Month: April 2022

April is National Foot Health Awareness Month. Dr. Bethany Staehnke, a podiatrist at RiverView Health since 2018, specializes in foot and ankle issues in her practice in Crookston and East Grand Forks. A Crookston native, Dr. Staehnke’s interests are in sports injuries, biomechanical pathology, arthritis injuries, and flat foot deformities. She treats patients of all ages and focuses on patient education.

“There are so many factors that impact foot health, including ankle issues,’’ Dr. Staehnke shared. “I enjoy working with patients to address foot and ankle issues to get them back on their feet.’’

Disease, poor circulation, improper footwear, and age can all cause foot problems, but there are many things you can do to keep your feet healthy.

Dr. Staehnke shares the following tips for keeping your foundation strong.

• Shoes: Comfortable, well-fitting shoes help prevent many foot ailments. Be sure to have your feet measured before purchasing new shoes, as foot width may increase with age. Proper shoes should have uppers made of soft, flexible material to reduce the chance of skin irritation. Shoes should also have good traction, thick soles for better comfort, and low heels for both comfort and safety.
• Circulation: In many cases, improving circulation can help feet feel better right away. Blood flow to the feet can be reduced by exposure to cold or water, tight shoes, sitting for a long time, or smoking. Improve circulation by standing, walking, exercising, quitting smoking, massaging your feet, or taking a footbath.
• Fungal, Bacterial Conditions: These issues arise when feet are in a dark, damp, warm environment. Fungal and Bacterial infections can cause redness, blisters, peeling, and itching. Delaying treatment can lead to a chronic problem. To prevent foot fungus and bacteria, keep your feet clean and dry, especially between the toes. If you’re prone to fungal infections, regularly dust your feet with fungicidal powder.
• Dry Skin: Itchy, ‘’burning’’ feet may be caused by dry skin. Use lotion on your legs and feet every day if you have dry skin. Lanolin or a lotion with petroleum jelly works best. Wash with a mild soap.
• Corns, Calluses: Friction and pressure when the foot’s bony areas rub against shoes create corns and calluses. Treatment for these issues may include different shoes or special pads. Over-the-counter medicines treat only the symptoms, not the underlying problem. They may sometimes reduce the need for surgery, but treating corns or calluses yourself can be harmful, especially if you have diabetes or poor circulation.
• Warts: Often painful and easily spread if left untreated, warts are skin growths caused by viruses. Over-the-counter remedies rarely work on warts. Warts can be medicated, burned, frozen off, or removed surgically.
• Bunions: When joints in the big toe are out of line and become swollen and tender, bunions form. Bunions may be caused by poor-fitting shoes that press on a deformity or by an inherited weakness in the foot. If a bunion is not severe, shoes cut wide through the instep, and the toes may provide relief. Protective pads may also help to cushion the area. Bunion treatments include applications or injections of medications, whirlpool baths, and sometimes surgery.
• Ingrown Toenails: Especially common in the big toe, ingrown toenails occur when a piece of nail cuts into the skin. An ingrown toenail is generally caused by improperly trimmed nails. Toenails should be cut straight across at the top.
• Hammertoe: Caused by a shortening of the tendons that control toe movement, a hammertoe knuckle usually becomes enlarged, drawing the toe back. Eventually, the joint enlarges and stiffens, possibly affecting balance. Wearing shoes and socks that provide plenty of toe room is recommended in treatment. In advanced cases, surgery may be needed.
• Spurs: These are calcium growths that develop on the foot bones and are caused by muscle strain. They are irritated by long periods of standing, poorly fitting shoes, and being overweight. They range from painless to severely painful. Possible treatment may include heel pads or heel cups to better support the foot.

If you suffer from any of these issues, Dr. Staehnke can help. Call 281-9595 to make an appointment.

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The post FIND YOUR FOOTING WITH TIPS FROM RIVERVIEW PODIATRIST DR. BETHANY STAEHNKE appeared first on KROX.

Results from a Minnesota Department of Health survey confirm healthcare worker burnout and show workforce shortage trends are affecting a wide range of healthcare professionals.

The survey data indicates alarming projected workforce losses in Minnesota’s small towns and rural areas. Nearly 1 in 5 rural health care providers say they plan to leave their profession within the next five years. The largest projected losses are among physicians. One out of every three rural physicians report that they’re planning to leave their profession within the next five years.

“We are going to need several approaches and solutions aimed at both recruiting the future workforce and retaining the current one,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm. “We in government and health care must do more to prioritize retention, work with educational institutions to expand clinical training opportunities, and focus more broadly on the care team, including nurses, physicians, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, and others.”

Providers are seeing workforce shortages across Minnesota. The report found that vacancies have increased in nearly all health professions since their pre-pandemic levels, in some cases dramatically. The largest increases are in mental health and substance abuse counseling occupations, where one in four jobs is currently vacant and open for hire.

In nearly every profession, more providers than in prior years reported that they planned to leave their profession within the next five years, and a much higher share of these exits is due to burnout.

