Month: January 2024

Cathedral School in Crookston is currently participating in the 50th annual National Catholic Schools Week. This year, Cathedral School’s Theme is: “Cathedral School is ‘snow’ cool!” Students were asked what makes Cathedral School “snow” cool, and here is what they had to say:

CATHEDRAL SCHOOL is “SNOW” COOL

By the Kindergarteners:

Jack Sylvester “Cathedral School is so cool because we get to learn about God and go to church!”

Tor Lien “Cathedral School is so cool because we go to the small chapel and look at the Body of Jesus!”

James Webster “Cathedral School is so cool because we get to learn the Virtues.”

Bridger Vigness “Cathedral School is so cool because we go to church on Wednesdays.”

John Altepeter “Cathedral School is so cool because we

have Faith Families.”

George Genereux “Cathedral School is so cool because we get to go to the Adoration Chapel and pray!”

Dakota Holzer “Cathedral School is so cool because it is in God’s Hands.”

First Grade:

Andriel Bergh – Cathedral School is “Snow” fun because we have a church. I like that we have a computer room.

Josephine Ness – Cathedral School is “Snow” fun because we have “snow” fun playing games. I like that we can spend time with Jesus.

Carter Gasper – Cathedral School is “Snow” fun because the hills are fun. I play with my sister. I like to learn.

Second Grade:

Maclain Sullivan- Cathedral School is “Snow” cool. We have the best teachers. We have a church. We have a lunch room, my favorite lunch is pizza.  We have an art room. We have a nice principal.  We have a library.  We have a chapel, I love to pray. We have kind Friends.  

Jaxson Ramstorf– I think Cathedral School is so Cool because we have gym.  We get to go to the art room. We have a church.  Fr. David is so cool.  We have a chapel.   We get to spend time with Jesus.

Third Grade:
Evelyn Applequest– Cathedral school is snow cool because we get to have Mass and learn even more about God. At Cathedral School we also get to learn the virtues. Cathedral School is very fun! We get to spend a lot of time with our friends. Cathedral school is snow cool because we learn how to be kind to everyone!

Violet Steer- Cathedral School is snow cool because we learn about God. Cathedral School is snow cool because we get to do fun projects. Cathedral School is snow cool because we learn new virtues each week. Cathedral School is snow cool because we learn about Jesus.

Fourth Grade:
Eli Boll- Cathedral School is snow cool because… The teachers are so helpful and kind, and they make sure you’re ok when you get hurt. The art teacher is really good at art, and she’s the gym teacher, and she’s good at that too. There are a ton of books in the library, and there’s comfy stuff in there too. You get to play a lot of board games with your friends at free time. You can get jobs but it depends on what class your in and you can get to make coffee for the teacher. There is also a  room manager and teacher assistant. The playground is also very fun to you get to play with your friends and you get to do a lot of activities at recess. That is why I love Cathedral School.        

Ava Aune– I think Cathedral School is SNOW cool because the teachers are so kind and nice. They have the best attitudes. The kids are nice and fun to play with. We get to learn virtues and we have Mass every Wednesday with all of the school. We have faith families on Thursday. We learn sooooo many things. The principal is really nice, and she is funny too. We do fun things too, like rake-a-thon and we rake peoples’ yards. These are some of the reasons I love Cathedral School.

Fifth Grade:
Paisley Salentiny– Cathedral School is snow cool because we have cool people here and we are all kind to each other. All the teachers are nice, and they teach you in good and fun ways. Like one of the ways is doing an escape room. In 5th and 4th grades, you play fun games on your Chromebook and it is math and you get to hack each other in the game. In 1st grade you get a piece of gum if you get a perfect spelling test. During Mass, you get to sing and get to bring the gifts. That is my favorite part.       

Kambree Wangen– Cathedral School is snow cool because we get to learn about God. We get to learn about virtues, go to Mass, receive the Eucharist, and learn the Rosary. Another thing I love about Cathedral is great friends. Everyone is so kind to one another, and trying to be the best saint they can be. Our school is very creative as well, our teachers find fun things for us to do. Some of the things are escape rooms, parties, and many games. I love Cathedral School; I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else!

