If your loved one were in the hospital, you’d want the staff caring for them as they would their own family. At RiverView Health, that happens every day. And, from time to time, the patients receiving that care are actual family members of RiverView employees. Bruce Kildal knows that firsthand. Kildal has spent a lot of time at RiverView in 2026. It started with an emergency room visit early in the year, when he was diagnosed with blood clots and COVID-19. After spending about a week in a larger facility, the 74-year-old Crookston resident returned to RiverView for swingbed care.
His goal was simple: regain enough strength and balance to get back home.
He put in the work through physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) to get stronger and could often be found walking the hallways with his walker. After a few weeks of swingbed care, he was discharged but continued PT and OT as an outpatient twice a week for six weeks.
The hard work paid off, and Kildal “graduated’’ from the Rehab Services programs. Before he left, his team put together an individualized home exercise program to help him maintain his progress.
“With therapy, I was able to get my balance back and regain strength,” Kildal said. “I was happy to be able to get out and walking around the neighborhood again. The therapists helped me out quite a bit. I looked forward to Rehab because I knew it was helping me improve.’’
Kildal’s positive experience with the swingbed program and Rehab Services was not his first at RiverView. He estimates he has been a RiverView patient since moving to Crookston about 50 years ago. His primary care provider is Dr. Bosun Fashoro, an Internal Medicine provider at RiverView.
More Than Medical Care
For many patients, swingbed care is about more than medical treatment and therapy. It’s also about maintaining a sense of normalcy while working toward the goal of returning home.
When appropriate, swingbed patients have opportunities to take a temporary leave from the hospital for activities such as attending a family event or enjoying supper with loved ones. Puzzles, games and other activities provide entertainment and give patients opportunities to spend time independently, with staff or with their loved ones.
Kildal wasn’t interested in all of the activities available during his stay, though. While some swingbed patients enjoy getting their hair or nails done or taking a trip downstairs to RiverView’s popular Limited Addition Gift Shop, Kildal preferred to spend his time walking the hallways and working on his strength.
He did, however, especially enjoy one aspect of his stay: the food.
“I got to try out just about everything they had,’’ Kildal reported. “It was all really good.’’
His niece, Tori Wagner, can attest to that. Wagner is a RiverView case manager and acute care coordinator – and she happened to be one of the people helping make sure her uncle received the care he needed during his swingbed stay.
She joked that Kildal can be bribed with RiverView’s strawberry shortcake because he enjoyed it so much.
A Team Effort
Wagner sees firsthand what makes RiverView’s swingbed program so popular with its patients.
“It’s the people – the staff,” she said. “I am in a position where I get to hear the praise from patients and their family members about how well the patient is being taken care of during their swingbed stay.”
That care extends far beyond nursing.
“Our EVS (Environmental Services) team does a fabulous job ensuring that the patients have a clean environment,” Wagner said. “Dietary provides delicious food, and the patients rave about how quickly the food arrives and how good it is.”
Nursing provides around-the-clock supportive care, while the therapy team plays a critical role in helping patients regain the strength, mobility and confidence they need to return home.
“The therapy team is the backbone for a majority of our patients and the main reason that many patients are able to discharge back to home,” Wagner said.
Even departments that patients may not see regularly play an important role. The business office works to complete insurance authorizations when needed, while the scheduling team coordinates therapy and other clinic appointments.
“It takes a team effort to take care of our swingbed patients, and we are so fortunate to be able to provide this program,” Wagner said.
Kildal’s daughter, Tanya, is also part of that RiverView team. A radiologic technologist in Diagnostic Imaging, she has provided X-ray care for her dad during his many years as a RiverView patient.
A Familiar Place Close to Home
RiverView continues to work to grow its swingbed program while balancing the needs of patients requiring medical, surgical and obstetrical care. Most swingbed patients come from the surrounding area, allowing them to receive continued care close to home and their families.
For Kildal, that familiarity made his experience even more meaningful.
“I’d recommend RiverView to people if they are in need of care,’’ he stated. “The nurses are very good, and the staff is personable. It’s nice to have RiverView close by. It was a good experience overall.”
Hearing that from a patient, especially a loved one, is what Wagner and the team at RiverView work hard to achieve.
“We care,” Wagner said. “We truly care for our patients. The people of RiverView are what make our swingbed program special.”
For more information on the swingbed program, call Wagner at 218-281-9323.
