River’s Edge Clinic opening

By: Kurt Hildebrandt

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

LE CENTER -- The public is invited to an open house for the new River’s Edge Clinic, Le Center (200 East Bowler Street) from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7. This is a family-friendly event and Le Center area residents are invited to stop by and meet the medical staff. Tours of the clinic will be provided, refreshments will be served and there will be registration for door prizes. River’s Edge Clinic, Le Center will offer Family Medicine, Allergy and Immunology services. In addition to family medicine and allergy services, we will also be able to offer sports physicals, school physicals and DOT exams at the clinic. Appointments will be accepted starting July 12. Family medicine hours will be Mondays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. while allergy hours will be every other Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon – starting July 14. Medical Staff Heidi Faul, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Faul received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D., and her MSN from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She completed her clinical experiences at Big Lake Clinic, Big Lake; North Point, Minneapolis; Elkridge Clinic and RiverWay Clinic Health Partners, Elk River; and Health Partners Clinic, St. Paul. As a registered nurse, she specialized in Intensive Care Nursing at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis and St. Alexius Hospital Bismarck, N.D.; and served as a home health nurse in Roseville. She is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Heidi has had a wide range of international nursing experiences, serving at Mercy Ships, Liberia, Africa, and Lyari Community Development Center, Karachi, Pakistan, and most recently providing relief in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. She enjoys being physically active, being outdoors, and she loves to travel. She has participated in running events, sprint triathlons, backpacking trips, and rock climbing excursions. Faul believes strongly that individuals should be engaged in their own health care and said, “I believe that treating a patient holistically; mind, body, and spirit, is essential for patients to improve and sustain their health.” Dr. John J. Jacobsen Dr. Jacobsen has provided care specializing in allergies, asthma and immunology to Southern Minnesota for over 20 years. He is also board certified in Pediatrics. Dr. Jacobsen received his undergraduate degree in Ecology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and holds a medical degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha. He completed a pediatric residency at University of Nebraska Clinics and Hospital in Omaha; and a fellowship in Allergy Immunology at Los Angeles County - University of Southern California Medical Center in Los Angeles. He has served on staff at Mankato Clinic and ISJ in Mankato, and Altru Health System in Grand Forks and Fargo. Other medical staff Nursing staff includes: • Allergy - Alison Fradenburgh, LPN • Family Medicine - Margie Neely, RN Office staff include: • Sandy Snell

 

 

River's Edge Women's Health Expo

Tuesday, May 4, 2010, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

ST. PETER -  Area women are invited to attend the first Women’s Health Expo at the River’s Edge campus, 1900 N Sunrise Drive, St. Peter. The following presentations are free and no registration is needed:

 

6:00 p.m. Integrative Medicine: What’s it all about? - Presenter - Colleen Spike, CEO

6:20 p.m. Labels: What do the numbers on food packages really mean - Presenter: Jennifer Donkin, RD

6:40 p.m. Acupuncture: Needlework for women - Presenter: Julie Buettner, DC and Mark Mahoney, DC

7:00 p.m. I like to move it, move it…..all about exercise - Presenter: Mary Kramer, EP

7:20 p.m. Don’t break my heart! Live a heart healthy life - Presenter: Heidi Faul, CFNP

7:40 p.m. Stressed? Count to 10 – 1, 2, 10!!! Reducing stress - Presenter: Paula Meskan, RN

 

In addition to the presentations, enjoy free food samples and learn about aromatherapy, guided meditation, massage, nutrition, Healing Touch, and receive a free chair massage.

 

Women may also schedule a mammogram during the expo by pre-registering at 507-934-8406.

 

The event is co-sponsored by River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic and Mankato Chiropractic & Healing Touch.

 

 

You’re not over the hill….yet!

 

ST. PETER -  River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic and Mankato Chiropractic & Healing Touch teamed up to offer a seminar for women entitled “You’re not over the hill…yet!” This free seminar was held on Wednesday, February 3 at 6:30 p.m. at River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic, 1900 N. Sunrise Drive, St. Peter.

The seminar offered an integrative approach to helping women who are perimenopausal, using traditional medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, nutrition, exercise, and aromatherapy.

The seminar was designed for women during perimenopause, which encompasses the years leading up to menopause — anywhere from two to eight years – approximately ages 40 - 55. It's a natural part of aging that signals the ending of reproductive years.

