compassion.  We would like to recognize those who go above and beyond each and every day!  

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Meet some of the Bigfork Valley family!

Jessica Anderson, Long-Term Care Social Worker

Jessica has been a dedicated part of Bigfork Valley for 8 years, bringing her passion and skills as a licensed social worker and counselor (a proud Bemidji State alum!) to enrich the lives of our residents. Not only does Jessica go above and beyond in her role, but she also stepped up as a bus driver to ensure our residents can enjoy a more active lifestyle.

Jessica shared that working with her amazing colleagues in such a fun atmosphere makes every day special. One of her favorite memories here is when her grandmother lived at Bigfork Valley, knowing she was receiving the very best care.

Taylor Dietrich, Chiropractic Administrative Assistant

Taylor consistently goes above and beyond in providing exceptional patient care. She not only ensures the chiropractic department is clean, well-stocked, and supported, but also tackles challenges independently with grace. Her dedication to looking after both our providers and patients doesn’t go unnoticed, patients absolutely adore her!

Jennifer Burman, Certified Sterile Processing Technician

Jennifer consistently goes above and beyond, often sacrificing her own time to ensure everything is done properly and efficiently for our patients. She has stayed beyond her shifts numerous times to prepare equipment for surgery days. We are incredibly proud to have Jennifer as a part of the Bigfork Valley Team and as a valued co-worker.

Bobbi Kelley, Life Enrichment Coordinator

Bobbi has worked in our long-term care facility as our Life Enrichment Coordinator for almost two years. Over the past year, she has done a fabulous job raising the scores in the Resident Quality of Life survey for meaningful activities. She continues to add new activities to the calendar that the resident population will enjoy.

Heather Bibeau, Pharmacist

Heather has been an invaluable member of the Bigfork Valley team since 2010 and currently serves as the Pharmacist in Charge of our Retail Pharmacy.

Heather’s impressive academic journey includes a biochemistry degree from the College of St. Scholastica and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota. Driven by her passion for science and her dedication to community service, Heather chose a career in pharmacy to make a meaningful impact.

Heather consistently goes above and beyond for her patients and colleagues, demonstrating exceptional commitment and care in everything she does.

Wyatt Dietrich, Pharmacy Technician

Londa Storlie, Outreach Lab Supervisor

Londa has worked for Bigfork Valley for an impressive 11 years, during which she has consistently demonstrated her passion for healthcare and her unwavering commitment to our patients.  In 2017, Londa obtained her Medical Lab Science degree, which shows her dedication to continuous learning and advancement in her field.

Londa proudly shares her family ties to Bigfork Valley, as her great-great-grandfather holds the honor of being the first doctor in Bigfork. Londa was also born here at this hospital.

As a valued member of our team, Londa exemplifies Bigfork Valley’s core values: integrity and compassion. Her dedication to our mission ensures that our patients receive the highest standard of care, and her positive impact on our community is immeasurable.

Ruth Haubrich, Dietary

Ruth has been working for Bigfork Valley since 2016 and has been working in our dietary department since 2018. Working in the dietary department, members play a vital role in ensuring that patients receive nutritious meals tailored to their dietary needs. Ruth has been a dedicated member of the dietary team. She embodies the qualities of professionalism, compassion, and excellence in her role. She shows a genuine passion for helping others.

Dennis Bottkol, Materials Clerk/ Bus Driver

Dennis provides outstanding service to Bigfork Valley. He pays great attention to detail and is organized in his daily tasks. His positive attitude and friendly demeanor have been contagious throughout the facility.

Kristen Pitzen, Rad Tech

Kristen attended Lake Superior College in Duluth and completed the majority of her clinicals here at Bigfork Valley. After graduating, she chose to work at Bigfork Valley because she enjoyed the friendly environment.

Kristen enjoys being a Radiology Technologist because of the diversity. “I enjoy being able to work in the ER, run the fluoro machine in surgery, then on the same day perform x-rays and mammograms.”