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More than 60 Minnesota schools and hundreds of students are expected to participate in Minnesota’s Winter Walk To School Day on Wednesday, February 7. Highland Elementary School is one of the 60 schools that will be participating.

The annual event, sponsored by Minnesota Safe Routes to School, encourages students and parents to celebrate the fun of walking while increasing their physical activity, reducing traffic congestion around schools, and practicing pedestrian and bicycle safety skills.

Highland Elementary School will host Safe Routes to School (Grand Forks) on February 7, and the Crookston Fire Department and Police Department will be present during the event. Students will receive a free hot chocolate in the morning and other gifts like bracelets and trinkets.

Winter Walk to School Day also encourages parents and community members to consider the walkability and bikeability of their neighborhoods because children walk and bike to other community destinations like playgrounds, libraries, parks, and more. Keeping sidewalks clear of snow and ice, especially at corners, helps make communities safer and more accessible to children and families going for a walk.

Minnesota Safe Routes to School (SRTS) provides resources and grants to advance SRTS programs through planning, bike/walk education curriculum, and support for improving infrastructure on routes to school. “We did write a grant that we received to pay for studies (which we’re doing this year,” said Highland Elementary School Principal Chris Trostad, “The studies should open us up to a lot of grant opportunities for safe routes to schools.”

After a recent discussion with parents and staff of Highland, it is believed that the money received could be best spent by funding LED lighting on walk paths, more sidewalks leading up to the school, and installing flashing lights at intersections. The additional lighting on the walkways and roads to the school could be beneficial due to the lack of daylight during the mornings and afternoons during the school year.

Earlier this year, Highland Elementary conducted a walking audit, and a morning audit where data was collected regarding issues that occur during the school day. “We identified a lot of things,” said Trostad, “Like rolling stops, and there were really dark areas where it was hard to see kids crossing intersections. So we gathered a lot of good data.”

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The Crookston Community Swimming Pool will be closed for water maintenance Wednesday night for open swim and Thursday morning for A.M. lap and aqua swim.

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RiverView Healthcare Association members heard the ups and downs of 2023 virtually Monday, January 29, during the Association’s 126th Annual Meeting. 

CFO Betty Arvidson shared preliminary financial information with Association members. While numbers have yet to be finalized, RiverView will finish with a substantial loss for Fiscal Year 2023. 

Referring to the financial report as “sobering,” President/CEO Carrie Michalski shared some background on why RiverView and similar-sized hospitals are struggling.

“Hospitals, particularly rural hospitals across the country, continue to see strained financial resources. The Minnesota Hospital Association in their most recent financial scan of the hospital industry is predicting that Minnesota hospitals on average will end 2023 with a 2.7 percent negative operating margin this year. That’s the lowest ever predicted with no relief in sight from our federal or state governments.”

Michalski went on to report that RiverView patients are predominantly of Medicare age, with Medicare and Medicaid as primary funding for services. Medicare and Medicaid patients make up over 50 percent of RiverView’s business. Unfortunately, Medicare only reimburses .98 cents on the dollar for care, the State of Minnesota only pays approximately .85 cents per dollar for Medicaid hospital patients, and less than .85 cents per dollar for Home Care clients. 

Skilled nursing care services are also paid at a lower level, which led to the decision to close RiverView’s Memory Care in 2023; as Michalski stated, RiverView could “no longer subsidize the underfunding by the State of Minnesota.” 

“As we go forward as RiverView, we will continue to right-size our operations and maximize efficiencies as we navigate 2024 and beyond.”

Finding a Positive Path Forward
As part of the effort to turn the financial picture around, Michalski reported that RiverView successfully lowered operating costs by $3.6 million in 2023 but said more is needed.