As a woman goes through the menopausal transition, the body's production of estrogen and progesterone fluctuates. These hormonal fluctuations are at the root of the changes a woman’s body goes through during perimenopause.

This seminar  offered women suggestions and tips to deal with the changes and symptoms that are associated with perimenopause.

For more information contact River's Edge Clinic at 934-8480. 

 

 

River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic now designated as Level 4 Trauma hospital

 

December 22, 2009

 

ST. PETER - The Minnesota Department of Health recently designated River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic as a Level 4 Trauma hospital.  River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic staff voluntarily participated in the intense process.

To become part of Minnesota’s statewide trauma system the process included an outside review of the hospital’s resources and capabilities to care for trauma patients. River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic met standards of commitment, clinical and equipment resources and staff training. The hospital also participates in a continuous performance improvement process,

Colleen Spike, CEO of River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic said, “The Emergency Room staff and physicians have worked very hard over the past year to meet the criteria to receive the Level 4 Trauma designation.  The advanced training the staff and physicians received will benefit all patients who seek care in the River’s Edge Emergency Department. ”

For a severely injured person, the time between sustaining an injury and receiving definitive care is the most important predictor of survival – the “golden hour.” The chance of survival diminishes with time; however, a trauma system enhances the chance of survival regardless of proximity to an urban trauma hospital.

 

Trauma is the third leading cause of death in Minnesota,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Sanne Magnan. “The goal of the trauma system is to decrease injured patients’ time to care by making sure their medical needs are appropriately matched with hospital resources. With the designation of River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic as a Level 4 Trauma hospital, we are getting closer to our goal of ensuring that seriously injured Minnesotans have access to an organized system of trauma care wherever they are in the state.” On average, trauma claims the lives of 2,400 Minnesotans annually. States with trauma systems have seen survival rates increase by 15 to 20 percent. Wide-scale participation in the voluntary trauma system ensures that a statewide, cooperative effort is in place to care for seriously injured patients.

 

Minnesota began developing a comprehensive statewide trauma system in August of 2005. Through its designation, River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic recognizes the vital role that communities, ambulance services, hospitals and health care professionals play in the care and management of trauma patients.

 

For more information about the statewide trauma system see http://www.health.state.mn.us/traumasystem/.

 

For more information about River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic see http://www.riversedgehealth.org.

 

 

 

River's Edge Hospital & Clinic Attacks Infection Control

March 26, 2009

 

ST. PETER - Molecular testing, introduced at River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic in March will produce faster lab results, reduce the risk of contamination and enable doctors to make quicker, better informed treatment decisions, said Kay Carlson, Manager Laboratory Services.

The testing upgrade was aided by an advanced processing machine Carlson called “the wave of the future.” The Cepheid GeneXpert allows laboratory technicians to test for specific bacteria and have results in about an hour. “We can start the antibiotics that are most effective within an hour and a half,” she said.

Also important, doctors can prescribe effective antibiotics quickly. Before molecular diagnostics, samples were used to grow lab cultures, which could take several days to produce results, Carlson said. That meant doctors might have to begin treatment before knowing exactly what they were trying to fight. “It’s kind of revolutionized infectious disease treatment,” she said.

The GeneXpert takes a DNA sample and sets off a chain reaction to quickly produce millions of copies of it. Chemical indicators glow brighter as the quantity increases, and the color helps the machine identify the bacteria. What once took three separate rooms is now accomplished in a small cartridge with several compartments. The cartridge reduces the chances of contamination and a ruined test. The machine can run four tests at a time, but that can be expanded to as many as 16 with the addition of more test modules.

Said Carlson “It’s a very complicated inner working, but it’s been made very simple for the user. It’s really a pretty amazing process that’s going on inside.”

The system was set up by Carlson, a longtime River’s Edge Hospital employee. Carlson is a lifetime resident of St. Peter and received her Medical Laboratory Technician training at St. Mary’s College, Minneapolis and her B.S. at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

At this point, River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic is using the GeneXpert to test for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, commonly called MRSA, one of the most common causes of infections in hospitals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA accounts for more than 60 percent of hospital-acquired S. aureus infections in the U.S. More than 278,000 inpatients are infected by MRSA each year, and more than 17,000 MRSA-related hospitalizations end in death.

The hospital may initially conduct about 50 tests a month, but that will increase as new tests are added and additional risk groups are added to the surveillance pool.