Kristen’s values that stand out and match Bigfork Valley’s values are Trust, Integrity, Quality, and Stewardship. She is always willing to lend a helping hand in any situation to help with patient care. She is a wonderful employee and an asset to our Bigfork Valley Team.

Kim Thomas, Housekeeping

Kim has worked at Bigfork Valley for almost 10 years. She currently works as a housekeeper in our Long-Term Care facility. She has shown dedication even through the COVID-19 pandemic; she worked diligently to maintain a clean environment to protect the residents. She shows compassion and enjoys her time with the residents.

Katie Kilpatrick, Registered Nurse  

Katie has been an RN since 2010 and obtained her BSN in 2016. Katie started working at Bigfork Valley in our surgery department in 2012. Katie chose to work at Bigfork Valley because she heard about the atmosphere here and was told by a friend that this is a great place to work.

Katie is always willing to go above and beyond, and she consistently steps up to take on new projects and tasks as needed.

Jennifer Peterson-Haubrich, Registered Nurse 

Jennifer began working at Bigfork Valley in 2019 as an RN in our Acute Care and Emergency Department. Jennifer states, “My favorite part of nursing is ER and critical care. At Bigfork Valley, I get to use my experience as a critical care nurse. Helping a patient and their family overcome a crisis, both medically and emotionally, is very rewarding. Being a patient advocate is at the heart of nursing, and having my patients and their families feel safe, comforted, and well cared for is my goal for every patient.” Jennifer consistently provides quality care to her patients and assists her co-workers, all with a positive attitude and excellent communication among the Bigfork Valley Team.

Alan Dettmer, Physical Therapist

Alan is a Physical Therapist and works in our Rehabilitation Department. He came to Bigfork Valley after working in an outpatient orthopedic private practice, and he has worked many years cotreating patients with Dr. Baker Orthopedic Surgeon, and Jeff Temple APRN-OPA, on the Physical Therapy side of patient care. “People often come from a great distance or great effort just to get out of their home to come for physical therapy. If I must spend more time than typical with a patient, then I do it in respect of the effort they put out by just coming in to see me.” Alan is extremely helpful and dedicated to patient care and safety. He has a wealth of knowledge within the scope of physical therapy, and we are grateful to have him here at Bigfork Valley. Alan demonstrates the Bigfork Valley Values of compassion, integrity, and quality.

Jennifer Rissanen, Registered Nurse

Jennifer has been working for Bigfork Valley since 2002 when she was hired by Nancy Probst. She came to us from the College of St. Scholastica, where she graduated with honors with her BSN. Jennifer has worked in various departments including Assisted Living and Homecare and is currently working in our Acute Care and Emergency Department. Jennifer wanted to become a nurse because that is the career her mom had chosen, and they both share a passion for caring for others. She states that working as an RN brings her new challenges every day. “I learn something new every day. No day is the same, which keeps my job fun and exciting. I’m not going to lie; I love a good wound.” In the last six months, Jennifer has been nominated four times for Employee Recognition. She continually goes above and beyond her job duties to make sure Bigfork Valley Hospital runs smoothly.

Amy Pifher- Patient Accounts Representative 

Amy started working for Bigfork Valley Hospital in 1989 in the stores and purchasing department. This entailed quite a few duties as the departments weren’t quite as large as they are today, they even handled accounts payable. She then started working for Scenic Rivers Clinic, where she worked for 26 years. She enjoyed her years working there with Dr. Rounds, Dr. Scrivner, and Dr.Korstad. She gained knowledge and experience by working with nurses and staff including Ellen, Pam, Linda, Joyce Gus, and Carol P (Amy’s mom). Amy knew that she wanted to help people, but she also knew that she did not want to be a nurse, nope, no way. Amy returned to Bigfork Valley in 2019 in our business office as a Patient Accounts Representative. She enjoys helping patients in any way she can. Whether it is on the phone with a statement or in the hallway giving directions or greeting an old friend. “At Bigfork Valley, every employee has the same goal in mind, that the patients are number one. Everyone here is friendly, happy, hard-working, and welcoming.” “I adore my co-workers. I love talking to and meeting new people every day.”

