Over 50 community members attend North Shore Health board meeting in support of Dr. Bruce Dahlman

Over 50 community members attended the North Shore Health board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 16, to express their concerns with the hospital leadership and the decision to end a contract with Dr. Bruce Dahlman, a long-established and respected emergency doctor in Cook County.

The news of Dr. Dahlman’s dismissal from North Shore Health late last week came as a shock to many as word spread throughout the county. Dr. Dahlman has served the Grand Marais community as a reliable and trusted doctor for over 39 years. In addition to his role as a rural emergency room doctor in Grand Marais, he serves as a Global Family Medicine Education consultant for the Christian Academy of African Physicians (CAAP). Dr. Dahlman also holds the position of Development Director for the Institute of Family Medicine in Nairobi, Kenya, the Director of the Digital African Health Library, and the Senior Lecturer for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Kabarak University in Kenya. Further expanding his contributions, Dr. Dahlman is the Health Ministries Advisor for AIM International, headquartered in Peachtree, GA.

According to a statement by North Shore Health Administrator Kimber Wraalstad in the Cook County News Herald on Friday, Nov. 10, North Shore Health has a contract with Wapiti Medical Group to staff the Emergency Department (ED). Wraalstad said, “It is common for hospitals to use such an arrangement in order to provide physician coverage for their EDs. Given our rural location, this is the only way NSH can ensure continuous ED coverage to our community. Dr. Dahlman had a contractual relationship with Wapiti, under which he was scheduled to provide ED coverage to NSH. His contract with Wapiti ended Nov. 1, 2023, and as of that date, he is no longer scheduled to staff our ED. We would like to thank him for his many years of service.”

The vagueness of the statement left many members of the public confused and questioning the reason behind Dr. Dahlman’s terminated contract. In response, community members attended the Nov. 16 North Shore Health board meeting in search of answers and to voice their concerns on the matter.

As members of the public waited to submit their comments during the board meeting, Kay Olson, the North Shore Health board chair, read a statement. It mirrored Wraalstad’s statement in the News Herald the week prior.

Olson added, “No corrective action has been taken or proposed by North Shore Health regarding Dr. Dahlman. This is a contractual matter between Wapiti and Dr. Dahlman. North Shore Health cannot speak to the decisions between Wapiti and their contracted providers.”

She went on to say, “This was not a Kimber decision. We stand behind Kimber, and we stand behind Wapiti’s decision,” Olson read aloud. “Anyone who believes this is anything but a Wapiti decision is misinformed.”

Numerous community members, including former North Shore Health staff members, patients of Dr. Dahlman, and concerned citizens, stood before the board members, Wraalstad, and North Shore Health staff to submit their comments. County Commissioner David Mills, the Hospital District county representative for North Shore Health, did not attend the meeting due to conflict with other meetings he told WTIP. The comments included concerns regarding the leadership of Administrator Wraalstad, lack of advocacy for Dr. Dahlman from North Shore Health administration and board members, and questions about the Wapiti contracts.

Dr. Dahlman and his wife, Kate, were the final two individuals to stand before the board members and administrator. They each expressed their disappointment in North Shore Health’s handling of the matter, given their untarnished history in the community. Towards the end of her speech, Kate Dalhman said that the decision to end Dr. Dalhman’s contract did not stem solely from Wapiti. She said she has “in writing” that “this was a collaborative decision between Wapiti and North Shore Health.”

She then urged the North Shore Health board to “do your work” to investigate and question the reasoning why Dr. Dalhman’s contract with Wapiti ended.

Dr. Dalhman followed his wife in the public comment period. He began by thanking the 50-plus community members in attendance for their support. He expressed deep concern for the administrators’ leadership and urged the board to question the matter. He described to the board and listening public the order of events in which they occurred. As Dr. Dahlman spoke, the expressionless board members and Administrator Wraalstad listened to his concerns.

“I think you’re at an inflection point in this hospital where the last of the quote ‘Old Guard’ is leaving now, and the last of the local physicians who take care of this community in this hospital is now leaving,” Dr. Dahlman said. “And you have to decide between if you’re going to have a healthcare system built on professionals or who are taking care of the work and the decisions collaboratively with the administration to help serve this community or whether you’re going to sell out to corporate medicine.”

WTIP contacted the North Shore Health board members following the meeting for comment. Three of the five board members responded. Each of the responding board members referred WTIP to an upcoming media release. WTIP also contacted North Shore Health Administrator Wraalstad for comment following the meeting and did not receive a response.

Later that evening, at 5:22 p.m., North Shore Health released a statement. The statement said,

“The Board of Directors and Administration at North Shore Health would like to thank everyone who has shared their concerns about our quality of care, our commitment to the community, and the sustainability of our facility. We have heard the concerns about the change in Dr. Bruce Dahlman’s employment via email, text, social media, phone calls, and from those who attended today’s board meeting. We know it is not easy to take time from your busy schedules to share your comments, and we appreciate it. We want you to know that we hear you, and we care. As a long-standing pillar of this community, North Shore Health is firmly committed to our mission: “Community Access to Compassionate Care.” That is no small task in these challenging times for rural healthcare.

We are grateful to hear the personal stories about Dr. Dahlman and how much his dedicated service has meant to our families and coworkers. These are the kind of supportive relationships that glue together a strong community.”

The statement went on to include the previous statement read aloud during the morning’s board meeting.

When WTIP asked why Dr. Dalhman’s contract was terminated, Jen Lloyd, the vice president of operations of Wapiti Medical Group, replied, “The agreement and interactions Wapiti holds between a provider or a facility is confidential.”

WTIP will continue to actively follow this story.

Correction: WTIP removed the phrase ‘apathetic’ in describing the North Shore Health board members and Administrator Wraalstad. 

Kalli Hawkins November 16, 2023