ABOVE: Dr. Alex Wong, a general surgeon at United Hospital District, speaks to attendants of a Lunch and Learn at the Southern Minnesota Educational Campus in Fairmont on Thursday.

FAIRMONT– United Hospital District (UHD) hosted a Lunch and Learn at the Southern Minnesota Educational Campus in Fairmont on Thursday to share information about its surgery services. Several surgeons and other staff were present to introduce themselves and talk about not only the procedures they do, but prevention measures that people can take in some cases to stay well and healthy.

The Operating Room (OR) Director, Raina Juba, has been with UHD for over 20 years and in her current role for about seven years.

“In that time we have grown exponentially and offer quite a few services,” Juba said.

She said that they have three operating rooms and typically use at least two of them everyday. She said there are 17 staff members, 10 of which are registered nurses and then there are four surgical technicians, an assistant, processing technician and surgery scheduler.

“We work Monday through Friday and each surgeon has their blocked days. We do have staff that’s on call after hours for emergency surgeries,” Juba said.

She said that they really pride themselves on patient experience. One UHD patient, Nyla Anderson, spoke about her surgery experience.

“I’m usually a really healthy person and haven’t been to the doctor much… but my knee started giving me some trouble last summer,” Anderson explained.

She got an MRI done and once it was confirmed she had both an ACL and meniscus tear, she began talking to staff at UHD about her treatment plan, which included a surgery.

“The surgery team was awesome and I felt like I was treated like a queen for my first time going into surgery,” Anderson said.

Now several months post-surgery, Anderson said she is currently going through physical therapy at UHD and is having a positive experience.

“They’ve helped me not only with the physical part of my therapy and recovery, but the mental side of recovery,” Anderson said.

Dr. Alex Wong, a general surgeon, has been with UHD for 14 years.

“As a surgeon, my focus mainly is general surgery. I offer cancer prevention in terms of colonoscopies and EGEs (Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis- an inflammatory bowel disease),” Wong said.

He also does removal of ‘lumps and bumps,’ hernia repairs and appendectomies. Wong said he also supports the OB team by covering C-sections.

It was asked whether there were any new cutting edge technologies Wong was excited about but he said that generally speaking he prefers tried and true practices.

Wong also said he was passionate about screening for and preventing colon cancer.

“From a prevention standpoint, getting a routine colonoscopy would be important. After that, if colon cancer is diagnosed, figure out the staging and take care of that,” Wong said.

Someone asked when people should start screening for it and Wong recommended that someone first get a colonoscopy around age 45 and the frequency beyond that depends on findings and family history.

Dr. Christopher Gran, a urologist, has lived in the area for nearly 20 years and has been with UHD since 2017.

“We do a fair bit of cancer screening whether that’s evaluations for kidney, bladder, prostate. I see both men and women,” Gran said, adding that it’s been predominately men but that some issues like bladder cancer and kidney stones can be common in women, too.

He said that some care for bigger procedures is sent out but that 90 to 95 percent of what comes through the door is able to be treated locally.

Dr. Dan Lee an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor, said he is one of three doctors who come to UHD in Blue Earth and that there’s always an ENT doctor there two days a week.

“We deal with pretty much everything from above the collarbones except for the brain and eyes and spine,” Lee said.

He said they see children up to elderly patients and that in children they’re predominantly putting in ear tubes and removing tonsils.

“We do a lot of skin cancer incisions and skin cancer reconstructions. A lot of dermatologists or primary care doctors will send us patients with concerning lesions and we can do biopsies on those,” Lee said.

They also address nasal and breathing disorders and deal with cancers of the head and neck area. Lee said there has been a rise in tonsil and tongue cancer and that while it used to be mainly linked to smoking and drinking, many are now being driven by the HPV virus.

“A big portion of our practice is for obstructive sleep apnea and we have some surgical alternatives for that. CPAP is a good option for that but there are some folks who struggle with that for various reasons,” Lee explained.

He said they have been doing a lot of Inspire implants, which is a surgical alternative that stimulates the tongue.

Cyndi Jensen, a nurse anesthetist, spoke about what she and her colleagues do.

“Most people prefer to have some anesthesia before their surgeries so that’s why we’re there,” she said.

Jensen said that there are some options as it’s not a one-size-fits-all matter. In fact she said they do offer an opioid-free anesthesia that they’ve had success with people reporting a comfortable procedure.

“Sometimes it’s not a necessity with your background but we’re always trying to stay abreast of the newer things out there,” she said.

Finally, Jensen said that the anesthesia department is on call 24/7 for emergency procedures and that they’re not just in the operating room but also available for OB.

UHD had previously held a Lunch and Learn in November to share with the community about its OB services.