Lori Dvorak- Referral Specialist

Lori has worked in the medical profession for 40 years specializing in insurance, prior authorizations, and claims processing. We like to call her our Prior Authorization Queen here at Bigfork Valley. Lori states that she loves working with people on a face-to-face basis. “It is rewarding to help patient’s navigate the confusing insurance industry and their regulations.” When asked what makes Bigfork Valley a great place to work, Lori stated, “every employee in every department puts the emphasis on patient-centered care. We work as a team, I rely heavily on my co-workers, and they never fail to be there for me.”  Please join us in thanking Lori for all she does for Bigfork Valley, our patients, and the community!

Darla Anderson- Chief Financial Officer

After attending her first two years of college, she accepted a job at Bigfork Valley Hospital and discovered a love of healthcare finance which has continued for over 20 years. She knew this was the industry she wanted to master. Darla continued her education, moved to southern Minnesota, and made that her home for several years.

Darla always had a special place in her heart for the Bigfork area, as she was born in the Bigfork Hospital and raised in this community. We have had the pleasure of having Darla return to her hometown and work at Bigfork Valley as our CFO for the last two years. Please join us in thanking Darla for all she does for Bigfork Valley, our patients, and the community!

Mark Wass, Maintenance Technician

Mark grew up in this area and chose to work at Bigfork Valley because it is close to home, and he has always wanted to be a positive role model in this community. Helping maintain the equipment and functionality of the hospital allows him to make that positive impact. Mark states that he enjoys being a member of the maintenance team because they are so diverse, and he gets to learn new skills every day. He states that Bigfork Valley is a great place to work because of the staff and the residents he gets to help. Please join us in thanking Mark for everything he does for Bigfork Valley, our patients, and the community!

Ashlee Snyder BSN,RN/ Manager of Surgical Services and Specialty Clinic

Ashlee has been an RN since 2008 and obtained her BSN in 2015 while working in Acute Care at Bigfork Valley. Ashlee began working for our surgical department in 2020. Ashlee stated that nursing first appealed to her after seeing the care her father received following an injury. “Nurses stood out for their compassion, knowledge, and skills that my father relied on for his recovery. I wanted to do the same for others.” Join us in thanking Ashlee for all she does for Bigfork Valley, our patients, and the community.

 

Kyle Buckingham, Certified Pharmacy Technician

Kyle started her career as a Pharmacy Technician in 2003 and obtained her training and certification in Arizona. Kyle said Bigfork Valley’s values focused on compassion, quality, and stewardship stand out the most to her. Over the past two years, Kyle has been recognized eight times by her peers through our Employee Recognition program. She states that her co-workers are like family, and she loves taking care of all aspects of medication needs in our hospital, emergency room, surgery center, specialty clinic and nursing home. Kyle has displayed stewardship in her roles at Bigfork Valley by taking on additional tasks and assisting in all areas of the pharmacy when there is a need. Kyle is involved in the Bigfork community as the President of the Bigfork Youth Basketball League and coach for her daughter’s team. She is a member of the Bigfork Booster Club and serves as the Hospital Union President. Join us in thanking Kyle for all she does for Bigfork Valley, our patients, and the community!

 

Dawn Jourdan, Charge Nurse

Dawn Jourdan joined the Bigfork Valley team in 2005.  She started her healthcare career as a Certified Nursing Assistant and continued her education to become an LPN. She was encouraged by Dr. George Rounds to take advantage of the Bridges to Distance Program offered by Bigfork Valley and became an RN in 2004. Dawn is such an amazing Nurse, and we are incredibly lucky to have her on our team!