RiverView is now part of a collaborative project with 20 other independent community hospitals in Minnesota, exploring the formation of a clinically integrated health network. The hospitals, mostly in rural parts of Minnesota, are working together to further improve patient care and outcomes, and working toward gaining some economies of scale to negotiate better and more fair contracts with larger insurers. There are 37 independent community hospitals in Minnesota. Michalski said the hope is that they will all join the collaboration.

While finances were a struggle, there were many highlights in 2023, most importantly,

• RiverView was among 10 percent of hospitals nationwide awarded the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This five-star status was based on patient survey results.
• Hannah Reski, PA-C, recently joined RiverView’s Orthopaedics Team. As an orthopaedic physician assistant, Reski will see new patients and those who need post-operative care. She will also do most of the in-office casting and splinting work.
• Senior Life Solutions, an intensive outpatient mental wellness program, recently opened on RiverView’s Crookston campus. The program is designed to help older adults who are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental challenges often associated with aging.
• RiverView continues to offer the Community Physician Recruiter Incentive Program to engage the community in the effort to connect with and successfully recruit physicians to RiverView. In return, anyone responsible for igniting the spark that eventually brings a qualified physician to full-time employment at RiverView will be justly rewarded financially, up to $20,000. If you know someone who may be interested in a rewarding career at RiverView Health, go to riverviewhealth.organd learn more under the “Community Physician Recruiter Program” heading.

Another highlight was that according to the Minnesota Hospital Association’s most recent report, RiverView’s total charitable community benefit work exceeded $5.4 million.

“Even though we’ve had two years of operating loss, we have not let up in supporting our community and making investments in our community,” Michalski stated. “RiverView remains committed to serving this community as a nonprofit.”

Of that $5.4 million, about $1.8 is support for community events, training for future healthcare workers, education, etc. The other $3.6 million is what RiverView subsidized for the underfunding of the State of Minnesota’s Medicaid program. While this is not a legislative budgeting year, Michalski said RiverView representatives will continue to advocate for relief for rural hospitals to offset inflationary costs and the state’s continued underfunding of Medicaid programs that serve the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

Board of Directors
Tim Brinkman and Dr. Brett Vibeto were reelected to the Board of Directors to serve their third three-year terms. Other Board members are Grant Gunderson, Stephanie Harbott, Garrett Borowicz, Reed Engelstad, Dr. Erik Kanten, Lori Keller and Kari Koenig.

Special Awards
Several awards were announced at the meeting, with more information to be shared at a later date. Those honors included:

• Employee of the Year: Pam Stainbrook, Inpatient Unit, received the highest employee honor and an award of $1,000.
• Alta Hermodson Heart and Soul Award: The Auxiliary honored long-time volunteer Judie Kanten with the annual volunteer award.
• Reaching Out to Serve Award: The Crookston Fire Department received the 2023 community-minded honor.

2023 Proves Busy for the Auxiliary
The RiverView Auxiliary hosted blood drives, the Teddy Bear Clinic, collected items for the Mitten Tree, participated in the Home Delivered Meals Program, and so much more in 2023.

According to Carrie Bergquist, Auxiliary liaison, over $24,000 was raised through memberships, donations, and fundraising events.

Each year, the Auxiliary funds projects that aim to improve and enhance the patient experience at RiverView Health. In 2023, the Auxiliary funded requests for books for RiverView’s Reach Out and Read program, patient activity bags, inpatient clothing, and equipment for Rehab Services totaling more than $11,000.

In 2023, the Limited Addition Gift Shop donated $10,000 to the Auxiliary, with the Auxiliary donating $5,000 to the Giving Hearts Day campaign.

Five hundred dollar scholarships were awarded to RiverView employees working toward healthcare degrees. Recipients were Kalie Magsam and Olivia Huck.

The Limited Addition Gift Shop, run by Auxiliary volunteers, added two new volunteers and two new vendors in 2023. According to Bergquist, the shop is run by 27 volunteers who donated 3,856 hours in 2023 for an equivalent of $122,620.80. Sales from the shop were more than $70,000 for the year.