While burnout among nurses has been widely recognized, other providers are also struggling. Burnout or job dissatisfaction accounted for 26% of all physician assistant workforce exits and 22% of respiratory therapy exits.

The report identifies potential solutions, including retaining the incumbent workforce through programs such as loan forgiveness for health care providers, career exploration initiatives for new and dislocated workers, and programs to increase the workforce’s diversity. Employers can also focus on overcoming the hiring challenge by making health care jobs safe, flexible, well-paid, and family-friendly.

Current legislative proposals aim at revitalizing our health care workforce. They include launching rural clinical training tracks to create a pipeline of primary care physicians and psychiatrists trained in greater Minnesota; funding to expand rural rotations and clinical training opportunities for pre-licensure nurse practitioners, physician assistants, behavioral health students, and dental graduates; and financial supports to mental health providers to pay for the supervised training they are required to complete before becoming licensed to practice. These efforts are designed to develop a continuous pipeline of health care professionals in high-need fields to ensure the health and economic vitality of rural areas.

The Walz-Flanagan Budget to Move Minnesota Forward also includes the following proposals:

Revitalize Our Health Care Workforce – The pandemic has highlighted the importance of investing in our health care workforce. Investing in this high-need career area is vital for the future health of our state. The governor and lieutenant governor’s budget makes critical investments in the health care workforce, building on recent programs like free certified nursing training and the Minnesota Future Together Grant, both of which provide tuition-free pathways for students in high-need career areas.

Recognize Frontline Workers – The Walz-Flanagan Budget to Move Minnesota Forward recommends $1 billion to provide payments to frontline workers who have sacrificed during the pandemic to keep Minnesotans safe, healthy, fed, and cared for. This proposal would provide $1,500 payments to an estimated 667,000 workers, including health care, child care, school, grocery store, food service, transportation, long-term care, building service, public safety, retail, and manufacturing workers. These frontline worker payments recognize the essential work of Minnesotans who have risked their health and continue to provide the vital services needed to keep our state running during this pandemic.

Support Minnesota’s Caregiver Workforce – Governor Walz has proposed more than $250 million to address the workforce shortage, including an incentive program that would provide retention and bonus payments for workers who join and stay in the caring professions, including those who provide care for people with disabilities, older adults, people with behavioral health needs and people experiencing homelessness. Critical workforce shortages in these sectors have deepened during the pandemic and pose a threat to the health, independence, and stability of Minnesotans who rely on them.

The post MDH REPORT HIGHLIGHTS NEEDS FOR RETAINING AND RECRUITING HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE appeared first on KROX.

Earlier this morning, at approximately 5:13 a.m., the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to 27372 430th St SE rural Fosston for a report of a greenhouse fire. Upon investigation, the fire appeared to have been caused by a wood-burning stove that was used to heat the greenhouse. The structure sustained moderate damage. There were no injuries reported from this incident.

The Winger Fire Department and Essentia Ambulance also responded to assist.

No further information will be released at this time.

The post POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE RESPONDS TO GREENHOUSE FIRE IN FOSSTON appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston Fire Department (CFD) responded to the following calls on 4/12/2022 (this morning) –

At 1:00 a.m., the CFD responded to the 700 block of Hunter St. for a Carbon Monoxide detector activation. Upon arrival, the CFD used Carbon Monoxide detecting tools, and there were low levels of Carbon Monoxide in the house. Upon further investigation, it was found the furnace was malfunctioning causing the alarm to activate. The CFD turned off the furnace, ventilated the house, and contacted the homeowner as it was a rental property. The homeowner was informed to contact furnace maintenance to make the appropriate repairs. The CFD then cleared the scene.

The post ARREST/FIRE REPORT- APRIL 12, 2022 appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston City Council met last night at the Crookston City Council chambers in the lower level of Crookston City Hall.

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Council first heard a public information announcement from Ox Cart Day Chair, Libby Boucher about Fireworks use for Ox Cart Days coming up in August. She reported that they have 76 events confirmed for Ox Cart Days and thanked the Council for their continued support. They then received a presentation from Elliot Steinbrink from the APG Apartment Development about two 36-unit apartments with garages that will be built on North Broadway, South of the Casey General Store. He reported that production was progressing smoothly and showed a few images of what the development would be like in the end. “We are intending to start the first phase of the apartments in the Spring of 2023 with a completion date of Spring of 2025.” Steinbrink explained, “Tonight, we got the pre-approval for the business subsidiary agreement and the ability to keep things moving forward.” He also reported that he was meeting with the Crookston Housing & Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) and the Planning and Commissions on Tuesday, April 19, at noon and 7:00 p.m., respectively, to reaffirm what they had approved with the Council.