Auxiliary Board members are Gloria Watro, Deb Normandin, Jacqueline Cournia, Judie Kanten, Deb Sylvester, Marlys Mjoen, Nancy Capistran, Kristie Ricard, and Jean LaPlante.

If you are interested in joining the Auxiliary, contact Bergquist at cbergquist@riverviewhealth.org or call 281-9572.

Foundation Gears Up for Giving Hearts Day 2023
Foundation Director Randy Schoenborn began his presentation by thanking the 2023 Foundation Board of Directors of Marilyn Wentzel, Jerry Lindsay, Jodi Clauson, Marcia Schoenborn, Cory Dallager, Kari Koenig, and Taylor Sannes. After nine years of dedication to the Foundation, Lindsay fulfilled his third three-year term in early 2024. Hunter Plante was elected to fill the position.

Schoenborn reported that 2023 was a successful year for the Foundation, thanks to the support of generous donors. In 2023, the Foundation

• Received 700 gifts from over 450 donors, totaling $458,000
• Brought in $210,000 on Giving Heats Day through 245 gifts supporting new analyzers for the RiverView Laboratory and other vital needs within RiverView
• Raised over $26,000 through the Golf Classic for the Foundation’s priority projects, the RiverView Recovery Center and the Angel Fund. The 2024 Golf Classic will be held on June 10.
• Received more than $100,000 in gifts from 196 employees
• Brought in close to $30,000 in scholarship funds for area students pursuing careers in healthcare

The Foundation is now focused on Giving Hearts Day, Feb. 8, an online nonprofit fundraiser. That day, the Dakota Medical Foundation and other generous donors will match gifts to the Foundation up to $60,000.

Undesignated 2024 Giving Hearts Day contributions will assist in the cost of replacing sterilizers in the Surgical Services Department.

Early giving is now open. Go to www.riverviewhealth.org and click on the “Donate” button at the top of the page. For more information or assistance with a donation, contact Schoenborn at rschoenborn@riverviewhealth.org or call 281-9249.

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On Monday, January 29, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Polk County Sheriff’s Office received the report of a female tied up on the side of the roadway by a local resident along 410th Ave SW in Bygland Township.

Polk County Deputies responded and located a 17-year-old female who reported being abducted and brought to the above location. The female was checked and medically cleared by Altru Ambulance.

UPDATE

After further investigation into this incident, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports that there is no known threat to the public at this time. The investigation is ongoing, and further information will be released when available.

Assisting Agencies were the Minnesota State Patrol and Altru Ambulance.

If anyone observed anything suspicious while driving south of East Grand Forks along Highway 220 in the area between Highway 2 and the Thompson Bridge or has any other information pertaining to this case, please contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 218-281-0431.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

The post POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE UPDATES CASE REGARDING 17 YEAR OLD ALONG SIDE OF ROAD appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston Civic Music League Entertainment Series presents Yu & I in concert featuring violin and classical guitar on Sunday, February 4, for a matinee at 2:30 p.m. at the Crookston High School Auditorium.

YuEun Kim and Ines Thome met in 2013 when they both had just moved to the United States.  YuEun from Korea and Ines from Germany serendipitously found themselves as housemates in an old Victorian building in Los Angeles.  While both were studying at USC’s Thornton School of Music, they immediately connected through their love of chamber music and good Korean food.

Yu & I will take their audience on a journey of folk music, not only from their homelands but also from composers from around the world.  Classically trained in guitar and violin, Yu & I will captivate audiences with the highest level of artistry.

For ticket and membership information in the Crookston Civic Music League, please call  Elaine Metzger at 218-281-2681, or Emily Luckow at 218-281-5907, or Alvern Wentzel at 218-281-7873.    Admission is by season ticket only. Season tickets can be purchased at the door before the concert on Sunday, February 4, at 2:30 p.m.

For transportation, call THE BUS 281-0700.

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