CONSENT AGENDA

The Council’s Consent Agenda consisted of them approving the proposed City Council Minutes from their last meeting on March 28, as well as the Special meetings Minutes they held on April 4 & 5. They also created a resolution to approve all City of Crookston Bills and Disbursements in the amount of $346,956.53 and to continue the resolution to approve the 2022 License Renewals-Gas Fitting and Cement Mason License. The final items on the agenda were to approve the agenda for the Crookston Housing & Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) meeting that will take place next Tuesday, April 19, and to approve plans and specifications and calling for bids on the 2022 Street Improvements.

The Council approved all motions unanimously.

REGULAR AGENDA

The Regular Agenda included the resolution Authorization to execute a Minnesota Department of Transportation Grant Agreement for Airport Improvement Excluding Land Acquisition for State Project No A6001-58 at the Crookston Municipal Airport, where they plan to move one runway to another area, with the State giving them $35,000 to complete it. They then moved to approve the Small Cities Development Program Commercial Rehabilitation Loan Program Deferred Loan Repayment Agreement and Mortgage and a Commercial Rehabilitation Loan Program for Craig and Katherine Theede. “The Theedes, Dr. Theede, and his wife had two loans from the city. One was an interest-bearing loan for a five-year period that they made payments on.” Interim City Administrator “Corky” Reynolds explained, “Those payments were kept up, and they will make the final payments on the loan, so we issue a Mortgage Satisfaction. There was a second loan, a forgivable loan if the Theede’s occupied that commercial space for five years. Unfortunately, Dr. Theede died in a horrible accident, so he’d be unable to occupy it for five years. So the Council had a discussion based upon a request with Mrs. Theede that this loan be forgiven because of the unique circumstances.” The Council discussed that due to the case’s uniqueness, with Mrs. Theede being an unworking widow looking after two young children, Dr. Theede’s sudden death, and recognized that Dr. Theede had put in much money into the building and intended to pay it all off. The Council chose to forgive the loan of $13,399. The Council then came to an agreement to purchase life insurance for themselves as security for any loans in the future in case there is another unfortunate incident like this one. There would be a third-party pair to pay the city what they are owed.

The Council then heard from Jake Solberg, who reported that the University of Minnesota Crookston came to him explaining that they have a one-year deal to use the Crookston Community Pool for their student’s usage, for things like morning lap swims, aquatic classes, and other events that used the pool. Any students that wish to use the pool just need to show their student ID to the lifeguard to use it for what they need. The University’s deal lasts until June 30, where at its end, the school will pay $8,000 for the usage of the pool during the term. The Council then called a Public Hearing on the proposed Business Subsidy Agreement for the APG Development. Interim City Administrator Charles “Corky” Reynolds reported that he met with APG for the services and materials that they will be using to build their apartments. “The City is offering some incentives, and in the State of Minnesota, if a city is going to provide opportunities, services, and materials for which there will be no charge for them.” Reynolds explained, “You have to have a Public Hearing identifying what services will be provided and the approximate costs for the services the developer will not be paying.” He reported that he believed that the total amount that APG would need would not exceed $110,000 for whatever services they needed.

The Council approved all motions unanimously.

The Council finished the meeting with a summary of the closed session negotiations meeting they held on Tuesday, April 5, from Interim City Administrator Charles “Corky” Reynolds. He reported that they met with Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) on a contract for Law Enforcement officers on a percentage raise that had been requested by them, asking for a 4% raise as funds were available to do so. In the previous contract, the city had only given them a 2.75% raise due to that being what was budgeted. The Council gave a final offer of 3%, with the LELS accepting. They also wished to change a rule of officers being unable to live within a 30 straight mile radius from the city, wishing to change that to allow officers to respond and arrive at scenes faster rather than have to travel 30 miles to a scene where every second counts. The last item was a discussion of an issue with the School Resource Officer’s compensation. “We discussed all of these issues at a Closed Bargaining Session, Reynolds explained, “and will now be able to go back to the Police Union and say, “We will be able to offer you a 3% raise, we will eliminate the 30-mile straight-line radius that you have to live within, and the Union will handle the School Research Officer issue internally.”

REPORTS AND STAFF RECOMMENDATION

Public Works Director Brandon Carlson came to the podium next and reported that due to the upcoming weather, the river will potentially crest at approximately 20 ft. on Friday but that the Department is ready for both rain or snow with the preparations they have made for the storm drains on the streets.

Fire Department Chief Tim Froeber approached the Council next reporting that they tried to run their Weather Service alarms on Wednesday, April 6 but found some issues with them. They sent some Department members out to fix them since then, and the Fire Department will test them again tomorrow, April 12, near Bear-Fischer at 1:00 p.m.

Jake Solberg approached the Council again and explained that the pool has a chemical imbalance, and one of the pipes they had repaired over the winter has leaked again, and the PH level has been at a consistent level of 8.0, which is too dangerous of a level to keep the pool open. He reported a repairman for the pipe is coming on Thursday, April 14, and someone to fix the PH level on Monday, April 18. They hope to have the pool reopened by Tuesday, April 19.

The next City Council meeting will take place on Monday, April 25, at 7:00 p.m. inside the City Hall Council Chambers.

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